Our Team

Alison & Mark Aromando

Owners

Santa Fe Centers is owned by Alison and Mark Aromando who have been members of the extended local community throughout their life. They grew up in Summit and Florham Park, met in high school, graduated from Georgetown and Villanova Universities respectively and then when married, settled in Madison, NJ, where they currently reside with their three children. They know first-hand the challenges of looking for good childcare, as they were both working in NYC when their children were young. Finding the right childcare is one of the most important decisions parents have to make and therefore, they want to help others as they try to balance work and family. Through the teachers and staff at Santa Fe Centers, they offer the same loving and safe environment to families in the community that they searched for years ago when their children were young. They believe it’s important to maximize outdoor play and learning through social activities that can really benefit kids in the long run.

Maria Clifford

Director

Prior to her role as Assistant Director and Director at Santa Fe Centers, Maria worked at multiple childcare centers as Head Teacher and Enrichment Teacher while assisting Administration and Healthcare Officers on-site. She has always had a love of teaching and learning starting at an early age which prompted her college degree in Spanish and Translational Communications. She is also fluent in Italian and proficient in German. She has her Childhood Developmental Associates Degree, as well as many other certifications in High Scope Curriculum, New Jersey State Licensing and has worked with NAEYC and Grow NJ Kids. Maria is also a part of Coalition of Infant and Toddler Educators (CITE) VP and Treasurer.

Emma McDonald

Lead Teacher, 18 mos - 2.5 year olds

Jenna

Lead Teacher, Pre-K

Jenna joined the Santa Fe Centers team in 2019 as the Pre-K teacher. She studied at Kean University and earned her CDA in early childhood education. She is certified in Highscope curriculum and continues to take classes to further her education as she says “there is always room to learn and grow”. Jenna enjoys being present in a child’s early education because it is the foundation in which children are introduced to learning. She enjoys creating an educational, functional and innovative learning experience for all of her students. She encourages kindness and fostering independence in Pre-K as the children are getting ready to enter Kindergarten. She continues to bring new ideas and activities to challenge her students to new heights.

Yenny

Lead Teacher, 2.5 – 3.5 year olds

Yenny joined Santa Fe Centers in 2004 and often talks about how it has been the most rewarding experience giving new meaning to the term “work.” She has her CDA and has been trained in multiple areas of child development including HighScope, and Ages & Stages. She loves to incorporate new information about child development into fun, learning activities in her classroom. “When you find something you love to do, you never work a day in your life. I haven’t worked since 2004.”

Toni

Lead Teacher, 3.5-4 year olds

Toni has been with Santa Fe Centers since 2002. With a B.S. in Nutrition and a CDA as Professional Development Specialist, Toni focuses on mentoring kindness, compassion, empathy and by nurturing curiosity, exploration, and appreciation of the natural world around us. It is her hope that through the practice of these two broad teaching concepts, our youth will grow up to be happy and productive citizens of our global community. She says, “I credit Santa Fe’s strong commitment to the implementation of Developmentally Appropriate Practice – it works. Our proof is that we have thriving, confident, joyful students walking through our doors every day.” She believes that one of her most important roles as a preschool teacher is “to guide very young hearts and minds in positive directions and help them develop the social emotional intelligence they need to carry themselves throughout life.”

Anne

Lead Teacher, Mobile Infants

Anne has been involved in childhood education since 1992, first working at a local preschool and Kindergarten and then coming to Santa Fe Centers in 2016. She has attended well over 150 hours of Early Childhood Education courses and most recently completed the High Scope Curriculum. She says that joining Santa Fe Centers was one of the best decisions she ever made. “It is rewarding to see the results of the work I do as I watch children progress and grow. It is a thrill to know that I had a part in the advancement of their learning. The joy I receive daily from the current children in my care, to those who have moved on to the next level and the many I see from the past in our communities, is a true and lasting blessing.”

Leidy

Lead Teacher, Toddlers

Leidy has been working at Santa Fe Centers for nearly 9 years, gaining experience across various classrooms while deepening her understanding of early childhood development at a number of age levels. Her journey began 15 years ago with studies in psychology, complimented by a variety of certifications in childhood education. Leidy says, “I am passionate about outdoor activities with children, as they offer valuable learning experiences directly from nature while also enhancing both gross and fine motor skills. I believe in the power of indirect learning, where children absorb lessons from their daily experiences, but understand the importance of a structured routine in order to offer a space filled with a sense of security and stability.”

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