Iris Ponte
Executive Director

Dr. Iris Chin Ponte (she/her) is Director and Classroom Teacher at the Henry Frost Children’s Program Inc. in Belmont, MA. Dr. Ponte was trained personally by Director Debbie LeeKeenan of the world renowned Eliot-Pearson Children’s Laboratory School at Tufts University. Dr. Ponte has studied multiple early education approaches including, the Reggio Emilia Approach, the Montessori Method, as well as the Eliot-Pearson Developmental Approach.

As a former Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Ponte has expertise in cross-cultural issues in education. She has taught and conducted extensive school research in the United States, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, China, Japan, and Newfoundland. She has published in the areas of children and technology, behavior management, children’s play, and heritage trips for adoptees in China. Her most recent co-authored books include: From Survive to Thrive: A Director’s Guide for Leading an Early Childhood Program and Complementary Curriculum Approach: Transform Your Practice Through Intentional Teaching. Dr. Ponte has also received various scholarship and fellowship recognitions from the Children’s Defense Fund, the Watson IBM Fellowship, CBS, and the American Educational Research Association.

Read Dr. Ponte's Director's Statement.

Heather DiGiovanni
Director of Operations

Heather DiGiovanni (she/her) is the Director of Operations at the Henry Frost Children’s program. She holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College and a Master of Applied Child Development from the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University. Heather formerly worked as the Preschool Program Director at the Mass Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. There she developed curriculum to encourage play and exploration in nature that she continues to use at Henry Frost in our outdoor classroom. Through Tufts University and the Ponte and Chau Consulting, Inc., Heather served as a research assistant with the Natural Playground Research Project where she was responsible for overseeing data collection, analysis, and dissemination. She loves to share her passion of nature and science with her students.

Amy Copithorne
Classroom Teacher

Amy Copithorne (she/her) is thrilled to be joining the Henry Frost team at Concord Ave as an Afternoon Teacher and the Assistant Director of the summer program. She has earned her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and English, graduating from Salem State University. She is now EEC Lead Teacher certified and has experience writing curriculum and providing children with learning experiences that are both authentic and unique to their needs and interests. Amy has been working for the past several years as a Pre-K teacher and is excited to be joining Henry Frost @ Concord Ave.

Olivia Hobert
Classroom Teacher

Olivia Hobert (she/her) is from Framingham, Mass. and earned her B.A. in Psychology & Education from Mount Holyoke College in 2020 and her M.A. in Child Study & Human Development from Tufts University in 2022. She has worked in early childhood education centers for almost eight years now, and most recently worked as a Head Teacher at Eliot-Pearson Children’s School. She is excited to join the Henry Frost Children’s Program community this fall at the Concord Ave location as a Classroom Teacher and Summer Program Director.

Claire Kamenski
Curriculum Specialist

Claire Kamenski (she/her) is the curriculum specialist at the Henry Frost Children's program in Belmont MA. She is thrilled to support our teaching staff to execute the Complementary Curriculum Approach effectively. Her studies have taken her from Kinesiology, Pediatric Physical therapy, and finally Early Education. After a Bachelors of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she graduated with a Masters in Teaching at Northeastern University. Over the past 12 years, she has taught in both public and private settings in Oxford, England and Massachusetts. She developed a passion for the Reggio Emilia approach, specifically prioritizing emergent curriculum and teaching as a guide and an observer. Claire is a strong advocate for human rights and equity in and out of the classroom. She is committed to continuing to understand her own biases and using her platform of privilege to support anti-bias curriculum.

Sonja Kenny
Classroom Teacher

Sonja Kenny (she\her) is excited to join Henry Frost as a Classroom Teacher at the Concord Ave location. She spent over ten years teaching preschoolers and assisting with curriculum development at the Mass Audubon Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, and looks forward to bringing this experience into the classroom. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont and an MA in Landscape Design from The Conway School in Northampton, MA. She has spent many summers in the Adirondacks leading hikes and canoeing trips. She also has worked as a snowboard instructor in Vermont. She loves to nurture the natural curiosity in children and watch them grow and thrive. Sonja has two teen boys and lives in Cambridge.

Gwen Teutsch
Classroom Teacher

Gwen Teutsch (she/her) is excited to join the Henry Frost Children's Program at Concord Ave as a Classroom Teacher. Gwen holds a Bachelor's Degree from Brandeis University in Health: Science, Society, and Policy. Recognizing that education is a key social determinant of health, she has gained experiences in a variety of learning environments. Gwen has worked in classroom settings as an ESOL Instructor at Jamaica Plain Community Center's Adult Learning Program, in addition to working in education administration, where she supported the enrollment of families in Boston Public Schools' Universal PreK Program. She began her teaching practice in early education while working at Mass Audubon's Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in the preschool program. There she developed a passion for outdoor learning and play. Over the past several years, Gwen has visited Henry Frost as a guest teacher; she is now thrilled to bring her experiences to the Henry Frost community full-time.

Jess Albert
Classroom Teacher

Jess Albert (she/her) is a preschool teacher at the Henry Frost Children’s Program in Belmont, MA. Jess holds her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from the University of Connecticut where she worked at the Uconn Child Labs. After graduating, she became a Teaching Fellow at Lemberg Children’s Center at Brandeis University. This fellowship helped her earn a scholarship to Tufts University as a Graduate Teaching Assistant working at the Eliot-Pearson Children’s Laboratory School. She worked under the supervision of Dr. Iris Ponte and guidance of Director Debbie LeeKeenan. Jess earned a Master of Applied Child Development with a concentration in Early Intervention and Sensory Integration. After graduating, Jess worked at Henry Frost Children’s Program during Dr. Iris Ponte’s maternity leave and then spent 5 years as a Lead Teacher at Lemberg Children’s Center. For the past 6 years, Jess has been a stay-at-home mom to her 3 children.

Ann Rittenburg
Classroom Teacher

Ann Rittenburg (she/her) joined the Henry Frost Children’s Program staff in January of 2016 and is thrilled to be back in the classroom teaching young children, now that her own children are young adults. She holds a BA in Psychology (Bates College) and an MA in Child Development (Tufts University). While at Tufts, Ann worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Eliot-Pearson Children’s School. In line with her interest in the intersection of research, policy, and practice, Ann worked for several years as a researcher in the field of child and family policy at Harvard University, Wellesley College, and Tufts University. While raising her own four children, she served as a co-chair of the Parent-Teacher Advisory Board at the Eliot-Pearson Children’s School, the Belmont School and has been a Town Meeting Member in Belmont for the past two decades.

Joan Collins
Classroom Teacher

Joan Collins (she/her) has served as a home aid for over 20 years. With extensive experience in supporting families, she managed multiple households with daily tasks and childcare. Joan also served as a primary substitute for Harvard Affiliate Preschool, Botanic Gardens. In this role she gained experience in infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms. DEEC certified and having recently participated in the Northeast Montessori Institute Assistant’s Overview Course, Joan is thrilled to teach in our Extended Day Program.

Sarah Collins
Classroom Teacher

Sarah Collins (she/her) Is very happy to be a part of the Henry Frost Community. She has worked as a camp counselor and a preschool assistant for the past six years at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club in Arlington, MA. As a graduate of the Woburn Memorial High School and DEEC certified, Sarah is thrilled to be a classroom assistant in both the Henry Frost morning program and extended day.

Marian Miller
Naturalist

Marian Miller (she/her) has shared her love of the outdoors and natural history with people ages 2 to 102 for more than 20 years. As an early childhood and environmental educator, she is excited to explore the natural world with young children. “I am looking forward to exposing Henry Frost learners to some of my favorite local bugs, mammals, plants, and birds, and helping children to think about the many connections between all of life on earth."

Marian holds a BS in education from Wheelock College (now known as Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development) and a Master of Applied Child Development from Eliot Pearson Department of Child Development, Tufts University. She has created environmental education programing for Mass Audubon Habitat and Mystic River Watershed Association, and has worked with numerous local preschool programs.

Lena Zbruz
Music & Movement Specialist

Lenka Zbruz (she/her) grew up in the Czech Republic where she studied English at Masaryk University in Brno. After moving to the US, she found her calling in making music with children and the grownups who love them. She received her training in the field of early childhood development through music from Music Together Worldwide in 2007 and further deepened her understanding of music by taking classes at The Dalcroze Institute of Bard College in Cambridge, MA. Her main instrument is voice but she also enjoys playing the piano, the guitar, the ukulele, and the African djembe. She has taught music in many early childhood settings and elementary schools in the greater Boston area. What she treasures most are the relationships she has formed through teaching family music classes in Belmont over the past 17 years. She is thrilled to be joining the Henry Frost Program starting this fall.

Maryann O’Brien
Board Member

Upon graduating college, Maryann O’Brien (she/her) began her dream of teaching kindergarten in Roxbury, MA as a long-term substitute teacher. A few years later, she completed her Ed.M. at Boston University studying early childhood special education legislation. Maryann moved to NYC where she became an Early Childhood teacher in one of the first federally funded First Chance Programs for young children with special education needs, in Harlem. Most of her 42 years in education have focused on children with learning differences and their families. Maryann was the Associate Director at the Eliot-Pearson Children’s School at Tufts University for 14 years where she coordinated the special rights program. Prior to that she was an Early Intervention Director, Education Specialist at the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, grant reviewer for the federal Department of Education, and Preschool teacher and Program Director in NYC. 

Martha Pott
Board Member

Martha Pott, Ph.D. (she/her), is on the faculty of the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, where she teaches courses in personal & social development; parent-child relationships; observational methods for early childhood; assessment of young children; and evolutionary perspectives on human development. She has conducted cross-cultural research on parenting practices and family life that compares parenting in Japan and the US, as well as immigrant Chinese families and Euro-American families living in the US. Martha has also had a private practice helping parents with their children’s everyday behavior problems. Before earning her doctorate, Martha was a teacher in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education settings as well as early childhood and elementary special education settings. Martha was also the Developmental Specialist on an educational intervention team, coordinating assessment and services for children ages birth to seven years old for 16 California school districts. She helped write the State of California laws and regulations governing special education programs and services. Martha’s avocation is working with paper and making books by hand.