Kristin Fortin brings her love of teaching and easy rapport with kids to her new position as YMCA Sippican Preschool Center director.

“I always knew that I would work with children,” Fortin said, adding she started her career in early education soon after graduating college. “I found I could connect with kids by being on their level, either through fun, messy art projects or other activities.”

Fortin became director of early childhood education on Dec. 1 for the YMCA’s preschool center, located inside Marion's Sippican School.

Kathy Treglia, executive director of education at YMCA South Coast, said Fortin was a good fit for the preschool.

“Her positive energy and leadership, along with dedication to the Y and the children and families in our program, were some of the attributes that made Kristin the ideal candidate for this position,” said Treglia. “She brings a warm enthusiasm to our organization.”

Fortin has been a YMCA employee for 18 months. She graduated from Bridgewater State University with a degree in elementary education. Prior to joining the YMCA, Fortin taught in Bridgewater and Brockton Public Schools and was the assistant director at the Magic Years Day Care in East Falmouth.

As director, Fortin said she’s focused on making the preschool a warm, welcoming place for both kids and their parents.

“We work with kids during a really delicate age,” she said. “This is a time when parents are leaving their babies in the care of others for the first time. We want to make this a safe, nurturing environment. Our first concern is for the safety and comfort of the child.”

Developing stronger ties with Sippican School and the YMCA’s Mattapoisett location are goals Fortin said she set for herself.

“We’re trying to connect more with the public school,” she said.

In the summer, Fortin hopes kids will be able to use the nature trails and pool available at the Mattapoisett YMCA.

With Fortin as director, two preschool classrooms have been restructured. The YMCA’s preschool classroom will work with Project Grow, a program that has children with special needs learning alongside children without special needs to foster healthy interactions. That program is for children ages 3 to 4.

With open slots available and an enthusiastic staff, Fortin invited tri-town parents to check out the preschool.

“Everyone is here for the right reasons,” said Fortin, who lives in Wareham with her husband and two children. “It’s not a typical day care. There’s a lot of noise here, but it’s happy noise. It’s a great place to be a kid.”

For more information on the YMCA Sippican Preschool Center, visit www.ymcasouthcoast.org.