Our Teaching Team
For the 2023/2024 school year, Creative Discoveries is trying something different as it transitions to a new home. Being a Co-op preschool and part of PCPO, it can have parents fulfill the teacher role. This model is going to be used until we find a permanent teacher who values the co-op model as much as we all do. We are happy to introduce our three parents who have so far signed up to take on this role. Please reach out if interested in helping with this role. Cammi and Dayna have children in the Preschool mixed age class so will be taking turns with leading the class. Alicia has a toddler and will be leading toddler time.
Cammi Carriere
I am Cammi Carriere and I grew up in Portland Oregon. I have lived in Montana as well as Colorado before settling down in Salem. All through growing up I loved working with kids of all ability levels. I followed my heart and passion which led me to get a Master's degree in k-8 special education with an emphasis on autism. After college, I moved to Montana to lead an elementary program for kids with severe autism and then followed my love of the outdoors/skiing to Colorado. I taught special education and started a special Olympics team in the small valley where I lived. I coached for over 10yrs and realized that my heart was more working and advocating for parents/families. This new point of view sticks with me and I am so grateful to have found a Co-op Preschool in Salem. I met my husband John in Colorado and have two children Emerson (8) and Alana(4). I am the current board president of Creative Discoveries preschool and also board chair of Valley inquiry charter school. Education still remains a very important part of my life and I am excited to be a part of this school especially as it transitions to a new home. I look forward to getting to know all of you.
Dayna Bilyeu
My name is Dayna Bilyeu, and I have been part of the Creative Discoveries family since 2017 when my oldest daughter started with Toddler Time and continued on through preschool. I loved helping in the classroom and being part of my child's first school experience. Now, my youngest daughter is in preschool and I'm so excited to be back in the classroom as both a parent and a teacher. Before becoming a parent, I was a kindergarten teacher with the Salem-Keizer School District for many years. I am passionate about early childhood education and look forward to creating a joyful classroom community where children play, create and explore each day. When I'm not at preschool, you can find me reading, gardening or out hiking or kayaking with my family.
Alicia Garner
Alicia Garner, grew up in Oxford England and received a degree in Middle Years English Language Arts from Canterbury University & an English as a Foreign Language specialization from Cambridge University. She worked as an English Teacher in Italy and England before moving to Pittsburgh, PA with her husband. She completed a MS.Ed. from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in Elementary Education with a specialization in English as a Second Language. She taught and wrote curriculum in the Pittsburgh Public School District before moving to Salem, Oregon. She has two sons, Alex (7) and Aidan (almost 2). She loves the rain and going for long walks on cooler days!
