Mary Merlis, Lead Teacher

Mary loves the excitement of a child or caretaker when learning new skills that were a challenge to develop.

At a young age, Mary wanted to work with children of all abilities. She has been working with individuals from 0-18 for over 15 years, but her latest work has been with local families and young children diagnosed with a variety of developmental delays. She loves the excitement of a child or caretaker when learning new skills that were a challenge to develop.

She earned a degree in Human Growth and Development and Developmental Psychology from Wheelock College, concentrating in human services and autism. 

During her years working with individuals of all ages, Mary volunteered as a Special Olympics coach, supervised clinical operation programs for young children with autism, and worked at a residential school program for students with special needs. In addition, she has worked in a variety of school settings as an assistant teacher and lead staff in playgroups and classrooms.

Mary has always loved being outdoors and learning in nature. She has two small children that keep her busy adventuring around. She enjoys visiting museums, day-hiking, traveling, running around outside, going on adventures to the beach, and exploring Massachusetts parks with her family. She also loves to cook and paint! She cannot wait to learn in nature with BOPN kids and support their growth and development.