Traditional Pre-School

My name is Mrs. Shirley Miho. I am the mother of two children, Kai aged

twenty-two and Taliesyn aged sixteen, with whom I have had the wonderful

blessing to walk the path of adoption. Born in Manchester, United Kingdom, after completing my undergraduate work at Notre Dame College of Teacher Education under the umbrella of

Liverpool University, I travelled to the United States and studied the Montessori

Method of education and gained my Preprimary certification in 1988.

I gained my Master’s Degree in elementary education in 1989 and later, a

New York State public school elementary certification. My first experience

teaching Montessori was in Manhattan, followed by the opportunity to start a

small program in Westchester for the children of musicians working in a

Manhattan music studio.

Every summer I worked as support staff for the Center for Montessori

Teacher Education (CMTE/NY) and later acted as a field consultant, visiting

interns in the classroom and evaluating their written work.

Other milestones have included working for a year with six interns in the

Bridgeport Head Start campus, traveling several times to Arizona to teach the

Sensorial portion of training for CMTE/NY, helping to update the CMTE/NY

Sensorial Handbook and assisting Carole Korngold, the Director of CMTE/NY for

a year.

Having worked in several schools throughout New York and New Jersey,

my journey continues at Young World County Day School. I look forward to

meeting you in person as the year unfolds and working with you and your family.

My name is Jackie Bello and I am a Preschool Teacher at Young World Day School. Having lived in Waldwick, NJ my entire life, I am deeply committed and connected to my work, my family, and my friends here in Bergen County. I attended Leslie College in Boston, MA from '84-to '85 where I received my certification in Early Childhood Education. I started out as an assistant teacher at Bell's Little Learners in Paramus, where I saw, firsthand, how quickly a teacher influences a child's development; academically, emotionally, and socially. After 18 years I changed schools and was promoted to School Director at Saddle Acres, in Waldwick. I oversaw two buildings including infants, toddlers, and preschool students up to 5 years old. Of course, there were some challenges, but overall it provided me with tremendous knowledge and experience. Unfortunately, the school closed down and I had to move on. I am now loving my role at Young World Day School and I enjoy making a difference in the lives of your children and continually challenging myself, always striving to be the best teacher I can be.