Meet Melanie Brissette, DKH Academy's New Assistant Director

When Melanie Brissette first joined DKH Academy as a parent, she never imagined she would one day help lead the school.

Her son, Benjamin, attended DKH beginning in the 2s program and remained through Kindergarten. As both a parent and a professional who spent years supporting young children and families, Melanie quickly recognized something special about the school.
 

"The DKH community was one I had never experienced before," she shared. "As a social worker, my job was to provide services to children in many settings, including preschools. I had never seen a preschool like DKH. It felt like home."

"I had never seen a preschool like DKH. It felt like home."

Now, after more than a decade serving DKH in a variety of roles, Melanie has been named Assistant Director.

As DKH continues to grow, leadership responsibilities are evolving as well. Melanie will step into the role of Assistant Director alongside Becky Aleman, whose 25 years of service have helped shape the culture and community generations of families associate with DKH.

Melanie brings nearly 30 years of experience supporting children and families through social work, early intervention, behavior support, and early childhood education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Administrative Practices.

Prior to joining DKH, Melanie worked in Early Childhood Intervention programs supporting young children

and their families. Since arriving at DKH in 2012, she has served as a substitute teacher, assistant teacher, lead teacher, and behavioral support resource for both students and staff.

Many families may already know Melanie through her work supporting classroom management, social-emotional learning, and teacher development throughout the school.

"I have served in a leadership role at DKH for many years, working on the vertical team and providing behavioral and administrative support for teachers and staff," she said. "I hope I can continue to strengthen the relationship between teachers and administration. Ensuring teachers feel supported is one of my main goals as Assistant Director."

While Melanie's role will continue to evolve, her focus remains clear: supporting children, families, and teachers.

She believes children learn best through play, positive relationships, and supportive guidance.

"Strong, supportive relationships with parents, teachers, and other caregivers are integral to children's well-being and development," she explained. "Confidence is built when children feel good about themselves."

As she steps into this new role, Melanie is excited to build even deeper relationships throughout the DKH community.

"One of the things I will miss most about not teaching anymore are the relationships I had with the children and their families," she said. "Hopefully I will be able to make an even greater impact in these areas in my new role."

When asked what she hopes families experience when working with her, her answer was simple:

"Listened to, respected, and supported."

For Melanie, the mission remains the same.

"We must never take for granted that parents entrust their children to us," she said. "If a child feels loved at school, it will set them up for a lifetime of school readiness and success, and it all starts in early childhood."