Mariana's 20th Anniversary at WCCC

2019 marks Mariana Gjylameti's 20th year as a Cloud Room teacher at WCCC. To give you a bit of perspective for just how incredible this anniversary is, the average tenure of an early childhood educator at one school is one year! Mariana started working here in September 1999, after she and her family moved to the United States from Europe. Mariana is an invaluable part of the team that often first welcomes families into the WCCC community and since her very first day here her outpouring of love, thoughtfulness and kindness for our youngest community members has never slowed down. I have personally known Mariana for nearly four years now and can't believe how eager she is to constantly learn and grow in order to provide the absolute best care for our infants. She is truly a bright light in our community and we are very lucky to have her here.

Some of you might know that Mariana's passion for caring for others around her extends far beyond the community of WCCC. After Mariana's shift in the Cloud Room on weekdays and on the weekends, she maintains a second job providing assisted living care. It is not only her value for caring that drives her to work so hard, but also to support her future and her family. Educators, especially early childhood educators have chosen a career path that provides rewards in cooperative learning, partnering with families and making a positive impact on the future. Choosing this type of passion driven path, however does lead to educators having less financial stability than many other fields throughout their career and leading into retirement.

Please consider donating as a thank you to Mariana for touching your or your family's life in whatever way she might have. Also, please help us keep this a secret until we celebrate her 20th year at the Matters of the Heart Auction on March 1st!