Our Teachers
Gabriella Alcala-Coleman
Lead Teacher
Gabriella Alcala-Coleman
Lead Teacher
- What is your position at Brighton Center and how long have you worked for Brighton?
- A lead teacher at ECE Higgins location. Started at Brighton in March 2022.
- What is one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- Meeting developmental milestones and goals of children.
- What is the best part of your job?
- Smiles and hugs from all the kids throughout the day.
- What do you love most about working with children and their families?
- Hearing the funny stories that parents tell about the kids that happen at home.
- What inspires you?
- Knowing that early child education sets the foundation for personality and their development.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- Training for marathon!
- You must sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
- Turn the Beat Around by Vicky Sue Robinson
- Create a hashtag to describe Brighton.
- #BrightonFamily
Samantha Catangal
Lead Teacher
Samantha Catangal
Lead Teacher
- What is your position at Brighton Center and how long have you worked for Brighton?
- A lead teacher at ECE Higgins location. Started at Brighton at the end of January 2022.
- What is one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- Watching the children grow and seeing who they are after they leave my classroom.
- What is the best part of your job?
- Being able to teach and touch lives forever.
- What do you love most about working with children and their families?
- Being exposed to different cultures and customs to help educate well rounded children.
- What inspires you?
- When children have Eureka moments, and they realize they achieve different milestones.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- I am afraid of ketchup.
- You must sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
- Super Trooper by ABBA
- Create a hashtag to describe Brighton.
- #Holistic
Lauren Clancy
Lead Teacher
Lauren Clancy
Lead Teacher
- What is your position at Brighton Center and how long have you worked for Brighton?
- I am currently a lead teacher and started with Brighton in March 2022.
- What is one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- Watching the development process and how fast it can go.
- What is the best part of your job?
- Being able to be a part of the children’s lives and enhance their ability to grow.
- What do you love most about working with children and their families?
- Being able to tell stories to parents about their child’s development and how their day was.
- What inspires you?
- Ability to see myself grow and how my education helps me a better teacher.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- Previous experience in healthcare during COVID.
- You must sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
- Mr. Brightside
- Create a hashtag to describe Brighton.
- #BrightEducation
Emily Blankenship-Menchaca
Teacher
Emily Blankenship-Menchaca
Teacher
- What is your position at Brighton Center and how long have you worked for Brighton?
- A teacher at ECE Higgins location since April 2022.
- What is one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- Seeing the kids after they leave and how much of a difference you made in their lives.
- What is the best part of your job?
- The hugs at the beginning of the day.
- What do you love most about working with children and their families?
- The fact that we can be with a team.
- What inspires you?
- Being the teacher that makes an impact.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- That I am a mom.
- You must sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
- Party in the USA
- Create a hashtag to describe Brighton.
- #BringItOnBrighton
Shauna Rogers
Teacher
Shauna Rogers
Teacher
- What is your position at Brighton Center and how long have you worked for Brighton?
- I have worked at Brighton as a teacher for 8 years.
- What is one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- Connecting with a child and being able to make a difference and help improve their development.
- What is the best part of your job?
- Creating moments with the children and watching the lightbulb turn on.
- What do you love most about working with children and their families?
- Connecting with the children and building a sense of community with their families.
- What inspires you?
- The kids
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- I have a love of cars.
- You must sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
- Family Tradition by Hank Williams
- Create a hashtag to describe Brighton.
- #MakingADifference
Valerie Briseno
Primary Care Teacher - Lullwood Campus
Valerie Briseno
Primary Care Teacher - Lullwood Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I have been working as a Lead Teacher at Brighton's Preschool since 2015.
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- I have been working with preschoolers since 2006.
- What is the best part of your job?
- I have several fond memories so it is hard to pick just one, but I do feel that the best memories are when you see children really grasp what they are learning in class like their numbers, colors, etc.
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- Watching each child learn and grow throughout the year.
- What inspires you?
- My daughter.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- That I can run up to 7 miles!
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #BestCenterEver
Raeny Maciel
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
Raeny Maciel
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I have been working with preschool aged children for about 3 years.
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- One of the fondest memories I have is watching children that started off in my class as 2/3-year-old, walking the stage at Kinder Ready graduation as 5/6-year-old, with so much with more knowledge and excitement for their next big chapter.
- What is the best part of your job?
- The best part of my job is being able to help these children grow and learn new things.
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- They are always very eager to learn! And once they learn, they want to keep learning more and more!
- What inspires you?
- Knowing that I am making an impact on these children’s lives and helping them become who they are.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- Brighton has been my first childcare center as since entering Education as a teacher.
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #BrightonInfinit
Odessa Montano
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
Odessa Montano
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I have worked with preschool aged children for 11 years.
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- My fondest memories working with children is getting to see them walk for the first time. I get to share the excitement along with parents and it is such a great feeling.
- What is the best part of your job?
- That is the best part of my job, getting to see each child hit their milestones.
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- I love working with young children because they always make my day so much better.
- What inspires you?
- My daughter inspires me. When I'm in my class with my kiddos, I always think about how I would like my daughters teachers to love on her so I do that for my kids.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- Something people would be surprised to know about me is that I love to dance.
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #family
Marissa Buentello
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
Marissa Buentello
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I have worked with preschool aged children for about 4 years but I have worked with children from newborn and up for 10 years. I've been a youth care specialist for 2 years and a coach for 3rd-5th grade for 2 years, but a teach for a total of 10 years.
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- I started to put on a cape and one of the kids saw me and wanted one too! So I put on a hat and they did as well, every move I made she did too.
- What is the best part of your job?
- Getting the love and hugs from the kids.
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- How their little minds are link sponges! They take in everything that they see and learn.
- What inspires you?
- Watching the kids grow and knowing that I had a part in it. Also, when they trust me! It means a lot for a teach when a child can love and trust them.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- I listen to Christian rap
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #BrightonFamily
Arminta Jenkins
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
Arminta Jenkins
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- What is the best part of your job?
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- What inspires you?
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
Ashley Garcia
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
Ashley Garcia
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I Have been working with children for about 6 years!
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- When you see the excitement in a child's eyes, when they finally made a connection to what you've been teaching them, and the love they have for learning.
- What is the best part of your job?
- The joy of giving, is being able to see a child take something I taught and make it into something his/her own.
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- Everyday brings something new in a classroom full of curious minds. I love seeing the joy they have when wanting to learn something new, and how their confidence grows as their knowledge expands.
- What inspires you?
- Knowing that I am making a difference in their little lives.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- I have a sister who has austism, and when I heard about brighton I fell in love with the work they are doing for the children
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #BrightonFeelslikeHome
Rachel Perez
Primary Care Teacher - Lullwood Campus
Rachel Perez
Primary Care Teacher - Lullwood Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I have been at Brighton for 8 years.
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- The many hugs from the children when coming back from vacation.
- What is the best part of your job?
- The hugs from the little ones!
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- The fun and joy in witnessing milestones being accomplished throughout the year.
- What inspires you?
- What inspires me is the passion and love for children's development and setting a foundation for them.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- I love to sing randomly and make up silly songs.
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #PassionAndLoveForKiddos
Alexis Neuman
Primary Care Teacher - Lullwood Campus
Alexis Neuman
Primary Care Teacher - Lullwood Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I have years of working with preschool aged children at the YMCA and as a preschool Sunday teacher at church. This is my first year at Brighton Center.
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- My fondest memory is helping a child with their writing skills. At first the child couldn't hold a pencil but working on writing their name every day they were able to master it. Their success put a smile on my face!
- What is the best part of your job?
- The best part of my job is getting to see the children grow and learn.
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- What I love most about teaching is seeing the children improve every day on their different learning skills.
- What inspires you?
- My parents inspire me to be a better person. My coworkers also inspire me and help me improve on my teaching skills!
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- I love to watch NBA, especially Spurs basketball.
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #BrightonFriendshipsAreMade
Vanessa Parra
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
Vanessa Parra
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I have a CDA and have been working at Brighton Center for 15 years.
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- The fondest memories I have are seeing the children grow and learn each day.
- What is the best part of your job?
- Spending time and playing with the children and also working alongside my coworkers is the best part of my job.
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- I love helping them learn new things.
- What inspires you?
- Seeing happy and smiling children everyday.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- I play a lot of sports and my favorite is Basketball!
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #BrightonRocks
Jena Soto
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
Jena Soto
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I began working with children in 2007 when I started after school care with the YMCA and later transferred to their childcare center. I worked there until 2014 when I made my move to Brighton center and have been here ever since.
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- The fondest memories I have are seeing the children develop in my class. Having a child with no words to start having 10-15 words when they leave my classroom or a non-mobile child go from sitting, crawling or even walking!
- What is the best part of your job?
- Watching each child meet their milestones and knowing that I had a part in that.
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- Each day is unique! My day can be turned around from a simple hug or smile from my kids.
- What inspires you?
- Each day is unique! My day can be turned around from a simple hug or smile from my kids.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- My son attended ECE Brighton in 2007 while receiving ECI services, while being diagnosed with high functioning autism. He is now in mainstream high school, receiving straight A's and is doing awesome! I credit ECI for where he is today!
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #Awesome
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Marissa Buentello
Primary Care Teacher - Higgins Campus
- How long have you been working with preschool aged children?
- I have worked with preschool aged children for about 4 years but I have worked with children from newborn and up for 10 years. I've been a youth care specialist for 2 years and a coach for 3rd-5th grade for 2 years, but a teach for a total of 10 years.
- What is the one of the fondest memories you have while working with preschool aged children?
- I started to put on a cape and one of the kids saw me and wanted one too! So I put on a hat and they did as well, every move I made she did too.
- What is the best part of your job?
- Getting the love and hugs from the kids.
- What do you love most about teaching and working with young children?
- How their little minds are link sponges! They take in everything that they see and learn.
- What inspires you?
- Watching the kids grow and knowing that I had a part in it. Also, when they trust me! It means a lot for a teach when a child can love and trust them.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- I listen to Christian rap
- If you had to create a hashtag to describe Brighton, what would it be?
- #BrightonFamily
“My daughter was at Brighton for almost three years. It was a great place for her that provided a positive learning environment and child-centered staff. My daughter learned empathy and acceptance from her peers and teachers. The center is NAEYC accredited and teachers are knowledgeable of developmentally appropriate practices. They truly care about the children and families with whom they work and provide valuable, timely information regarding your child’s growth/performance. Brighton staff always made us feel like a part of their family. I always felt comfortable asking questions and they were both inclusive of ideas I brought to them as a parent and responsive to my child’s needs. We left because my daughter entered Pre K at her public school. She is doing great because of the social, emotional, and academic preparation she received at Brighton Center. We miss everyone very much, and are grateful for everything they did for our family. We ❤️ Brighton and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an inclusive, child-centered day care and preschool.”
