My name is Rialda Pellumbi. I am originally from a very small and beautiful country in Southeastern Europe called Albania, where I developed a deep appreciation for the sea, sun, and Mediterranean food. I obtained my master’s degree in geography at the age of 23. Afterwards, I moved to America.

I began my journey as a child care provider at a small day care in Malden. That was when I discovered how much I truly enjoyed working with children. Due to my passion for the kids, I decided to further my education by obtaining an associate’s degree from Bunker Hill Community College for early childhood education.

Afterwards, I was offered to work for a Reggio Emilia inspired children center called Peabody Terrace, which was also a Harvard affiliated child care center. The experience there transformed how I perceived children and the importance of their development in their early childhood years. I also learned about the importance of community and the huge impact a classroom environment has on a child’s life, as well as their learning abilities.

After almost 5 years of teaching, I left my job for the most important and valuable job I would have to date: being a full-time mom. During that time, I spent a lot of time roaming the Melrose area and became more acquainted with the community. My daughter, Aya, and I would visit the parks a lot, and I would walk through them thinking of how I wanted to start my own daycare one day. I dreamt of creating a daycare that would be small and intimate, but also would cater to the needs of those in the community.

My desire is that our learning center will make your child feel right at home, in all forms and ways. I hope this will be a happy place for your children, for you, and the community all around us.
I am looking forward to showing the kids how beautiful diversity really is, and I want them to learn how to be kind with others as well as appreciate the true meaning of life.
Things I enjoy outside of work are spending time outdoors with my family, yoga, gardening, interior design, cooking, reading about different cultures, and visiting places.

“I hope Little Elephant will be a place where your children can learn, grow, and develop at their own pace and be supported every step of the way.”