November 2010

Hazel Drive Early Childhood Center is now open!  Our nine-foot tall mascot, Hazel the rabbit, has presided over the arrival of our first students. The children and their parents are all smiles as they encounter the bright, colorful, sparkling clean spaces of their beautiful new school. They are ready for fun and learning in the tender care of Miss Laura and Miss Gloria.

The center is owned by Laura Picciano, who has been an exuberant and creative early childhood teacher and preschool music teacher for over 30 years.  Laura and her husband Tony moved to New Hampshire from Long Island in 2005 to provide a better quality of life for their family which includes their son Nick, now 13.  Tony has already established a renovation business called The Right Touch Construction in Exeter, and last summer Laura chose this quiet cul-de-sac in Hampstead to create her own school filled with the happy sounds of childhood!

Laura is joined in this adventure by colleague Gloria Denoncourt.  Gloria also has more than 30 years of teaching experience.  Laura and Gloria met as fellow teachers in an Exeter preschool and often found themselves in a dynamic whispered exchange of ideas while the children napped, many of which they implemented in that program.  Gloria’s artistic gifts enhance the school’s environment and curriculum.  Her beautiful props motivate and engage young learners as “Miss Gloria” teaches them Spanish, her first language.  The curriculum also has a large music component helped along by “Miss Laura’s” talents on piano and guitar.