Maria Angela DeCastro Chen
Aurora
Summary
A dedicated professional who possesses experience in management, customer service, data entry, along with education, and an additional seven years of varied instruction in early childhood education. I'm seeking a position that can adapt and translate my business and educational backgrounds, training abilities, and quick learning skills, as well as utilize my varied skill sets.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Early Childhood Preschool Lead Teacher-Toddler Classroom
The Gardner School
Greenwood Village
06.2024 - Current
- Overall supervision and daily class functions of a group of students in the classroom. Responsible for excellent classroom management.
- Creation and implementation of engaging class lessons and activities on a variety of topics that include, but are not limited to, such subjects as literacy, math, social-emotional skills, life skills, science, and social studies, which also align with developmental milestones.
- Implemented the school’s Creative Education curriculum.
- Implemented effective behavioral management strategies to promote positive interactions.
- Assessments, data collection, and monitoring of each student’s development needs, growth, and progress.
- Cultivated relationships with parents to help support their children’s academic success. Provided excellent customer service and good rapport with parents, not just within our classroom, but throughout the school.
- Communicated regularly with parents about children's progress and activities.
- Promoted language development skills through storytelling, singing songs and reading books aloud.
- Encouraged creativity in young minds by providing materials for art projects or music time activities.
- Assisted with daily meal times by helping prepare meals, serving food, cleaning up after meals and teaching proper table manners.
- General management, supervision, mentorship, and initial training of my assistant teacher, and any substitute teachers in my classroom.
- Shared lesson planning duties and collaboration with the other teachers in my grade level to provide the best education and learning opportunities to our students.
- Maintained a well-kept classroom, encouraging students to create, explore, and learn in a play-based environment.
- Participation in project management to prioritize tasks that would be the most beneficial to our students.
- Built and strengthened positive relationships with students, parents, and teaching staff.
Early Childhood General Education Instructor
Cherry Creek Schools Early Childhood-Outback Preschool, ILC Center
Aurora
08.2023 - 05.2024
- Created a positive learning environment that was conducive to learning for all students involved. Responsible for the supervision and overall daily functions of the students in the classroom.
- Implemented classroom management strategies to maintain a positive environment.
- Designed engaging lesson plans for diverse early childhood learners.
- Developed lesson plans aligned with early childhood education standards.
- Implemented appropriate activities to foster children’s growth.
- Adapted curriculum to fit program participants' abilities and needs, using pre-assessment followed by in-progress assessments to confirm learning fulfillment.
- Facilitated engaging activities promoting cognitive and social skill development.
- Collaborated with parents to support their children’s educational needs and progress.
- Assessed student performance to tailor instructional strategies effectively.
- Maintained a safe and nurturing classroom environment for all students, that encouraged play, exploration, and engaged learning.
- Utilized educational technology tools to enhance learning experiences. Integrated technology into learning when appropriate.
- Helped students succeed through coaching, mentoring and positive reinforcement.
- Adapted teaching methods to meet the needs of individual students in the classroom setting. Implemented differentiated instruction techniques when necessary.
- Utilized various instructional strategies, such as lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and cooperative learning groups.
- Built relationships with students of all cultural, social, and economic backgrounds, as well as with different abilities.
- Responsible for excellent records management. Maintained assessment records that reported student progress.
- Maintained a classroom web page on the Seesaw platform, which was an excellent communication tool for the students' families.
- General management of the paraprofessionals in the classroom, and the assignment of their duties. Trained new staff on educational practices and classroom procedures.
- Attended workshops on learning goals, classroom management, student motivation and engaging learning activities.
- Stayed abreast of changes to field, available technologies and improved instructional strategies.
Special Education Paraprofessional/General Classroom/Instructional Paraprofessional
Cherry Creek Schools Early Childhood-Outback Preschool, ILC Center
Aurora
08.2022 - 05.2023
- Assisted the General Education Instructor, including preparing materials and activities, classroom functions, and behavior management.
- Provided support to the special needs students in the classroom, especially one-on-one support for the high-needs students. Provided the one-on-one support to students during instructional time and transitions.
- Assisted specialists on the team (Special Education teacher, Speech Pathologist, Occupational therapist) in duties to support the special needs students by supervising, building skills, focusing on tasks, or creating materials, lessons, or activities, etc.
- Collaborated with professionals to adapt learning materials for accessibility.
- Supported students with daily activities to enhance social and emotional skills.
- Implemented behavior management strategies designed by special education staff members.
- Offered emotional support during times of difficulty or crisis situations involving the student.
- Monitored behavior of students in order to ensure a safe, positive learning environment.
- Supported students with personalized accommodations, extra assistance, and educational assessments.
- Supported the development of social skills through modeling appropriate behavior and interactions with peers.
- Maintained the general upkeep of the resource rooms and classrooms on-site, which are used by all students.
- Managed class of special education students in absence of lead teacher.
General Classroom/Instructional Paraprofessional
Cherry Creek Schools Early Childhood-The Outback Preschool
Aurora
08.2018 - 05.2022
- Assisted the General Education Instructor, including preparing materials and activities, classroom functions, and behavior management.
- Supported teachers in implementing individualized lesson plans for diverse learners.
- Facilitated small group activities to enhance social and cognitive skills in students.
- Provided classroom support throughout planned instruction and individual lessons.
- Offered students personalized educational, behavioral, and emotional support.
- Kept students safe in classroom and outside environments.
- Maintained focused, inclusive, and supportive learning environments.
- Maintained the general upkeep of the resource rooms and classrooms on-site, which are used by all students.
- Handled clerical duties, managed classrooms, and coordinated documents for teachers.
- Be able to support any substitute teacher in the classroom in cases of the general education instructor's absence.
Website Manager and Content Creator
Hulafrog Aurora-CO, Hulafrog Inc.
Aurora
11.2016 - 12.2018
- Managed a local community parent resource site, Hulafrog Aurora, CO.
- Creation and upkeep of relevant and current site content.
- Managed website content updates and maintenance for local community events.
- Creation of the weekly site newsletters, which informed families of upcoming events and resources.
- Aided local business owners to promote their services on the site. Created engaging multimedia content to promote local businesses and services online.
- Developed engaging content for community-focused programs and initiatives.
- Curated local event listings to promote family-friendly activities.
- Cultivated community connections, and increased subscribers.
- Assisted customers through email or phone regarding their queries about the company's products or services offered via its websites.
- Collaborated with marketing team to improve online visibility and user engagement.
- Analyzed customer feedback to identify areas of improvement for the website interface.
- I attended and participated in community events that would help promote the website to the community it services.
- Responsible for continued training and growth as a Hulafrog Managing Editor.
- Maintained a membership with the Hulafrog Open Markets Team, which assists in maintaining Hulafrog sites around the nation that are missing active managing editors.
Education
Bachelors Degree - Communications
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT COLORADO SPRINGS
Colorado Springs, COSkills
- Experience working in a school, preschool center, and classroom environment
- Experience with data entry and data management
- Business management
- Project management
- Website management
- Inventory management
- Office administration
- Clerical skills
- Accounting skills
- Highly computer literate, with a wide variety of computer knowledge of programs on both Windows and Apple/Mac platforms
- Experience with conflict resolution and negotiation
- Can work independently or in a team environment
- Strong verbal communication
- Task- and detail-oriented
- Quick learner
- Dependable and responsible
- Problem solver and multi-tasker
- Highly motivated
- Social media and internet proficiency
Certification
- Early Childhood PDIS Instructor, Level 3.0-Level 3
- CPR Certified
Timeline
Early Childhood Preschool Lead Teacher-Toddler Classroom
The Gardner School
06.2024 - Current
Early Childhood General Education Instructor
Cherry Creek Schools Early Childhood-Outback Preschool, ILC Center
08.2023 - 05.2024
Special Education Paraprofessional/General Classroom/Instructional Paraprofessional
Cherry Creek Schools Early Childhood-Outback Preschool, ILC Center
08.2022 - 05.2023
General Classroom/Instructional Paraprofessional
Cherry Creek Schools Early Childhood-The Outback Preschool
08.2018 - 05.2022
Website Manager and Content Creator
Hulafrog Aurora-CO, Hulafrog Inc.
11.2016 - 12.2018
Bachelors Degree - Communications
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT COLORADO SPRINGS