Meet Our Staff

Elzbieta Szura, better known as Ela, graduated from Jagiellonian University in Cracow with a major in Pedagogy. She has completed her Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education at Touro College and holds two teacher certifications (Birth -Grade 2 Early Childhood Education and Special Education) and Bilingual Extension in Special Ed. Since 2000, she has been dedicated to the field of early childhood at the Williamsburg Y Head Start program. She is passionate, energetic and enthusiastic and believes that school should be as welcoming and warm as home, where children feel safe and learn through play and exploration.

Nicole Bonuso has worked at the Williamsburg Y Head Start since 2005 and was promoted to Education Director in 2013. Nicole has her Master's Degree in Special Education/Early Childhood Education and her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. Nicole holds a permanent teaching certification in Pre-K - 6 teaching. Nicole serves as the mentor for the educational staff at the Williamsburg Y. By offering support to our teachers and parents through trainings and consulation, she has a great impact on creating a unique, engaging and nurturing learning environment.

Dianne Decker is our coach/mentor. She began at the Williamsburg Y Head start as a Group Teacher and has been working in early childhood education for over 10 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University and has a master’s degree in Childhood Education/Literacy from Long Island University. Her favorite classroom activities involve science and experimentation. She believes that children at this age are full of curiosity and finds it exciting to be able to help them explore the world around them!

Patrice Hamilton is a group teacher in a 3 year old class. Before becoming a group teacher, Patrice worked at the Williamburg Y Head Start as an assistant teacher for over 10 years. She has a Master’s degree in early childhood education from Ashford University and is working toward a second Master’s from Ashford in Special Education.

Maria Boutouzov has been a group teacher in a UPK class at the Williamsburg “Y” Head Start since 1998. She is a former music teacher  and started her teaching career in Riga, Latvia teaching piano to children ages 1-5 year old. She has a Master’s degree in Special Education, which she completed in 2001. She also conducts evaluations for the children of 0-3 through NYS Early Intervention Program.

Yaniris Pineda has been teaching at the Williamsburg Y Head Start for the last 16 years. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from St. John's University and two Master's Degrees in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from Ashford University. Yaniris is mother to two sons, Miguel and Anthony. When she isn't teaching, she enjoys reading and watching old movies on TMZ.

Yelena Segal is a group teacher at Williamsburg Y Head Start.  She has been teaching young children for over 7 years and has spent the last three years at the Williamsburg Y. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Long Island University and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College. She finds teaching children a very rewarding and fulfilling task.

Bruna Balija is a group teacher in a 3-year-old class and a parent of three former students. She’s been working for the Williamsburg Y Head Start for the past ten years. Her career started as a Teacher’s aide in 2009. In 2013, she became an assistant teacher and was promoted to group teacher in 2018. Bruna has an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood from LaGuardia Community College and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Touro College. She is currently working on her Teacher’s Certification and planning on pursuing her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education & Special Education. She loves working with children and looks forward to working with them for many years ahead.

Jordan Crespo is a Group Teacher in a UPK classroom who has worked at the Williamsburg “Y” Head Start since 2019. He was promoted from the role of Assistant Teacher in 2022 after receiving his Master’s Degree in Education from Brooklyn College and his teaching certification for Early Childhood Education (Birth – Grade 2).

Anna Wojtas is a group teacher in a 3-year-old class. She has been working for the Williamsburg Y Head Start for the past 10 years. She started as a teacher’s aid, then was promoted to assistant teacher, and since 2022 she is a group teacher. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Queens College CUNY and is currently working toward her Master’s in Early Childhood Education. Teaching children is her passion. She loves music and science and believes that good early childhood education is the key to success in future generations.

No! That is not her ship in the background. As a teacher who thoroughly enjoyed her college days at New York University, Ruth Neale completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at the university and became a teacher for the NYC Board of Education. She was usually off during the summer and loved to travel. It could have been a ship that took her to far off lands or a plane that flew her to places of interest. One of her favorite trips continues to be the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. As a dedicated teacher she visited schools around the world always returning with thoughts on how to make the classroom more exciting and more enjoyable. As educated educators we must continue to promote good rel event education so that our children can be well prepared for a more demanding future.