Preschool

Kate Freiman, Education Director
Kate Freiman, Education DirectorCo-teacher in the Preschool program
As Education Director, Kate is responsible for managing, planning and coordinating BECC’s education programs, services, and activities. She received her BA in English from Williams College and an MS in Elementary Education. Kate has RIDE certification in both early childhood and elementary education. After working in special education programs, she taught first and fifth grade in New York for four years. A board member at BECC when her children attended, she has taught at BECC in various capacities since 2006. Kate lives in Barrington with her husband and three children.
Beth Machado
Beth MachadoCo-teacher in the Preschool program
Beth received a Bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education and a Master’s degree in reading education from RI College. Beth taught special education and second grade in the Lincoln, RI public schools for 14 years. From 2006 to 2015, she owned and managed Gymboree Play and Music in Seekonk, MA, where she taught play, art and school skills classes to children ages 0 to 5. Beth lives in Barrington with her husband, Mike, and their four children.
Ashli Brown
Ashli BrownAssistant Teacher in the Preschool program
Ashli earned her BS degree in Early Childhood Education from Wilmington University. Ashli spent 12 years in the field before choosing to become a stay-at-home mom to her daughter, Savannah who attended BECC. Outside of the classroom Ashli has volunteered with the early education focused organizations, DAEYC (Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children) and the Delaware Readiness Teams. She was a member of the board of directors when her daughter was at BECC. Ashli lives in Seekonk with her husband, daughter and kitty Pumpkin.

Pre-Kindergarten and Monday Club

Dawn Rocco
Dawn RoccoCo-teacher in the AM and PM Pre-K and Monday Club
Dawn has her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education and began teaching children at BECC in 1984. She also worked at BECC for 2 years as a student teacher while in college. Dawn is married and lives in Barrington. She and her husband have two children, Nicole and DJ, both of whom are BECC alums! Dawn enjoys sports, walking her dog with friends and making memories with her family.
Amy Parker
Amy ParkerCo-teacher in the AM Pre-K
Amy received a BA in psychology and an early childhood education degree from Roger Williams University. Amy has taught early childhood education for 15 years. She lives in Bristol with her husband and two daughters.
Alex Cirillo
Alex CirilloCo-teacher in the PM Pre-K class
Alex received her Bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from New England College. She has over 10 years of experience teaching in various educational settings, including teaching Pre-K at the University School of Milwaukee. Most recently, Alex led Tinkergarten classes in Barrington for children and families to learn through outdoor play and the nature that surrounds them. Alex is an alumni of BECC, and was president & co-president of the Board when her children attended BECC. Alex lives in Barrington with her husband and 3 children.
Kim Gilmore
Kim GilmoreCo-teacher Monday Club
Kim received a BS Degree in Marketing/Management from Rochester Institute of Technology and has worked in Management, developing and implementing training programs for new management personnel. She has previously worked in a local preschool for 3 years, substituted in the Public Schools in town as a Teacher’s Aide and Secretary for 6 years and has previously subbed at BECC prior to joining the team as an Assistant Teacher in 2015. Kim lives in Barrington with her husband and 2 (BECC alumni) children.

Full Day Pre-Kindergarten

Laura Coutu
Laura CoutuCo-Teacher in the Full Day Pre-K class
Laura received a BS degree in Child and Family Studies from Syracuse University and then worked to attain her early childhood teaching certificate in the state of RI. Laura has taught in various educational settings in different capacities during her career from Pre-K-grade 5, and even taught for a year in an ESL school in Honduras. After becoming a mom, she decided to devote her time volunteering in her children’s classrooms. Laura lives in Barrington with her husband and three children.
Kate Frantz
Kate FrantzCo-Teacher in the Full Day Pre-K Class
Kate has completed an Early Childhood Education Certificate through CCRI (2019) and two levels of training for aligning curriculum with the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards through URI. She has 24 years of experience working with young children through various schools including the Poplar School in Portsmouth (RI) and Portsmouth Public Schools. Her most recent role was lead teacher and co-education coordinator for Emmanuel Day School in Newport. She has resided in Portsmouth for the past 21 years with her husband, Jim. Kate has two grown daughters, Emily and Julia.

Administration

Mary M. DeWitt
Mary M. DeWitt Administrative Director
Mary is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the school along with ensuring the school stays aligned with its long term goals. Before coming to BECC, she was employed in roles in business, sales and marketing over the course of her career. She has also been very active in the community having served on many volunteer organizations in town including the Barrington Education Foundation and the Barrington Boosters. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Boston College. A former BECC parent herself, she served on the board when her children attended. She lives in Barrington with her husband, Bill. She has three grown children.