Our Team

Marcela has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education with Early Childhood licensure and a Bilingual Education endorsement, along with an Infant Specialist Certificate. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish. Marcela is a UCLA Head Start Management Fellow and an Erikson Institute International Fellow. She began working at Educare West DuPage in May of 2012 before the school opened as a Master Teacher, and quickly moved into the School Director position, and then into the Executive Director role in May of 2020.

Marcela is also a trainer for CLASS, Brazelton Touchpoints and Data Utilization. Before coming to Educare, she had worked with the Office of Head Start’s training and technical assistance center for the state of Illinois supporting Head Start and Early Head Start programs around school readiness, family engagement and professional development. She also has had experience as a Literacy Coach for a federal Early Reading First grant where she coached and supported teachers in best practices around literacy and language development.

Monique has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Administration from National Louis University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services – Child, Adolescents and Family Services from Loyola University Chicago. She began working at Educare West DuPage in October 2011 as the Teen Parent Coordinator, moved into the Family Engagement Supervisor in 2012, and then into the Assistant School Director in 2018. She has been the Director of School Operations since May 2020.

Before coming to Educare, she had worked with SGA Youth & Family Services as a Family Support Specialist and ERSEA/Disability coordinator for an Early Head Start Home based program. During her time at Educare West DuPage, she has also completed two Fellowship programs, Erickson Institute International Fellowship and University of California Los Angeles Head Start Management Fellows. She is a trainer for Brazelton Touchpoints, Data Utilization and Intensive Family Engagement in Early Childhood Programs.