My name is Jayne Zommer-Grindle and I am one of the Directors here at Cowlicks & Pigtails Childcare Center. Previously I was the Lead Pre-K teacher as well as curriculum coordinator before stepping up into the Director Position. I have been a part of the Cowlicks Family since 2017. However, all together, I have been in early education and care since 2008 after starting out as an Assistant Teacher. After deciding to pursue teaching and Early Education as a profession, I achieved my goal and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Early Education from Eastern Nazarene College in May of 2016.

Even though each child should reach certain academic milestones at a certain age, I believe that the social and emotional well-being is the most important part of a child’s development. I originally decided to start working in a childcare center because I remember that when I was younger, I had teachers to help guide me and shape me into who I needed to become and I wanted to share that same love, attention, and care that was shown to me. The thing that brings me great joy in Early Education is when I see a child who has been struggling in any area, proudly achieve success.

I reside in East Bridgewater with my husband Bill of whom we’ve been together since High School, our two sons David and Jacob, and our beloved cat Louie. When I am not here at the center, I love listening to music, reading, playing animal crossing on my switch, and watching the food network.

Miss Annemarie is part of both the Cowlicks & Pigtails and Albrecht Kinder Academy family as our Business Manager!

Miss Annemarie helps us to stay organized, manage payroll, apply for grants, manage funding, and so much more!

Miss Annemarie also loves visiting with the children in all of the classrooms, but tends to help out a lot in our infant classrooms!

Miss Donna has been with Cowlicks & Pigtails since 2017. Miss Donna has 2 Associate Degrees and is close to getting her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, as well as an in-house certificate for school age care from Massasoit. Miss Donna helps throughout all of the classrooms when needed but resides mainly in Preschool and Pre-K.

 Miss Donna has been in Early Education since her senior year of high school in 1988. She chose Cowlicks & Pigtails because she wanted to make a difference as well start a new chapter in her life. To Miss Donna, Cowlicks & Pigtails is different "because it runs like a family and you do not feel alone like a corporate run daycare or preschool may feel, and it is the best place I have ever worked." Miss Donna feels as if she is truly made a difference while teaching at a previous center. A parent had heard wonderful things about Miss Donna’s center and was told “If you want a teacher who shows love, come to this (Donna’s) center.”

If Miss  Donna could do one thing to make a big, positive change to the world, it would be for all people to treat everyone with respect. “ It shouldn’t matter where you come from, skin color, or who we love. We are all alike and should be treated that way.” In her spare time, Miss Donna loves to go on walks or hikes, enjoys reading books, and loves to cook and bake!

Bio coming soon!

Miss Kasey has been a part of the Cowlicks & Pigtails family since 2017. Miss Kasey is an Administrator and Professional Development Specialist. She helps to take observations of the staff, manage and organize paperwork, develop and maintain staff professional development opportunities, and more. Miss Kasey chose Cowlicks & Pigtails because she admires Miss Erica’s passion for families and staff. Miss Kasey has worked with children since 2010 in various settings. She has her Associate’s of Science in Early Childhood Education and Administration, as well as her Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services with a concentration in Early Intervention. Miss Kasey is Director II certified and has worked in all positions within a childcare setting.

Miss Kasey feels she has truly made a difference when working with children by seeing the progress made throughout her work in various settings and knowing the children she has worked with have had experiences that will stick with them throughout their lifetime. Recently, a parent expressed that Miss Kasey was “the only reason” her child ever began the services that turned his life around and enabled him to meet his fullest potential.

If Miss Kasey could make one big, positive change to the world it would be to ensure every child has an opportunity to shine and that no child would ever have a developmental delay, learning disability, or challenge that goes unnoticed and without support; as well as ensure all children receive the help and services they need for basic amenities such as health, food, and shelter.

Miss Kasey is married to her kindergarten sweetheart and lives with him and their many animals. They welcomed their first little miracle, a daughter, after infertility and failed IVF in July of 2023. She is currently on Maternity Leave for the birth of her newest addition of her son! In her spare time, Miss Kasey enjoys spending time with her family (she has 11 nieces, nephews, and younger siblings as of 2022!) and enjoying nature or going on adventures. Miss Kasey also works full time as a Coordinator in a Human Services agency to help connect families to important resources, as well as coordinating her own small craft business.

Miss Lexi is one of our Infant Educators here at Cowlicks & Pigtails. She began with us in February of 2023 and worked hard to become certified right away! She chose to work in childcare because she has prior experience in childcare that she would like to explore further, adding to her knowledge. She says it is the first job she has had that she enjoys waking up and going to work everyday! Her favorite part about working with children is watching them learn and grow, and also getting to be such a huge part of their lives and development.

From her perspective, Cowlicks & Pigtails is different from other centers because of the caring, family-like environment and the focus on keeping everyone involved happy. She is so happy to be a part of the Cowlicks & Pigtails family! Miss Lexi feels she really made a difference while teaching when she helped a child feel comfortable enough to learn and explore the classroom in ways they normally didn’t do previously. She saw a different, happier, more playful side to the child that she didn’t know existed! If Miss Lexi could make one big, positive change to the world it would be to rid the world of poverty as she believes many of life’s issues such as domestic violence and depression would be easily solved without financial stress.

In high school, Miss Lexi worked in a program that had a preschool classroom directly in the high school. In this program she also traveled to a local elementary school where she spent time working in a first-grade classroom. Working in this program taught her a lot about children ages 3-7. In her spare time, Miss Lexi enjoys reading, exercising, and spending quality time with her friends and family.

Miss Jenn is one of our infant educators! Miss Jenn has been with us at Cowlicks & Pigtails since March 2018. She chose to work in early education and care due to her love for children. Her favorite part about working with children is making a difference and making them smile! From her perspective, she believes Cowlicks & Pigtails is different from other centers because of how accurate our motto of “We’re not just a daycare, we are a family” is. It truly feels like family!

If Miss Jenn could do one thing to make a big, positive change to the world it would be to help the homeless to ensure they have a place to live and food to eat. She feels much of her time with her toddler class made her feel like she truly made a difference teaching, especially during circle.

Miss Jenn graduated from Southeastern Regional Technical High School and also studied at Massasoit. She has 3 children, all sons, of her own. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her 3 sons. Miss Jenn truly enjoys her time here at Cowlicks & Pigtails!

Miss Christine is one of our certified Infant/Toddler/Preschool educators that helps out in various classrooms, her home in Infants! She started with us in September of 2022. After teaching as a Lead Teacher at another center for about 20 years, Miss Christine took some time off and was soon ready to jump back in. She chose Cowlicks & Pigtails because of how comfortable and at home she felt, making her feel like it was the perfect place! Miss Christine’s favorite part about working with children is watching them grow and reach milestones, and of course all the hugs!

One time Miss Christine feels she truly made a difference when working with children is when she helped a child and their family through the Early Intervention process, helping the child to receive needed support and developmental services. Miss Christine has a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching for over 20 years and has been a Lead Teacher in all age groups from Infant to Preschool!

Miss Kyla is our assistant Infant Educator here at Cowlicks and Pigtails. Miss Kyla worked with us previously until 2018, and has come back to join us as of September 2024! Miss Kyla was excited to come back because she loved the experience, the environment and feeling like part of a family and being treated fairly. Her favorite part about working with children is earning their trust and creating strong bonds with them, and also loving them like they are her own.  From her perspective, Cowlicks and Pigtails is different from other centers because of our kindness and open arms.

Miss Kyla graduated dental school, but it was not her passion. Instead, she finds working with children to be truly amazing! Miss Kyla has three children with her husband. Her and her children love going to target and shopping!

Miss Kyla has felt she has truly made a difference in her teaching whenever parents or families have requested her and formed a bond with her.  If Miss Kyla could do one thing to make a big, positive change to the world it would be to help children receive free or affordable further education services and to make the process of obtaining services easier, as well as help people to receive free healthcare.

Miss Ashley started with Cowlicks & Pigtails in May of 2021.  She is our Lead Tiny Toddler Educator! Miss Ashley has been working with children for over 15 years and has recently obtained her Lead Teacher certification. Miss Ashley continues to work towards her Director Certification, as well as her Associates Degree! 

Miss Ashley chose Cowlicks & Pigtails because she was eager to get back into childcare. During the interview, she instantly felt as if she was home because of the home-y atmosphere. She admires how much the educators love their students and coworkers. 

Miss Ashley loves being able to encourage children’s growth as everything happens so quickly in the first few years. Miss Ashley feels as if she truly makes a difference when working with children by the connections she makes with each child and ensuring they know they are unconditionally loved. In her spare time, Miss Ashley enjoys spending time with her family outdoors and loves all things Disney.

Miss Jen is our Toddler 1 Lead Educator and Developmental Specialist! She has been an educator for over 25 years mostly in toddler classroom environments. She has helped to train many educators throughout her career and had been the Lead Toddler educator at her last school for 15 years. Miss Jen believes that all children are unique individuals who need to feel secure, cared for, loved, and happy in their environment. As an educator, Miss Jen strives to help each child meet their own individual needs by providing a loving, caring, fun, and educational environment for them to explore. Miss Jen is excited to work with all our Cowlicks families and watch as the children in her care reach new milestones and have fun accomplishing them. We have chosen Miss Jen for a special role as our Developmental Specialist. As the Developmental Specialist, Miss Jen spends time our of her Toddler 1 classroom and works closely with educators and families at both Cowlicks and Pigtails and Albrecht Kinder Academy to help children and their families navigate the process of obtaining services and achieving milestones. She would like all families to know that if they have any questions or concerns they can feel free to come and talk to her or send her a message through Brightwheel!

Miss Holly is one of our Toddler 2 Educators! She started with us in September of 2023. She has her Pre-K to 2 state teaching license, a BS in Education as well as Psychology with a minor in special education. Miss Holly has worked in early education since 2015 and recently took a course to become Director certified. She loves the opportunity to attend conferences to continue learning the best teaching practices. Miss Holly chose to be an Early Educator because of her passion for teaching and learning alongside children. “The way you can watch them make connections to build knowledge is amazing”. Her favorite part about working with children is being a part of their growth and being the steppingstone towards their independence and becoming who they are. “It’s so rewarding!”

From her perspective, Cowlicks and Pigtails is different from other centers because of the people and children she gets to spend every day with. “They are the people who truly make work a fun, loving place to be”.

If Miss Holly could do one thing to make a big, positive change to the world it would be to improve the mental health and experiences of veterans to decrease post service mortality rates by providing more services and outlets “for the people who sacrifice so much for us”. Miss Holly feels she truly made a difference in her teaching one time she had a student who was emotionally dysregulated. Miss Holly tried multiple tools – calm down kits, sitting and talking, giving space, offering a hug, and more. Eventually, she was able to build a strong bond with this child so that they were able to talk about their feelings. “They became ‘my child’. This child will always be a significant part of my journey as a teacher.”

Miss Holly loves nature. She enjoys kayaking and fishing, biking, ice skating, and watching the sunrise on Cadillac mountain. She also enjoys reading. Miss Holly recently began running before the sun comes up to start her day. Miss Holly regularly volunteers at the Whitman VFW for events such as golf tournaments or Burnouts for Veterans. Miss Holly truly enjoys the time spent in her classroom. “I’ve made Toddler 2 like a second home and hope the students feel the same way.”

Bio coming soon!

Meet Miss Amanda! Miss Amanda started with Cowlicks and Pigtails in October of 2023. Miss Amanda has worked with children her entire life as the youngest of 7, becoming an aunt at the age of 9. Beginning her schooling at Curry College, Miss Amanda is continuing her education through Massasoit Community College. Miss Amanda chose Cowlicks because “the staff were welcoming. The environment has been so pleasant to work in day by day. Cowlicks has the opportunities for me to help me achieve my goals. Staff at Cowlicks care about the children and each other deeply”, making her experience at Cowlicks different than other centers.

Miss Amanda’s favorite part about working with children is watching them learn more and more each day. She loves the feeling of when a child reaches their goal. Seeing them daily makes her happy!

Miss Amanda feels she truly made a difference teaching in a past classroom working with a particular child with the tendency to bite, a typical but challenging behavior we see in toddler classrooms. With her help, the child was able to learn to use their words and other calming techniques instead of biting. If Miss Amanda could do one thing to make a big, positive change to the world, it would be to ensure anyone could get an education without having to pay.

In her spare time, Miss Amanda loves spending time at home, cooking, reading, and lounging. Being around friends brings her happiness because its always a good time when you spend it with people you enjoy! She also loves going for walks and drawing.

Miss Amber is one of our Pre-K assistant educators. She began with us in August of 2022. She chose Cowlicks because she wanted a change in her career. Her favorite part about working with children is teaching them about kindness and compassion. Cowlicks is the first childcare center Miss Amber has worked at, but compared to other non-childcare employment she has experienced, Miss Amber believes we are very family oriented.

Miss Amber has taken some classes for vet assistance. She loves animals and enjoys taking care of them and playing with them. She also enjoys making jewelry and anything art related. If Miss Amber could do one thing to make a big, positive change to the world it would be to place money in the hands of people who want to make positive change such as with adoption or saving wildlife.

Miss Amber feels she truly makes a difference with her teaching daily, as she tries to instill upon the children to include everyone and all be best friends. “Now when the children have a disagreement, usually very quickly they put aside their differences and continue to play with each other”.

Miss Hayley is one of our assistant educators! She started with us in January of 2024. She chose to work with children to share her current experiences and gain new experiences. Her favorite part about working with children is teaching them new things and experiencing children doing something new by themselves. From her perspective, Cowlicks and Pigtails is different from other centers because of how well staff work together and treat each other like family. Miss Hayley feels she truly made a difference teaching when she was able to take part in children mastering self-help skills after learning at school such as potty training and tying their shoes.

Miss Hayley has lived in Norton most of her life and attended Norton Public Schools. She loves writing and yoga. If Miss Hayley could do one thing to make a big, positive change to the world, it would be to turn negative decisions and situations into positive ones and make the world a happier, more positive place.

Miss Paula is one of our Infant, Toddler, and Preschool educators. She helps throughout all of the classrooms and even lends a hand at our sister school, Albrecht Kinder Academy. She started with us in July of 2022. She chose to work in childcare because of her love of children! Her favorite part about working with children is watching them blossom. From her perspective, Cowlicks & Pigtails is different from other centers because of the validation staff receive from Erica (our owner) and administration. She says, “It’s rewarding to work in a place where you’re seen and heard.”

If Miss Paula could do one thing to make a big, positive change to the world, it would be for people to listen more and talk less. One experience in her teaching has truly stuck out to her, making her feel like she has made a large difference while teaching. She had noticed the signs of diabetes in a child and encouraged the family to inquire with their pediatrician about it, and the child was tested and diagnosed!

Miss Paula graduated from Holy Family High School. She has been in Early Childhood Education since 2019. In her spare time, Miss Paula enjoys Hiking, camping, reading, and working out.

Miss Sarah is one of our Assistant Educators. She started with Cowlicks in April of 2024 and works with us during her school breaks. She chose to work with children because she loves spending time with them. Waking up every day knowing she can make a difference in a child’s life excites her beyond compare.

Miss Sarah’s favorite part about working with children is witnessing their growth. She feels so proud when they hit their milestones, no matter how small. She believes working with children creates bonds that last a lifetime.

From her perspective, Cowlicks and Pigtails is different from other centers because of the staff. She felt very welcomed the moment she stepped through the door for her interview, and she feels the love the staff have for each of the children.

If Miss Sarah could do one thing to make a big, positive change to the world it would be to change how the foster system works. There is a lot of abuse and neglect children face in foster homes that Miss Sarah wants to change.

Miss Sarah worked at the YMCA for a couple of years hosting birthday parties, teaching soccer classes, and being a camp counselor. She is also the oldest of 14 first cousins. She is currently a junior at the University of Rhode Island double majoring in health studies and psychology.

Miss Sarah felt one time she truly made a difference in her teaching was when she taught soccer classes at the YMCA. She taught the children to dribble the soccer ball and it made her feel so proud!

In her free time, Miss Sarah loves to dog-sit, paint, and go out to eat with friends.