Dear Families:

My name is Ilana Angeliades Maguire.  I am the Educational Director of Lolly’s Early Learning Center in Long Island City. My position offers me the opportunity to implement and oversee a developmentally sound and child-centered curriculum. We aim to set the foundation for each child’s current and continued academic success. I am looking forward to working with our incredibly talented teachers and parents to create an extraordinary and unique learning experience for your children.

    I would like to take an opportunity to give you a little background about myself and explain how Lolly’s came to be. To me, there has never been anything more fulfilling than seeing the face of a child light up with joy. The exhilarating feeling that overwhelms me when I spend time with a child has remained unmatched by any other pastime. I have volunteered at many daycare facilities over the years. I graduated from Boston University in May 2001 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. My favorite courses were those relating to children, family and development. Upon graduating, I began working full-time as the head teacher of a Pre-Kindergarten class within a private nursery school on Long Island. While teaching, I pursued and completed a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, received December 2004 summa cum laude from Queens College.

    At this point, I knew I wanted to take on a role that would enable me the opportunity to teach teachers and have an even greater effect on children and families. I then became the Site Director of a six-classroom Early Childhood Center. Over the course of the next 4 years I enrolled children, inspired families to become partners with the school, created educational curricula for classroom instruction, supervised a staff of 16, maintained children and staff records, and established/maintained safety plans, daily check logs and evacuation procedures. Additionally, I attended monthly Universal Pre-Kindergarten Director meetings, weekly seminars in Early Childhood Education, annual update meetings regarding NYS Department of Health Safety regulations, and a multitude of courses in NYS daycare specifications. It is with this educational background and experience that I excitingly take on the role of Educational Director at Lolly’s.

    Having had the unique opportunity to build Lolly’s from the ground up has enabled me to make very specific decisions regarding the architectural design, craftsmanship and details in the center. Each classroom’s lighting, paint colors, floor tiles, cubby heights and room design have been specifically chosen based on the age group for that class. Our Toddler Class is filled with nurturing shades of yellow to bring upon comfort and a secure feeling for our youngest children. The Lower Preschool class is blue, sparking a bit more stimulation but still remaining neutral enough to offer a calming effect for the children. Our Upper Preschool class is a bright red to invigorate, stimulate and encourage children to embrace the print-rich environment. At Lolly’s, children will be given the opportunity to explore their interests and unique personalities, while learning all the fundamentals of an extensive Early Childhood Education.

    I often feel lucky to have found something that I adore as much as teaching young children. The way it feels to work with children, to captivate their interests, to help them make connections, and to equip them with the skills they need to set a foundation from which they can blossom as learners and investigators is an amazing gift to be given. I have the utmost confidence in our teachers. I know they will be positive role models in the lives of your young children.

    I thank you for considering Lolly’s for the incredibly important decision of your child’s Early Childhood Education.  We have been part of the Long Island City community since 2009 and hope to continue working with LIC’s families and children for many years to come. 

Very Truly Yours,

Ilana Angeliades Maguire, MS Ed.