Susan Bertolo also worked at Learning Sprouts preschool that Cora and Dawson attended.
She looked after the ‘Sunflower’ room – which Cora attended three days a week in the mornings.
On Thursday, Bertolo teared up as she described Cora as an ‘amazing’ and ‘wonderful’ preschool student who she was ready to go into kindergarten.
Cora’s preschool teacher teared up as she recalled the last day she saw Cora.
On the morning of January 23, 2023, Cora was dropped off at preschool.
That day, she needed to use the bathroom more than normal, Bertolo said. She noted that she was concerned because this was out of the ordinary for the child, and told another teacher.
When she told Clancy at pickup, she said she had a doctor’s appointment for Cora the next day.
The five-year-old was complaining that her tummy hurt and didn’t want to get up from her nap, her second teacher of the day, Stephanie Williams, told the court.
Williams told Clancy this when she picked her daughter up that afternoon.
Instead of Cora getting up and meeting her mom at the door to the classroom – as the children normally do – Clancy had to walk into the room and gently coax the girl to leave.
Clancy scooped up the little girl from her cot, saying to her: ‘Oh baby, come on let’s go get Dawson and we’ll go home.’
When asked if she noticed anything different about Clancy that day – or any day – she said: She was just a very loving mother who cared very much for her children.’
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