Diana Riopedre
My name is Diana and I am the Educational Director for Rainbow Child Development Center’s Fresh Meadows location. I have been with Rainbow CDC for six years and I have 15 years of classroom experience ranging from infants to kindergarten. I received my bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education from The City College of New York and my masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Queens College. Through my experiences as both a teacher and an educational director, I strongly believe that children learn best by experiencing and engaging in activities that can be adapted to their own individual needs.
Jacqueline Ricks
My name is Jacqueline and I am the Educational Director at Rainbow Child Development Center in Long Island City. I have been teaching at Rainbow CDC since 2012. I have a masters degree in Education and professional teacher certifications in Early Childhood Education and Childhood Education. In addition to teaching the Pre-K class, I also teach the early literacy class, the preparation class for the NYC Gifted and Talented test, and STEM classes. Prior to teaching at Rainbow, I taught kindergarten for 3 years. My philosophy is that every child is capable of learning and it is my responsibility as a teacher to do whatever it takes to teach them.
Melissa Perlmutter
My name is Melissa and I am the Educational Director at the Rainbow Child Development Center in Flushing, NY. I have taught Pre-K at Rainbow since 2012. Prior to that, I have experience working in both general and special education classrooms. I received both of my master’s degrees from Columbia University’s Teachers College, one in Early Childhood Education and the other in Early Childhood Special Education. My educational philosophy is that children learn best by being provided with hands-on learning opportunities, which help them understand the world around them. As educators, we create the space where this is possible, and we guide the children’s learning by differentiating our instruction to meet their needs.