SPECIAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Tiffany graduated from Rhode Island College in 2010 with her B.S. in Elementary and Special Education. Following her first year teaching Kindergarten in RI, Tiffany moved to Cary, North Carolina to continue her teaching career, teaching and coordinating Special Education programs in Wake County Public Schools (the 14th largest school district in the US with 198 schools!) from 2012-2021. She also worked as an Implementation Consultant in the Corporate Technology world for 2 years, before returning to Education in 2023. Tiffany was born and raised in Providence, and graduated from Classical High School in 2004 (Go Purple!). After living in North Carolina for 11 years, she moved back home to Rhode Island and now resides in Providence with her boyfriend and 2 daughters. Tiffany is always looking for an excuse to travel, explore, or find a fun weekend getaway with family, chasing sunshine and warm temps! She also is an avid sports fan, and loves playing and watching basketball in her free time. Most importantly, engaging in children’s growth and development brings her the utmost joy and is her true passion in this world.

K-1 SPECIAL EDUCATION

Gina has her B.S. in early childhood and special education for New York University. Additionally, she attended Cambridge College for her M.Ed. in special education. She previously worked at a residential school for students with severe and multiple disabilities, primarily with students ages 6-13. She has been with LC as a special educator since 2020. Gina grew up in Hopedale, MA, and is proud of her Hispanic heritage. Her hobbies include video games, Magic the Gathering, puzzles, crafting, and personal style.

2 SPECIAL EDUCATION

Ana lives in Providence, Rhode Island. Ana is an alum from the Learning Community and is now currently attending Rhode Island College. She is majoring in Elementary/Special Education with a minor in Spanish. Ana loves to support the bi-lingual parents and bi-lingual community. Ana enjoys going to church and playing soccer as a defender. Ana loves spending time with her close-knit family. 

3 SPECIAL EDUCATION

Melissa graduated from Providence College in 2013 with her Master in Elementary Special Education with post-graduate credits in Applied Behavior Analysis. She previously worked as an ABA therapist and Behavior Specialist in a variety of educational settings. Melissa grew up in Fall River, MA and now resides in Taunton, MA with her husband, two-year-old daughter, and their dog, Zooey. When not cheering on Boston sports teams, Melissa also enjoys swimming and traveling.

4 SPECIAL EDUCATION

Catarina graduated from Rhode Island College with a B.A in elementary education. She has been a part of The Learning Community for 13 years. Prior to joining LC , she was a long-term substitute teacher for Pawtucket Public Schools. She also worked as a teacher's assistant at a local preschool. Catarina is Portuguese and a daughter of immigrant parents. She is a mother to two boys. She enjoys fitness, going to the beach, and spending time with her family. She believes that every student has their own unique way of learning and strives to support them on their journey to becoming independent learners.

5 SPECIAL EDUCATION

Christina graduated from Rhode Island College with her B.A in Elementary Education and Special Education in 2014. She has been teaching for the past 6 years and has previously taught in East Greenwich and Woonsocket at the middle school level. She was born and raised in Warwick by Italian parents and currently resides there with her dog Daisy Mae. Christina enjoys playing soccer, hanging out with her family and friends, taking her dog for long walks, and traveling. 

6 SPECIAL EDUCATION

Erin is the 6th-grade special education teacher. She is also a certified reading specialist and general educator. Erin has almost two decades of teaching experience, with over 10 years here at the Learning Community. She lives in Attleboro with her husband, two sons, and dogs.

7 SPECIAL EDUCATION

Emilie graduated from Providence College in 2012 with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education and again in 2016 with a Master's degree is Special Education. Emilie strongly believes that all students can learn and be successful in school, especially when they have the right supports! She lives in East Providence with her husband, Mark and her two daughters, Averie and Maeve. Emilie is a huge fan of Disney World and enjoys spending time with her family by the water!

8 SPECIAL EDUCATION

Prior to teaching at The LC Lauren spent two years teaching in the Dominican Republic. It was there that she became fluent in Spanish, and she met her husband. She now lives in Warwick with her husband and two sons. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her family. Lauren works with children because “I know they all have the ability to learn and achieve as long as someone believes in them. I love being the one to believe in all of my students and watch them as they learn and grow.”

SPEECH & LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST (TEMP)

Tracy Robinson has been a Speech and Language Pathologist for over 30 years. She spent 26 years in Massachusetts public schools working with all grade levels. She developed and teaches a graduate course for teachers entitled, Social Competencies and Your Curriculum, for Framingham State University. Previous to joining the public schools she worked in the healthcare industry with both children and adults.

She received her Master's Degree from the University of Rhode Island and earned a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech and Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from ASHA. Additionally, she recently earned a Certificate in The Impact of Trauma on Learning from Lesley University.

Mrs. Robinson holds a license from the Massachusetts Department of Education in Speech-Language Pathology and a license from the Massachusetts Board of Registration for Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologist.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

Tara graduated from Quinnipiac University with her B.S. in health sciences in 2000. She previously worked with children at Meeting Street School in Providence and United Cerebral Palsy of Rhode Island. In her free time, you can find Tara cheering on her three boys at the hockey rink or baseball field.

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

Carla is a School Psychologist with over nineteen years of experience in urban education. She has worked as a Kindergarten Teacher, School Psychologist, Assistant Principal, and Director of Social Emotional Learning in Boston, Fall River, and Attleboro. Carla is very proud of her Italian heritage with roots in southern Italy. Certainly! She is deeply committed to working with immigrant families, especially women because her grandmother couldn’t read or write English and didn’t become a citizen. Carla truly understands bilingual families who experience language barriers and cultural challenges. Carla has lived in South Attleboro most of her life and raised two children there. She enjoys crocheting, sewing, painting, and keeping family traditions like making homemade bread and pasta, and growing a vegetable garden.

PARAPROFESSIONAL

Erica studied at CCRI. She has worked as a child outreach screener at the Central Falls Schools Department and at the Central Falls Registration Department. She has a child that is on the spectrum. Born in Chicago but was raised in Central Falls after the year of 1. She is Guatemalan/Chicana. Mrs. Erica is married with 2 kids. Graduated from Central Falls High School, and her kids are currently attending the CF school district. She is very involved in the community. She has a lot of family in Central Falls. A lot of her husband’s family and her family live in Central Falls. Some of her husband’s family currently are attending The Learning Community.

PARAPROFESSIONAL

Matthew Carvalho enters into his first full year with the Learning Community as a Guest Teacher after beginning his tenure in April. Carvalho attended Bryant University, graduating in 2022 with a Major in Politics and Law as well as a concentration and three minors. He has an Education background, previously teaching High School Social Studies for two academic years in Pawtucket. Carvalho is a Pawtucket native and continues to reside in his hometown. Outside of his work with the Learning Community, Carvalho stays busy by working in communications for Rhode Island FC, hosting a sports talk radio show, and volunteering and staying active in his community.

PARAPROFESSIONAL

Bio coming soon!