History

Founded in 1994 by Mary Beth Claus Tobin, Tobin Children’s School was originally named Charles River Children’s Center. Ms Tobin’s first preschool opened in 1980 and served 24 children. The Tobin Family of Schools has grown to include two accredited early childhood programs: Tobin Children’s School and Westwood Children’s School; three accredited School-Age Programs: Tobin Afterschool in Needham, Natick and Westwood; and The Tobin School. All of these programs are located outside of Boston.

Our Founder

Our Founder and Executive Director, Mary Beth Claus Tobin, brings over 35 years of experience working with school age, early childhood and afterschool programs. Mary Beth holds a B.A. from Emmanuel College and an M.S. from Wheelock College and is currently a member of the Corporation of Wheelock College. During Wheelock College’s 125th anniversary celebration in February 2014, Mary Beth was honored for her work furthering Wheelock’s mission of improving the lives of children and families and for being an innovator in her educational philosophy.

A member of NAEYC since 1974, Mary Beth has also been active in her local Community Partnership Council since its inception in 1995. Mary Beth was a founding member of the Natick Children’s First Council and served for a period as co-chair. She was the first woman president of a Needham Service Organization, serving as President of the Needham Jaycees in 1985. As one of eleven founding Board Members of the Massachusetts Independent Child Care Organization (MICCO), est. 1990, Mary Beth later served as President. A member of the Massachusetts Department of Education Early Childhood Advisory Council, Ms. Tobin served on the Standards Subcommittee and the Curriculum Workgroup and was a contributor to The Early Childhood Program Standards for Three and Four Year Olds as well as a contributor for the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences© 2003 Massachusetts Department of Education.

As an active member of The National Child Care Association (NCCA), Ms. Tobin was among a group of 30 early childhood professionals across the U.S. invited to be part of a professional exchange to Cuba in 1999. She traveled to Cuba, representing the U.S., and visited schools, hospitals, and child care centers and met with government officials.

Identifying a need for early childhood educators to collaborate and support teachers’ professional development, Mary Beth founded The Early Childhood Professional Association (TECPA) in April 2001. TECPA provides professional development training to teachers and administrators in Natick, Needham, and Westwood.

Recently, Ms. Tobin was nominated for the Needham High School Distinguished Career Award.

Ms. Tobin’s article, “The 360° Evaluation in an Educational Setting“, was published in Child Care Information Exchange, as well as in Exchange EveryDay, an online publication with a worldwide subscription of 85,000.

In addition to her role as an educator, Ms. Tobin is a wife, mother of four and grandmother of eight. Ms. Tobin considers educating children and inspiring professionals to be her life’s work.