Our Staff

ACC is fortunate to have experienced and qualified staff. The ACC staff has a 150 years of combined experience in early education. All staff have specialized qualifications including but not limited to: technical degrees, and associates through masters degrees in Education, Early Education, Social Work, and Educational Leadership. Each staff member enrolls in at least 30 hours of training annually, so that we stay current and thoughtful in our work. The staff has worked diligently to create guiding principles that put children at the heart of our decision making.  How do our decisions add value to our learning community, and what do we consider when making decisions? The staff has carefully and thoughtfully defined that our work should be guided by honesty, consistency, integrity, professionalism, clear constructive feedback, respect, health and safety, initiative, accountability, and humor all to create a positive learning environment for children.  Each of these guiding values was defined by consensus and are reviewed regularly to support our understanding and commitment to the children and our reflection on how these principles shape our work. We believe that children thrive in predictable, consistent environments. When there is a sense of stability and safety, children can focus on learning and play. Because of this belief, our staff works in classroom teams of two to three teachers. Staff are assigned to specific groups of children and pursue specialized training to support the children in their care. The center employs floating teachers who work in all classrooms helping to cover lunches, planning and documentation, and time off.  By having familiar faces in the program for extra coverage, the center has flexibility and consistency in the event of an emergency or staff absence.

Sarah Cardinal - Executive Director

ACC is led by Sarah Cardinal, our Executive Director who oversees all operations, program policies & procedures, staff, children and families. She is the steadfast leader of our program, who works closely with the Board of Directors to ensure ACC’s mission and philosophy are upheld.

Shannon Mandigo - Assistant Program Director

Shannon is our staff’s go-to person when it comes to curriculum, behavior support, meeting special needs, and all things play! We feel fortunate to have an administrator who can offer teaching staff support, mentorship, and growth opportunities.

Joy Bergeron - Office Manager

Joy is ACC’s Office Manager and is often times the first ACC staff that new families meet! She is in charge of enrollment, manages many of our community partnerships and scholarships, as well as manages our day to day staffing schedule. She’s the friendly voice on the phone when you give ACC a call, and a wealth of knowledge about our programming and our offerings to the community.