Our Directors:

Maria R. Hughes is the owner and Executive Director of Les Enfants Child Care. She holds a degree in Early Childhood and Special Education. She taught in the Special Education field for four years prior to founding Les Enfants in 1980. She was a classroom teacher at Les Enfants Preschool until 1990, when the Center expanded and she had to serve as full-time Director. Maria’s love, expertise, and dedication to excellence in education is what makes Les Enfants a special place. Maria is also a founding member of the New Jersey Child Care Association.

Nancy S. Festini is the Director of our Preschool. She has been working at Les Enfants since 1995 after receiving her degree in Early Childhood as well as Elementary Education from York College of Pennsylvania. Prior to taking her position at Les Enfants she taught preschool and served as assistant director for two years. Nancy is also the mother of two children who attend Les Enfants.

Donna Stradl is the Program Coordinator at the Preschool. She is directly involved in setting up classrooms and programs and supervising daily plans for teachers. She has been a part of the Les Enfants family since 1991 where she began as a teacher’s aide, moving on to be a teacher as she worked on her CDA.

Susana Esquijarosa is the Assistant Director of the Early Childhood Center. She has been working at Les Enfants since May 2001 after graduating from St. John’s University, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications. She is directly involved with the daily operation of the Early Childhood Center and is usually the first point of contact for a parent with an infant or toddler in need of child care.

Our Staff:

All of our Preschool teachers meet the State of New Jersey’s qualifications as Group or Head teachers. Teachers at our Preschool are required to have a degree in higher education, such as Child Development Associates (CDA), Associated Degree (AD), Bachelors Degree (BA/BS), and Masters Degree (MA/MS). Caregivers and assistants bring the wisdom of experience and the warmth of heartfelt dedication to your child. All staff must be fingerprinted and go through a child abuse record information check and reference checks. Our staff members are also trained in CPR and First Aid. Professional development is an ongoing requirement for the staff through in-service training, workshops, and graduate courses. Our Les Enfants staff is a mature and dedicated group, many who have been a part of our family for many years. Your children are always cared for by a loving staff, sensitive to a child’s needs.