Careers | Bright Beginnings Preschool


Benefits to Help you Grow!


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  • Ms. Dee was amazing, patient, and flexible with Quinn as he adjusted to school for the first time. She took the time to update me on his progress almost every day.

    - Kristen Edwards
  • Ms. Ann really loves each of the children in her classroom. We just wanted to share our thoughts with you. It’s difficult to leave your child in someone else’s care each day, but we are so grateful to have Ms. Ann take care of her. She is remarkable!

    - Robby & Aly Blake
  • Miss Nancy has been such an important part of Olivia’s life over the past year. She has been empathetic, considerate, reassuring, and loving to Olivia. Thank you for supporting my child through every aspect of her first school and classroom experience.

    - Mary Jones
  • Hi we just wanted to let you know that back in April when we asked Plum what she wanted for her birthday she said, “I want to eat a peanut butter sandwich with Ms. Marlyn.“ Now she says she misses when Ms. Marlyn reads her a book.

    - Bacchu Umbertis
  • We'd like to give a shout-out to Ms. Shannon, Ms. Cassie, and Ms. Marlyn at Crozet for all that they do, especially helping all of us and our little ones adapt to the new environment safely.

    - Myra Blanchard 
  • I just wanted to give a shout to Jessie and Nancy for making Henry’s return to school this week so easy and stress-free! They spent all the time I needed going over his schedule and what to bring, and I’ve gotten lots of much-needed pictures in tadpoles every day since he started. I really appreciate the kindness they have shown both of my boys!

    - Brynne Sullivan
  • I'd like to give a teacher shout-out to Ms. Jessie. We look forward to her daily recaps of Hudson's day. She tells us what skills she's working on with him so we can reinforce them at home. You can tell how much she cares for the tiny ones at BB and we know Hudson looks forward to seeing her every day. Thanks for all you do, Ms. Jessie!

    - Jessica Humphries

Career Path Opportunities

Teacher Assistant

Assists lead teacher in all aspects of the classroom. Understands classroom operations and age group. Ability to lead groups autonomously with supervision. Eager to learn and happy to help.

Lead Teacher

Fully responsible for all aspects of the classroom including curriculum, parent communication, licensing compliance, health & safety, and wellness of students. Detail-oriented. Growth opportunities include new teacher mentor, curriculum development, field trips/guest speakers, social media. Excited and confident in the lead role.

Assistant Director

Supports director in daily operations. Responsible for staff schedules, building classroom inventory, compliance, staff and child paperwork.Mentors new teachers. Desires training for a leadership role and communicates effectively. Multi-tasker and able to flex to different needs. Areas of expertise may include social media, planning family events community outreach.

Program Director

Independent, confident, and able to take the initiative of school operations. Ensures program quality and manages mentor teachers. Excellent communication skills and time management. Competent in all areas of compliance, financial reporting, school policies, staff training, and hiring. Able to handle parent questions and concerns. Ability to convert tours to enrollment successfully. Leadership skills and ability to manage a team of 20+ staff.

Regional Director

10+ years of management experience. Thorough knowledge of company mission, vision, and core values. Excited by a challenge. Executes long-range business plan. Ensures high-quality and knowledgeable directors by consistent tracking of goals and progress. Excellent management and communication skills. Strong understanding of best practices: financial, HR, CRM, and communication platforms, ability to collaboratively solve issues within the school and the larger community. Enjoys building relationships with staff, families, and the community.


  • I like working at Bright Beginnings because it feels like a second family. Here, all the staff help each other and have smiles on their faces. We have wonderful conversations with our families and they are very welcoming to the new staff.

    - Shannon Raines, Infant Program Director at Crozet
  • I always feel strong support from the administration and owners. They understand my needs, let me grow and develop at work, and support my family.

    - Anna Bratkovska, 2-year-olds Teacher at Crozet
  • I was given the opportunity to work at Bright Beginnings 20 years ago. This has opened the doors to me in the community. The ability to connect with families and their needs is very rewarding. Also, the flexibility in schedule, benefits, and outreach of the staff make this a great place to work.

    - Teena Klein, 3-year-olds Teacher at Forest Lakes
  • I like working at Bright Beginnings because it’s a homegrown school with 3 different sites, as different as they are the same. The sharing and friendships that go on with co-workers are great. I like the freedom that I have when it comes to creating the classroom and leading the children in their educational journey. The traditions are fun and the view from the playground is really cool!

    - Tom Nolan, 3-year-olds Teacher at Mill Creek
  • I love working at Bright Beginnings because I not only love the kids but I love working with a great group of staff that we have. I really love teaching and seeing how the kids’ faces light up. I love the fact that we can add our own ideas to teaching. I enjoy working with Ms. Maggie and Ms. Kathe because they really care about the children's learning and safety.

    - Nancy Quarles, Two-year-olds Teacher & Assistant Director at Mill Creek
  • The reason I love working for Bright Beginnings is the wonderful co-workers who all work together. I love watching the children’s faces when you teach them something new each day. The parents are very friendly and contribute to the school by volunteering and participating. The owner, Kathe Petchel, keeps us up to date with staff development training, and supports us by providing great classroom materials and a really good curriculum! We are so excited that our buildings all recently had beautiful renovations and we have all new furniture and equipment.

    - Sue Sims, Infant Teacher at Crozet
  • I liked the training because it was very fun and interactive. It’s so important to take time to grow as a team and individually too. We got to learn more about our company and make plans for our specific location and classroom as well as school year goals with the leadership. And we had the opportunity to spend quality time with our coworkers which helps us understand each other better. I like Bright Beginnings Preschool because it’s a great place to work. It has also given me the opportunity to grow professionally but also work at a fun place- and because of my co-workers, we have a great time.

    - Marlyn Cruz, 2-year-olds Teacher at Crozet
  • At the training, I liked how we sat with teachers from other schools. I also liked how we had testimonials and ideas shared from teachers at all schools on topics like Morning Meeting and Outdoor Classroom. I love working for Bright Beginnings because children ages 3-5 are learning SO many new concepts and developing socially/emotionally. I love being a part of that and writing and incorporating new curriculum to spark their interest.

    - Cindy Martin, Three-year-olds Teacher at Mill Creek
  • I like working at Bright Beginnings because the day is so structured so that there is little downtime, both for me and the children. The day seems to fly by! But I’m mostly excited for the opportunity to participate in outdoor classroom activities, I really can’t wait!

    - Linda McCreedy, Pre-K Teacher at Forest Lakes
  • As a new employee, I enjoyed meeting my co-workers and particularly liked the diversity of the crowd. I also liked that the “inspirational” early education videos were balanced by informative and relevant policies and procedures. Hearing from the owner was a highlight because I can see her vision for the schools and the company! Thank you Bright Beginnings for helping grow my career with the Career Ladder program!

    - Jordanne Conner, 2-year-old Teacher at Crozet
  • The emphasis on professional development training gives me a lot of new information that I can apply while working at Bright Beginnings and also in my personal life with my own children. I enjoy working at Bright Beginnings because I love working and interacting with both parents and kids. I also enjoy helping new parents as they navigate parenting and working on staff development!

    - Krista Swift, M. Ed, Program Director at Forest Lakes
  • I love working for Bright Beginnings because the school is so diverse and you don’t see that at a lot of local preschools in the surrounding areas. I love the Forest Lakes teachers because the teachers bring the best energy to our school!

    - Cassarah Baker, 2-year-olds Teacher at Forest Lakes

FACULTY CULTURE

We are committed to maintaining a professional and caring school environment in order to serve our children and their families best.

We share positive energy
We love nurturing the whole family
We understand children and meet individual needs
We build community one family at a time
We model a healthy and happy lifestyle
We consistently communicate

JOIN OUR AWARD WINNING TEAM

Join the team at the #1 preschool in Charlottesville. We have experienced record growth over the past year and are looking to add to our staff at all three Bright Beginning's locations.