Our Team

Partners in Learning

Our Director provides overall supervision and has a master’s degree in education. Our Director and most teachers are graduates of accredited colleges and universities where they majored in early childhood, elementary education or a related field. Staff members take their responsibilities seriously and make adequate preparation for the accomplishment of their assigned duties. They view their tasks as child-centered and exhibit genuine concern for our children. South Carolina state law mandates that the following ratios be met. Our teachers are partners in learning with your child while acting as a resource, facilitator and documenter of learning in the classroom. Our team of professional educators, child care specialists and experienced administrators are passionately committed to providing the highest quality, innovative child care programs and facilities for families.

Katie Carter, Executive Director

Katie Carter is a Charleston native and has been a teacher in both kindergarten and first grade in South Carolina’s public-school systems. For 6 years Katie was the Director of the Venning Rd location before becoming the Executive Director for both schools. Through this experience Katie has served on the leadership development team, trained staff members and created an engaging and welcoming environment for children and their families. Her role as the South Carolina Executive Director gives Katie the ability to provide direct support to both the Venning Rd. and Park West locations. By splitting time between the centers each week, Katie will remain available to support families and provide on-site administrative leadership. Katie will make sure both centers successfully execute high expectations and create learning environments that will flourish. Katie has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s degree in divergent learning from Columbia College. As a mother of two, Katie saw the need for exemplary early childhood care in the Mt. Pleasant community and was able to have her daughter as a CDC student at the beginning of her tenure with CDC.

students studying plant life with Montessori botany puzzles and cards

Stacey Heilman, Education Director

Stacey Heilman, first came to CDC as an atelierista in 2015. Stacey was responsible for working with teachers to create projects introducing new concepts to students, spark their curiosity, creativity, and establish a new explorative way of learning. This experience gave Stacey the opportunity to mentor teachers and led her to her current leadership role as the Education Director. Stacey is a Columbia native, but has lived in the Charleston area since 2006. Stacey has two boys that both graduated from Children’s Discovery Center, which she attributes to their confident demeanor and joy for learning. Through her multiple roles across CDC, Stacey understands and promotes the image of a child, one of the key underlying principles of the Reggio Emilia approach. It is her passion to help educators teach through the lens of viewing children as rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent, and capable of learning from inspiring environments.

A child using Montessori cylinder blocks to refine hand-eye coordination and motor skills.

Alexandra Hewson, Director – Park West

Alex Hewson has been with Children’s Discovery Center since 2014 and has served as the Pre-K teacher during her tenure. With her Pre-K position, she also assisted in front desk duties and held a large role in assisting families at the Venning Road location. Her successful time at the Venning Road location led to her promotion to the School Leader for Park West. Alex came to CDC with her degree in education from College of Charleston. After growing up in the Awendaw area, Alex chose to move downtown to pursue her degree. Alex has created long lasting bonds with CDC families and is eager to continue to build relationships and provide positive educational impacts for young learners.

Children using Montessori golden beads to practice math skills and number recognition.

Maggie Queen, Assistant Director – Park West

Maggie Queen moved to the Charleston area in 2018 from Boston, MA. She quickly became a valued member of our school when she joined as the Pre-Kindergarten lead teacher in 2019. In 2021, she was promoted to the Assistant Director role providing support to all of our teachers and administrative team. Maggie holds a Bachelor of Psychology and a Master’s in Education for Applied Behavior Analysis. Her background in behavior therapy and as an elementary school paraprofessional, is a vital resource to our educators and families. She and her husband have two preschool aged children along with two dogs. Her passion to serve children utilizing the principals of Conscience Discipline beautifully aligns with our mission to provide exemplary educational care through the Reggio Emilia approach.

A child practicing pouring lentils from one container to another, refining coordination.

Rachel Rickenbaker, Assistant Director – Venning Road

Rachel Rickenbaker moved to the Charleston area in 2019 from Charlotte, NC. She began working as the interim Assistant Director at our Park West Center and proved herself to be a valued asset to our families and students. At the end of her interim period she seamlessly transitioned to the Assistant Director role at the Venning Center, providing support to all of our teachers, families, and administrative team. Rachel holds a Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of South Carolina. With a history of experience in administrative leadership, she is a vital resource to our educators and families. She and her husband have recently welcomed a baby daughter who is thriving within our infant department through the nurturing and foundational Reggio Emilia approach. Her servant’s heart fuels her passion to work with educators and families in partnership to foster best practices for children’s development.