Child Care Council Welcomes Five

Child Care Council of Suffolk (CCCS) Executive Director Janet Walerstein is pleased to announce that appointment of several new staff members. “I am genuinely excited about the talent and commitment that our new personnel bring to support our mission,” stated Walerstein.

Huntington resident Christina M. Flythe was appointed Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) director. Flythe will be responsible for the implementation, management, supervision and evaluation of all aspects of CACFP, including: planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling program activities in accordance with the policy and mission set out by CCCS. She previously served as the agency’s director of the Parent Leadership Initiative (PLI) program.

Dix Hills resident Denise Ham joined the Child Care Council of Suffolk part-time as the Parent Leadership Initiative director. Ham has been affiliated with CCCS since 2012 – serving as a PLI facilitator in Huntington, Islip, Babylon and Western Suffolk. She also currently serves as president of the Hills Foundation for the Enhancement and Enrichment of Children – a nonprofit organization that provides grants and support for educational programs in Half Hollow Hills and as a Long Island Adolescent and Family Services (LIAF) board member. Ham previously worked at Island Harvest where she partnered with public officials to define and address constituent’s needs and developed educational training programs to raise public awareness of hunger and its related consequences.

Crystal Jackson is a new senior program development specialist for the Child Care Council of Suffolk. Jackson provides technical assistance, training and support to registered family child care providers as well as to school-age child care programs in Suffolk County. The Central Islip resident previously spearheaded and organized community outreach events at Family Service League (formerly known Long Island Women Empowerment Network – LIWEN) in Brentwood; Hempstead Park Nursing Home in Hempstead; and the Centennial Avenue Elementary School in Roosevelt. She has more than 18 years of experience working with children and families in the school-age child care setting. Jackson holds a New York State certification with a Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language from Long Island University, Brookville. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and Speech and Dramatic Art from Dowling College, Oakdale.

Freja Del Guercio, of Stony Brook, joined the Child Care Council of Suffolk’s Resource & Referral Department as a bilingual parent counselor. Del Guercio most recently was a translator/interpreter for DEK Marine, Inc. in Stony Brook. She is a long-time advocate for the well-being of children through care and outreach and enjoy helping Long Island families access the Child Care Council of Suffolk’s resources and services. Del Guercio hold a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistic Science from Stony Brook University, Stony Brook.

Centereach resident Liana Inzerillo joined the Child Care Council of Suffolk as a Child and Adult Care Food Program field representative in Suffolk County. Inzerillo is responsible for monitoring that CACFP-participating child care professionals are providing nutritious meals in compliance with United States Department of Agriculture guidelines. She graduated cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College, New York, where she studied linguistics, education, Arabic and business law.

About Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc.

Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc. is the not-for-profit planning and coordinating agency dedicated to making child care work for all Suffolk County’s diverse communities. Through advocacy, education, and resource and referral, the Council takes a leadership role in supporting children, families, providers, employers and the public to ensure that quality child care takes its place as an integral part of society.