FOUNDERS

Yesenia Placencia is the Owner and Education Director of Young Risers.

Yesenia- Education Director

Yesenia, a native New Yorker, founded Young Risers in May 2013. Her eight years of experience in NYC private schools exposed her to the Reggio Approach, inspiring her to create a school offering this enriching learning experience to families in her community. Yesenia holds a Master of Science in Special Education from Concordia College and is a New York State certified Early Childhood Education Professional.

Raul Placencia is the co-owner and Executive Director of Young Risers LLC.

Raul- Executive Director

Raul has lived in Sunset Park since 1988. He values his family and community and understands the need of quality child care. He worked for a private hedge fund in Manhattan for 17 years. Along side his wife, Yesenia, he is now devoted to the growth of Young Risers and instilling the schools vision and mission within their community.

Young Risers Educators

Young Risers educators deeply value and are inspired by the Reggio Approach. We empower children's learning through self-directed play with diverse materials. Our teachers celebrate each child's individuality and nurture their comprehensive development within our classroom community. By observing the common threads that ignite children's curiosity, we create stimulating classroom environments centered around subjects like Math, Language and Literacy, Science, Social-Emotional growth, Music, and the Arts.

Educators

Infant-Toddler Teachers

Infant Teachers are singing and clapping with their students on the circle rug.

Jesenia & Mayra

They both share a special understanding of the joys and needs of infants and toddlers.

Jesenia has over three years of experience at Young Risers, She brings a wealth of knowledge and a true passion for early childhood development. She holds her CDA for both Infant/Toddler and Preschool, demonstrating her commitment to this age group.
Mayra, our dedicated Assistant Teacher, complements the team perfectly.

2/3's Teachers

Infant-Toddler Teachers

The 2's classroom is having Music with Tami.

Teresa & Elizabeth

Our Older Toddler classroom is a place where children flourish as they both share a deep commitment to creating a loving and stimulating environment.

Teresa's four years at Young Risers have solidified her expertise in play-based learning, allowing children to thrive through exploration and discovery. Teresa has her CDA in Preschool.
Elizabeth joined our team in 2023 as our Assistant Teacher and brings her own passion for nurturing young minds.

Teachers

Infant-Toddler Teachers

Music Teacher

Preschool teachers are on the blue rug for meeting in the morning.

Adriel & Tiana & Jhoan

They cultivate a love of learning in children by providing opportunities for hands-on exploration of materials, honoring each child's unique qualities and fostering their holistic development within our classroom community.

Adriel has nurtured our children consitantly for over 5 years.
Jhoan comes to us with new ideas and a joyful spirit with expeirience working in public schools from the Dominican Republic.
Tiana has her Bachelors in Early Childhood from Brooklyn College.

Music Teacher

Tami

Believes in the importance of Music in early childhood. She joins us once a week and guides our children in properly using different instruments. She encourages musical terms through songs and dance.

Ateliarista

Jahidah

Recognizes that children have many languages of expression and thousands of ideas. She is a professional Art teacher that focuses on providing different mediums for our children allowing them the opportunity to express themselves freely. Jahidah Diaab has a B.A. in fine arts and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education—Birth through Second Grade.