Program Staff
Perhaps the most important feature of our children’s programs is teaching staff who are caring and attentive, competent, and creative. The staff consists of full-time Site Directors and a talented group of teachers —together a diverse collection of musicians, dancers, art educators, and more.
Allegra Fletcher, Director of Children’s Programs she/ella Contact Allegra
Allegra Fletcher is an Afro Caribbean Latina artist, educator, and community facilitator. She holds her BA from Bryn Mawr College, her EdM from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is currently completing her Masters of Theology at Boston University School of Theology. She began her journey with the fkaABC community in 2016 as a teacher before later site directing, and is thrilled to continue working as part of a team committed to providing vibrant children’s programming. Allegra loves to sing, craft, read, drink (and spill) tea, and is best known for her fuse bead earrings.
Jules Wyse, Maud Morgan Arts Site Director she/her/hers Contact Jules
Working in childcare for the last decade, Jules Wyse specializes in creative art projects for elementary school aged children. Jules’ passions are illustration, design and fostering the artistic creativity of all children!
Liana Chow, 3rd-5th Grade Site Director she/her/hers Contact Liana
Raised with an ethic of advocacy rooted in the Asian American tradition, Liana Chow has been previously been active in ethnic studies organizing and Chinatown out-of-school-time programs. Liana’s most recent job was in anti-poverty energy services, and she is excited to be rejoining the educational space with a new nonprofits perspective. Aside from work, Liana likes to darn socks imperfectly and collaboratively throw dinner parties.
Laura Fusco, Kindergarten Site Director she/her/hers Contact Laura
Laura is a recent graduate from Lesley University with a BFA in photography and design minor. She comes from a mythical place called New Jersey but has recently moved to the Boston area with excitement to discover herself and her passions. Working with children and communities all her life, she is excited to continue growing her strengths in childcare. What started as an internship with Maud Morgan Arts has flourished into a position with the kindergarten team 5 days a week. When she’s not at ABC, you can find her swing dancing, cooking in the kitchen, watching a good movie or show, and playing some video games.
Sophie Brill Weitz, 1st & 2nd Grade Site Director she/her/hers Contact Sophie
Sophie has a BA in Education Studies, with a minor in Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation from Brandeis University. She is passionate about supporting students and families. Most recently she was the program coordinator for an afterschool program in Arlington. She previously served as a K-8 Specialist for 826 Boston, providing in-class writing support and afterschool programming in the Boston Teachers Union School. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, needle felting, and befriending dogs any chance she gets! A resident of the Baldwin neighborhood in Cambridge, she’s thrilled to be working with the caring, creative team at the MLBCC.
Teaching Staff
Caroline Ndiaye – Piano Instructor she/her/hers
Caroline Ndiaye is a seasoned Music teacher and performer . She plays and teaches Piano, Saxophone and Drums. She got her BA from Antioch College in Music and Cultural Studies and then continued her studies at Berklee College of Music, and U.MASS Boston in Music Education. Caroline loves Salsa and African Music and she speaks French and Spanish. She has taught in the public schools of Newton, Boston and Cambridge since 2008, as well as private Daycare Centers and the LB Music School. She is super excited to meet the students, parents and teachers at the Baldwin after school Program and join the team!
David Allen he/him
My name is David. I grew up in Boston my whole life. I grew to love the Boston and Cambridge areas through many extended hands with opportunities. I have been doing theater since high school up until I graduated college and I want to pass on somethings I learned.
Gwen Arbetman she/they
Gwendolyn (Gwen) is an educator, cat-mom, and student located in Brighton, MA. Gwen is passionate about enabling youth to express themselves through the arts, community-building activities, and movement. She is passionate about supporting healthful and fun learning for students, families, and their communities. Most recently, Gwen interned at Harvard University and MGH’s Department of Child Psychiatry doing research with Think:Kids. Gwen also has recently worked in the Child Study lab at Clark University researching how students learn about social issues. Additionally, Gwen was a Project Based Learning teacher as part of the Hanover Fellowship with the Worcester Education Collaborative. Gwen is currently studying School Psychology at Northeastern and working at Boston Children’s Hospital towards her Early Intervention Certificate. With nearly a decade of experience working in children’s programming, she is excited to be entering her first year teaching afterschool with the MLBCC. In her limited freetime Gwen enjoys watching movies with her cat, trying new vegan recipes, and meeting the neighbors dogs.
Harper Dempsey she/her/hers
Harper Dempsey is a painter, illustrator and designer who has been working and studying in the Boston area for nearly 10 years. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire before attending MassArt and graduating in 2018 with a BFA in Illustration, and then going on to do work in the city making murals and public art. She’s greatly looking forward to teaching and sharing her love of the arts, creativity, and the craft of art making. When she’s not making art Harper enjoys catching pokemon, taking care of her pet snail Bob, and playing dungeons and dragons with her lovely wife Laura.
Rebeckah Zora she/her/hers
Rebeckah has completed her class for her Bachelor’s degree in English, with a Drawing minor from the University of Massachusetts: Dartmouth in December of 2021 and is awaiting her diploma to come in the mail. Rebeckah has always enjoyed connecting with children, especially over creative pursuits and interests. Adding fuel to the dreams of the future fills her with joy and a sense of purpose. She has always found that asking children questions and listening intently goes a long way towards motivating kids to aspire to be whoever they want to be. Before joining our team, she worked and volunteered for many local children’s programs near her hometown of Wareham. These included serving her church’s Vacation Bible School as a Co-Craft Director and acting as a Junior Camp Counselor for a camp that she attended as a child. Her specialty lies primarily in the visual arts, like crafts, painting and drawing activities along with dabbling in the field of gardening. In her free time, she enjoys admiring nature, spending time with friends and family along with reading novels, comics and creating her own manga, a Japanese style comic series, which she plans to start as a web comic
Sofia Garcia she/her/hers
As a first-generation Latina and recent high school graduate, Sofia brings three years of experience working with children to the Maria L. Baldwin community, Passionate about fostering a love for learning and growth, Sofia is dedicated to creating a positive and enriching environment for kids. With a deep commitment to making a difference in their lives, Sofia looks forward to contributing to their development and success.
Tovah Caron she/they
Tovah Caron is a third year women and gender studies major at Simmons University in Boston, MA. They are committed to political and social justice issues, focusing in on LGBTQ inequality. In their free time, Tovah loves cooking, music, art, and spending time with their friends and pets! Previously working with children and teens, she is so passionate about childcare and hopes to leave an impact on the children she works with. On any given weekend you can find Tovah at the Boston Common attracting attention as they feed healthy snacks to the wildlife, usually with a squirrel on each shoulder and a pigeon in each hand. She is unbelievably excited to work at the Maria Baldwin Community Center and spend time with the magnificent children and adults that this organization brings together!
