Heather Pacheco

Executive Director

Heather has been a member of the Neighborhood community since she was a preschooler herself! She is the first Neighborhood graduate to become a teacher at the school. Heather’s three children also attended Neighborhood Cooperative. Heather brings energy, excitement, and endless creativity to her role at the Neighborhood. Heather graduated with a B.A. from Merrimack College, where she studied psychology and sociology. Heather has completed training in Wilson’s Fundations, the Mass General Think:Kids collaborative problem-solving program, and has pursued endless Professional Development opportunities throughout the years. Heather is a certified Lead Teacher and completed her Director Certification program in August 2022.

Christa Lilley

Assistant Director

Christa and her family joined the Neighborhood community in 2024. Christa entered the Early Childhood field in 2006 and worked as a classroom teaching assistant. Since then, she has had the opportunity to work with children ages 3 months to 6 years old, certifying her with Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool aged children. Christa attended Eastern Nazarene College and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education with an Early Childhood Concentration and her Director Certification in 2017. When Christa is not in school, she enjoys exploring Horn Pond with her husband and 2 children!

Lindsay Gilman

Lead Teacher - 2DPS and PS2

Lindsay was a former Neighborhood Cooperative parent and began teaching at the school in 2019. Lindsay has her Masters in Education, specializing in behavior therapy. She has worked as an Applied Behavioral Analysis Technician in the Boston Public Schools, and as an Autism Therapy Provider. Lindsay has three young children, and enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with her dog!

Anna Tonry

Lead Teacher - PS1

Blurb to follow

Amy Orsenigo

Lead Teacher - PK BLUE

Amy lived and worked in NYC for 15 years before moving to Winchester in 2013. She taught in private schools in the city after graduating from Bank Street College of Education, where she earned her Master’s Degree. In addition to spending time with her family, Ms. O loves to run and read.

Kimberly Gugliotta

Lead Teacher - PK YELLOW

Kim is a former NCNS parent. She has been an educator on the Tinkergarten team since 2018, helping families with young children learn, play, and connect with the outdoors. Kim earned her Bachelor degree in Psychology from Dartmouth College and her Master’s degree in Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. When she is not at school, Kim enjoys cheering at her children’s sporting events, running, and reading.

Marsha Durbano

Lead Teacher - Kindergarten Literacy Specialist

Marsha is a long-time Winchester resident whose three children all attended NCNS. Marsha earned both her graduate and undergraduate degrees in Child Development from Tufts University. She then taught in the Reading Public Schools for eleven years before starting her own tutoring business to support elementary-age children with reading and writing.

Nicole Zucker

Lead Teacher - Kindergarten

This is Nicole’s first year teaching at NCNS. She has been in the education field since 2016 and earned a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College/Boston University in 2021. 

Nicole has worked with infants, toddlers, preschool/prek, kindergarten, and first grade. She has a passion for music and frequently incorporates it into the classroom by playing the ukulele and singing almost daily. When not at school, Nicole takes care of her four reptiles: two tortoises, a turtle, and a crested gecko. 

Cherilyn Valentino

Enrichment Teacher - Explorers

Cherilyn first joined the Neighborhood community in 2006. Her two sons attended, so she was a parent and a member of the Board of Directors before becoming a staff member in 2009. Cherilyn has held various roles at NCNS. She has taught the Toddler Program, Extended Day and the Three year old program. Cherilyn earned a BA in Human Development from Boston College Lynch School of Education and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Lesley University. Prior to teaching at NCNS, she taught third grade in Arlington Public Schools for many years.

Jackie Dee

Co-teacher 2 day PS

Enrichment Teacher

Jackie Dee has taught at NCNS for over 25 years, where she is renowned for her ability to follow her students' interests and plan dynamic, ongoing activities that facilitate their learning. Both of Jackie's children attended NCNS.

Jackie earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Colby College. She has completed early childhood and elementary education courses at Tufts University and Master's level Reggio Emilia courses. In addition to her many years as an educator in Massachusetts, Jackie has taught young children in Maryland and New York.

Stephanie Aucello

For as long as she can remember, Stephanie has always wanted to work with children and make a positive impact in their lives! Stephanie graduated Summa Cum Laude from Merrimack College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development and Human Services, with minors in both Education and Psychology. 

In addition to working in the classroom, Stephanie’s experience includes teaching dance classes, choreography and music enrichment classes in all styles to children of all ages and abilities. Outside of school, Stephanie loves arts and crafts, attending concerts, cooking and baking, hanging out with her family, friends and two dogs, Rascal and Rudy! 

Jackie Daley

Kidstock Enrichment Teacher

Jackie has been part of the management team and a Kidstock! educator and performer since 2017. She delights in directing, teaching, and developing curriculum that fosters confidence, creativity, and empathy in young performers and storytellers. Jackie completed her studies at the Improv Boston Comedy School, is a member of the Acme Improv Company in Maynard, and performs in long form improvised musicals in and around Boston. She holds a BA in Women’s Studies from the University of Connecticut and is a Certified Kripalu YogaDance Instructor. Jackie loves performing at local theaters and has been in the Little Mermaid three times. She performs regularly on tour for Kidstock! year round.

Andrew Gentzow

Music Teacher

Andrew Gentzow, MA, MT-BC, affectionately known as "Mr. Andrew" has been teaching music at the Neighborhood Cooperative since 2018. As a board-certified musical therapist, he has been working in the field since 2002. He has a Master of Arts in Expressive Therapies specializing in Music Therapy from Lesley University and a Bachelor of Science from Sacred Heart University in Psychology with a minor in Music. He primarily works with early childhood and school-age children, specializing in developmental music therapy.

Kimberly Redd

Yoga Instructor (Yogattune)

Magical Miss Kimberly established Yogattune in 2016. Yogattune guides children, adults, and communities to awaken their creativity and mindfulness to cultivate joy, awareness, and self love. 

Through Yoga, meditation, chanting, and Earth based Spirituality students will deeply connect with themselves, others, and the natural world around them, leading to deep gratitude for life, and respect for our planet.

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Jennie Schofield, MS, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist Consultant

Jennie Schofield is a registered and licensed occupational therapist in the state of Massachusetts. She earned her Master of Science in occupational therapy from Tufts University and her Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in fine arts and minored in psychology.  She holds a teaching certificate from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and is licensed in visual arts education for pre-K through 12th grade.  Jennie is an intake coordinator at OTA

Allison Sardo, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech and Language Consultant

Allison Sardo, M.S., CCC-SLP specializes in the evaluation and treatment of pediatric speech and language disorders. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with a specialized focus on Speech-Language Pathology and Linguistics from the University of Delaware, where she graduated with honors. She then went on to earn her Masters of Science degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology from the MGH Institute of Health Professions, where she trained under some of the leading speech-language pathologists in the Boston area.