Call us: (401) 681-3443
752 East Road, Tiverton, RI 02878
About Us/Staff
A Word from Our Director
Dear Families and Friends;
As a mother, and student at Roger Williams University, I dreamed about owning and operating a quality child care center and learning facility catering to the needs of youngsters and their families. Unlike most people, I aggressively pursued my vision, and we opened Sakonnet Early Learning Center as a one-room school house in 1984.
My consistent hard work and dedication to the dream paid off. Today the bright and airy multi-room facility at 752 East Road in Tiverton is a model for what a top-notch early learning center should be.
As a mother, and student at Roger Williams University, I dreamed about owning and operating a quality child care center and learning facility catering to the needs of youngsters and their families. Unlike most people, I aggressively pursued my vision, and we opened Sakonnet Early Learning Center as a one-room school house in 1984.
My consistent hard work and dedication to the dream paid off. Today the bright and airy multi-room facility at 752 East Road in Tiverton is a model for what a top-notch early learning center should be.
My accomplishments have also helped hundreds of families and children throughout the years. In a society composed more and more of a household with two working spouses, a parent’s greatest concern is child care and most significant achievement is finding a facility that places "CHILDREN FIRST."
My staff and I know that the comfort and confidence in knowing their youngster is spending his or her days in a loving, caring environment is priceless. While a degree in the field is a valuable commodity (I hold a degree in education and child psychology) a diploma is secondary when compared to the natural love of children enjoyed by our entire staff.
In closing, I am proud of the facility I built from the ground up. What’s more, I know families and children will be impressed as well. For this reason, I urge all prospective families to visit in person. Looking forward to seeing you soon!
With warmest regards,
Deborah Murphy Raposa
My staff and I know that the comfort and confidence in knowing their youngster is spending his or her days in a loving, caring environment is priceless. While a degree in the field is a valuable commodity (I hold a degree in education and child psychology) a diploma is secondary when compared to the natural love of children enjoyed by our entire staff.
In closing, I am proud of the facility I built from the ground up. What’s more, I know families and children will be impressed as well. For this reason, I urge all prospective families to visit in person. Looking forward to seeing you soon!
With warmest regards,
Deborah Murphy Raposa
Our Staff
S.E.L.C. takes great pride in staffing our facility with loving, caring, and qualified teachers who have a true passion for what they do. The staff is genuinely concerned with meeting your child’s individual developmental needs and helping your child acquire the skills needed to succeed in life.
For your reassurance, every staff member must have C.A.N.T.S. (Child Abuse Networking Tracking System) clearance and be finger-printed through the Local or State Police Department (which includes criminal background checks). Each staff member is also CPR and First Aid-certified for your child’s safety.
With the educational world rapidly evolving, our staff adapts to this changing need by attending numerous child care conferences and Professional Development trainings throughout each year.
The key to the success of S.E.L.C. is the communication that exists on a daily basis between the staff and the families. We support our staff and parents as they strive to balance the demands of work and family.
For your reassurance, every staff member must have C.A.N.T.S. (Child Abuse Networking Tracking System) clearance and be finger-printed through the Local or State Police Department (which includes criminal background checks). Each staff member is also CPR and First Aid-certified for your child’s safety.
With the educational world rapidly evolving, our staff adapts to this changing need by attending numerous child care conferences and Professional Development trainings throughout each year.
The key to the success of S.E.L.C. is the communication that exists on a daily basis between the staff and the families. We support our staff and parents as they strive to balance the demands of work and family.
Meet Our Staff
Deborah Raposa, Owner/Director
Mrs. Deborah Raposa is the Owner/Director here at SELC. Her birth name is Deborah Marie Murphy. She grew up right here in Tiverton in the Stone Bridge area. Her parent’s house is right on the water, so she was always doing things in the summer like swimming, fishing, and boating. She is the middle child in her family with a sister older and a sister younger. Her mom still resides in her childhood home. Deborah has two grown children, a daughter Kristina and a son Christopher. She is engaged to be remarried.
Mrs. Deborah Raposa is the Owner/Director here at SELC. Her birth name is Deborah Marie Murphy. She grew up right here in Tiverton in the Stone Bridge area. Her parent’s house is right on the water, so she was always doing things in the summer like swimming, fishing, and boating. She is the middle child in her family with a sister older and a sister younger. Her mom still resides in her childhood home. Deborah has two grown children, a daughter Kristina and a son Christopher. She is engaged to be remarried.
Deborah graduated from Roger Williams University with a double major in Psychology and Elementary Education. She was a teacher for the Tiverton Preschool before she opened up her own preschool in 1984 in what we now call Room #1. Deborah loves flowers, gardening, knitting, reading, boating, skiing, and traveling. She dislikes feeling overwhelmed and unfriendly people.
Some of Mrs. Raposa’s favorite things:
Places to shop: Talbots, Macy’s, Ann Taylor
Colors: Blue and green
Season: Summer/Fall
Animal: Cats
Sports: Skiing, Swimming, Walking
Flowers: Hydrangeas, Roses, and Lilacs
Places to shop: Talbots, Macy’s, Ann Taylor
Colors: Blue and green
Season: Summer/Fall
Animal: Cats
Sports: Skiing, Swimming, Walking
Flowers: Hydrangeas, Roses, and Lilacs
Jennifer Magnan, Assistant Director
Mrs. Jennifer Magnan, the Assistant Director here at SELC, grew up in the Northwest corner of RI in a small town called Burrillville. She attended Elmira College, after high school, where she received her BA in Psychology. She worked at a residential program for adolescent females and as an Assistant Manager forCVS for
years before she decided to follow her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher.
Mrs. Jennifer Magnan, the Assistant Director here at SELC, grew up in the Northwest corner of RI in a small town called Burrillville. She attended Elmira College, after high school, where she received her BA in Psychology. She worked at a residential program for adolescent females and as an Assistant Manager for
She received her Post Baccalaureate Teacher Certification in Early Childhood Education from Bridgewtaer State College in 2003, and then joined the team here at SELC. Jennifer has an older brother, two nephews, two nieces, a beautiful Goddaughter and a loveable dog named Shadow. She has been with her spouse for more than 25 years. Jennifer loves home improvement projects, laughing, spending time with her friends and family, and Christmas!
Some of Mrs. Magnan’s favorite things:Places to shop: Target and Old Navy
Color: Purple
Food/Drink: Pizza/Iced Coffee
Season: Fall
Band/Song: Kelly Clarkson/80’s and 90’s music
Sports: Football to watch, Golf to play
Flower: Gerbera Daisies
Meghan Washburn, Educational Coordinator, Four Year Old Teacher
Four Year Old (Room #1)
Four Year Old (Room #1)
Mrs. Meghan Washburn, the Educational Coordinator
and Room #1 Pre-K teacher, grew up in Cranston with her mom, dad, and younger brother Tom. She enjoyed reading, going on outings with her family, and playing with friends. Meghan currently lives with her husband Eric, daughter Abigail, cat Maddie, and bird Polly. She has always worked and advocated for children. Meghan worked for 10 years as a 4th grade teacher at St. Peter School in Warwick. She then worked for 2 years as a Treatment Coordinator working with families and children with special needs at Northeast Family Services. Right before coming to SELC, Meghan was employed as a 4th grade teacher in Smithfield. She is excited to join the SELC family!
Some
of Mrs. Washburn’s favorite things:
Places to shop: Target
Places to shop: Target
Color: Pink
Food/Drink: Ice Cream/Coffee
Season: Autumn
Animal: Penguin
Book s: Big Little Lies
Band: Matchbox Twenty/Dave Matthews Band
Sports: Football
Flowers: Daffodils
Abigail Simmons, Four Year Old Teacher
Four Year Old (Room #1)
Four Year Old (Room #1)
Ms. Abigail Simmons, Room #1, is a Tiverton native and an SELC alumni. She resides in her childhood home with her family and is a recent graduate of Tiverton High School. Abby followed in her mother’s footsteps and began dancing at age three and danced all through high school. As one of the oldest children in the family, Abby spent much of her time growing up babysitting all of her younger cousins. She also worked for a few summers as a student aide for the Pocasset Art & Literacy Camp. One of Abby’s favorite things about working at SELC is forming relationships with our students.
Some of Ms. Simmons’s favorite things:
Places to shop: TJ Maxx, Burlington, Old Navy
Color: Pink
Food: Pizza
Season: Summer
Animal: Panda Bears, Lions
Sports: Dance
Flowers: Rose
Emi Silva, Toddler Teacher
Mrs. Emi Silva, Toddler Teacher, was born in Brazil and is half Japanese on her father’s side. She loves learning languages and is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish and intends to finish her study of Japanese. Emi is an artistic person who loves to work with charcoal and do yoga in her home. She is married to her best friend John, loves animals, especially dogs and pandas, and she loves to watch Animal Planet. Emi is an active person who loves being outdoors in nature, heights, meeting new people, and experiencing all races and cultures.
Mrs. Emi Silva, Toddler Teacher, was born in Brazil and is half Japanese on her father’s side. She loves learning languages and is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish and intends to finish her study of Japanese. Emi is an artistic person who loves to work with charcoal and do yoga in her home. She is married to her best friend John, loves animals, especially dogs and pandas, and she loves to watch Animal Planet. Emi is an active person who loves being outdoors in nature, heights, meeting new people, and experiencing all races and cultures.
Some of Ms. Emi’s favorite things are:
Color: Red, Blue
Food/Drink: Chocolate, Rice, Tea, Passion Fruit Juice
Season: Summer
Animal: Panda Bears, Dogs
Books: Nicholas Sparks
Sports: Soccer
Flowers: Roses, Sunflowers
Tara Thibault, Toddler Teacher
Ms. Tara Thibault, Toddler Teacher, grew up in Tiverton where she continues to live with her family. Her love of dance began as a child and she continued to dance for 13 years. Tara attended SELC through her Pre-K year, where (we would like to think) she fostered her passion for wanting to work with children. During Tara’s high school internship she worked with children in various age groups, from infants to preschoolers. Tara also worked for two years at Sand pipers Daycare in Middletown. She is one of several alumni currently working at SELC and we are so happy to have the opportunity to train the next generation of Team SELC!
Places to shop: Amazon, Wish
Color: Turquoise
Food/Drink: Pizza/Soda
Season: Winter
Animal: Pandas
Books: Harry Potter Series
Sports: Dance
Flowers: Rose
Aimee Piette, Three Year Old Teacher
Three Year Old (Room #5)
Ms. Aimee Piette, Room #5, grew up as only child loving theatre and music, which are still a passion of hers to this day. She lives with her fur baby Gabriel, a tabby cat. Aimee has an Associates in Early Childhood Education and a BA in Cultural Anthropology. She worked for 11+ years in the ECE field, with children aged infant through school age before beginning a career in health care as an Activities Director. Aimee has worked at The Little Red Schoolhouse, The Children’s Learning Center, and Crayon Campus. She is so happy to be back in the field of early childhood and looking forward to getting to know the families, children, and staff at SELC!!
Some of Ms. Piette's Favorite Things:
Places to shop: Bath & Body Works, Amazon
Color: Purple and Green
Food: Pizza/Coke
Season: Fall
Music: Country
Flowers: Daisy
Mary Jarabek, Three Year Old Room
Three Year Old (Room #5)
Mrs. Mary Jarabek, Room #5, grew up in Hartford, CT with two sisters. She was a three sport athlete in school, participating in swim team, volleyball and gymnastics, as well as the band. Mary has been married for over forty years. She has two daughters, a dog named Benson, and two cats named Milo and Christmas. She has two Associates degrees, one in cooking, and one in child care. She has worked in kitchens, schools, and kitchens in schools. Mary has worked with a wide range of children- from preschool to teens. We are so happy to have her with all of her years of experience here at SELC!
Some of Mrs. Jarabek's Favorite Things:
Places to shop: TJ Maxx
Color: Purple
Season: Spring
Food/Drink: Iced Tea, Chicken Wings
Sports: Hockey
Flowers: Lilac
Jadyn Sousa, Floater
All Classrooms
Ms. Jadyn Sousa, Floater, is a Tiverton resident and Tiverton High School alumni. She lives with her family, 2 dogs and 1 cat. Jadyn has been a dancer all her life. She has won awards as part of competition teams and as she grew older, she began teaching dance classes to the younger students at her center. This is where Jadyn says that her love for childcare began. She enjoys spending time with friends, the beach and trips to Disney. After graduating high school, Jadyn worked as a camp counselor. The experience she had and relationships that she built with her students solidified that early childhood was where her future was taking her! During her interview Jadyn said, “Working with children brings me joy, why wouldn’t I want to do that every day.”
Some of Ms. Sousa's Favorite Things:
Places to shop: PacSun, Target
Color: Yellow
Season: Summer
Animal: Dolphin
Sports: Dance
Flowers: Daisy
Contact our early learning center in Tiverton, Rhode Island, for quality child care from professionals who put your children first.
