Staff | Creative Beginnings

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Our Team Members

Jackie Smith Ms. Smith is the teacher of the Two's/Three's combined class. She holds a Bachelor's degree and has more than 20 years of experience in early childhood, including teaching, directing, leading training workshops, and actively taking part in furthering the legislation and funding for quality childcare in our region. While partially retired, she enjoys creating a natural environment full of learning and growing opportunities for the children that they enjoy.	Sara Dugger Ms. Dugger is the director of Creative Beginnings of Lenoir. With more than 15 years in the early childhood field, she is committed to providing the highest quality of care to children by enriching the teachers with all they need to provide the best learning experiences. She is dedicated to assisting families to thrive in the community. She holds her Bachelors degree from Western Carolina University. She has also taught preschool and led training workshops. She partners with community members an	Bob Reeves Mr. Bob does the maintenance at Creative Beginnings. He is commonly known to the children as Bob the Builder and yes, he can fix it!
Karmen Stewart Ms. Stewart is the Toddler teacher. She has her credentials in early childhood and has more than 3 years of early childhood experience, She has a very sweet, nurturing personality that the toddlers are very comfortable around.	Annette Caldwell Ms. Caldwell holds the position as the cook. She has many years of experience in the public school cafeteria and classroom, as well as teaching experience with our preschool classrooms. She has a heart of compassion for young children, especially those with special needs, and works hard ensuring that each child's (and staff member's) nutritional needs are met.	Alex Coffey She is our Pre-K assistant teacher. With over 3 years experience in early childhood, she brings lots of fun and creativity to the class. She has her credentials and will be continuing her education to receive her degree in early childhood.
Donna Kincaid Ms. Kincaid is the assistant director who takes on multiple tasks as she answers phones, keeps up with endless documents and records, and assists the director in keeping things running smoothly. She has many years of clerical experience and lots of training in requirements and guidelines for the many agencies that we work with.	Logan McElyea Ms. McElyea is part of our sunny support staff. She is quick to do multiple tasks and can fill in any area. She supports teachers in planning and in the classrooms, and assists the director in many tasks. She has over 5 years of experience and her credentials in early childhood.	Courtney Carlton Ms. Carlton is the Waddler (young one year olds) teacher. She holds her Associate's degree in early childhood and has more than 4 years experience in early childhood. She enjoys working on the developmental skills of young one year olds and helping families as their child transitions from a baby to a small child.
Crystal Bumgarner Ms. Bumgarner is the teacher of the Young Two's class. She has her Associate's degree in early childhood and over 14 years of experience. She works wonderfully with children of any age and has a wealth of knowledge of best developmental practices for every age group. She is a wonderful encourager of children as they begin to learn to do things for themselves and gain new levels of independence.	Glenna Minton Ms. Minton is the lead teacher of the Three year old preschoolers. With an Associate's degree in early childhood, she diligently prepares children for Pre-K. She has over 14 years of early childhood experience and a great love for children. She provides a memorable experience for children with the songs she sings and the stories she tells.	Joanie Mungro-Pitts Ms. Mungro-Pitts is the lead teacher of the Pre-K class. She is well loved by all who know her from her 18 years of experience. She holds a Bachelor's degree and is well known in the community as the best preschool teacher. She demonstrates a love for children and families that shows in how she teaches and the supports she provides.
Ruby Rosa Mullis Ms. Mullis is the teacher of the younger infants. She has a heart of compassion for the smallest children in our center. She holds a Bachelor's degree and is an amazing artist. She has one year of experience in early childhood.

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