Aiyauna Terry is a champion for early education. Aiyauna began her sixteen year tenure at Ellis as a substitute before earning her certification and working as a full-time teacher. Now, in her role as Infant and Toddler Site Director, she provides critical support to Ellis staff and families alike. The Boston Association for the Education of Young Children honored Aiyauna with the Award for Family Partnership in 2014.
Aiyauna is passionate about the mission of Ellis. For her, it goes beyond providing high quality education and care. The mission promotes a culture of diversity, kindness, and love, which in turn has allowed her to touch the lives of countless families through the years. Ellis has served as a platform for change, allowing Aiyauna to become a powerful advocate for early education.
Aiyauna has loved witnessing the drastic shift that’s occurred in the early education field over the past 10 years. Early education and care is no longer viewed as “daycare” or “babysitting”; even those outside the education field are starting to recognize the immense value of raising intelligent, critical thinkers beginning as early as infanthood. Early Education centers such as Ellis ensure children have the academic, social, and emotional skills necessary to be successful in school.
An avid reader all her life, Aiyauna now shares a love of books with three kids of her own. Her favorite children’s books are Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss, and The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt.