Our staff consists of five administrators and 37 trained and certified teachers, who continue their education to keep abreast of best practices in the field.
Our Teachers
In each classroom there is a credentialed, loving and kind teacher. Our teachers are knowledgeable in child development and skilled in implementing play based experiences aligned with the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards. Our teachers maintain open communication with parents to partner with them in their children’s education.
Khadija Lewis Khan
Executive Director
Khadija has been the Executive Director at Beautiful Beginnings since it opened in 1999. She has a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and a Rhode Island teacher certification in Early Childhood Education. Khadija says: “It is exciting to work with children in their early years because the foundation that they build here supports them to be curious, confident and excited learners as they progress in life.”
Elayne Terranova
Assistant Director
Elayne has been the Assistant Director at Beautiful Beginnings since 2001. She holds a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. She has worked with children of all ages as a teacher and/or administrator in preschools, after school programs and summer camps. Elayne says: “I love working with this age group and everyday is a new experience in learning how children discover the world around them.”
Deborah Zakowski
Education Coordinator
Deb has been in the early childhood/special needs field for many years as a preschool and kindergarten teacher in a public school. In 2015 she became an Education Coordinator at Beautiful Beginnings. Her job entails mentoring teachers, working with individual children, supervising two state funded Pre-K classes and assisting with administrative tasks. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and went on to earn her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Needs. Deb says: “Children have been my whole life and I’m fascinated by children’s unexpected responses.”
Ka-yonna Turner
Quality Assurance & Head Start/Early Head Start Coordinator
Ka-yonna loves helping children reach their full potential by teaching them the skills needed to become lifelong learners. She has been in the Early Childhood field since 2006. In 2015, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science with a minor in Early Childhood Education. She currently works as a Quality Assurance Coordinator and also supports the Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms. Ka-yonna says: “It brings me excitement to know that I can serve children and their families every day.”
Cibil Carter
Administrative Assistant
Lenny Arias
Early Head-Start
Janice Burke
School Nurse
