The Teachers

Stepping Stones teachers are highly qualified to enhance each child’s growth and development in a stimulating atmosphere of warmth and understanding. Our low teacher to student ratios allow your child to develop as an individual as well as part of a group in a happy, safe, and nurturing environment. All of our teachers are First Aid and CPR certified, and we have teachers who speak Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and Tagalog.

Your child will interact with each teacher at Stepping Stones throughout the day. During group play times each teacher takes time to read, play and talk with all of the children. Your child will also have 2 to 3 teachers assigned to his or her classroom, depending on your child’s age.

Director

Ms. Naomi is the Program Director of Stepping Stones preschool and also teaches in the Green Classroom. Ms. Naomi is the smiling face who will greet your child in the morning with a smiling face and a fun learning activity. She has 18 years of experience in childcare and has been at Stepping Stones for over 11 of those years. She has a B.A. in Health and Human Services and Early Childhood Development. Her previous experience includes being a counselor for children who were victims of domestic abuse, and she was a child counselor at a facility for severely emotionally disturbed children. She has experience using art & play therapy with children.

Yellow Classroom

Ms. Jinney and Ms. Mary are the teachers for the two and three year olds in the Yellow Classroom at Stepping Stones. Ms. Mary has been teaching children for over 3 years and has been at Stepping Stones for two years, and she also has a B.A. in Business Administration. Ms. Mary is always willing to engage the students in helping her with projects, and she always has something positive to share about your child’s day when you arrive at pick up time. Ms. Jinney started her career at Stepping Stones as a volunteer when she was in high school. A recent graduate of U.C. Davis with a Bacherlor's Degree in Elementary Education, Ms. Jinney joined the staff full time in the Summer of 2010.

Green Classroom

Ms. Perlita, Ms. Mariela and Mr. Matt teach the three and four year olds in the Green Classroom. Ms. Perlita and Ms. Mariela are assistant directors of the school. Ms. Perlita loves to sing songs with the kids. Also, sometimes in the late afternoon, she organizes story time, where she encourages each child to use their imagination to make up a story to tell the other students. Ms. Perlita has experience volunteering at children’s centers and has been in childcare for 15 years and at Stepping Stones for 9 years. Ms. Mariela is also one of the Assistant Directors of Stepping Stones. She has been teaching and caring for children for over 12 years, and has been at Stepping Stones for over 3 years. You will often find Ms. Mariela teaching the children about the letters and words of the week. You will often find Mr. Matt in the mornings reading to the children during circle time or supervising the children as they play in the indoor play area. Mr. Matt has been working in childcare for 5 years, and he has been at Stepping Stones for 3 years. Mr. Matt, who also has a B.A. in History, was previously a teacher’s aid in a classroom for children with Autism.

Orange Classroom

Ms. Naomi, Ms. Melody and Mr. Billy teach the Pre-K students in the Orange Classroom. Ms. Melody loves to so sing songs with the children play games like red rover, ring around the rosey and the hokey pokey. Mr. Billy is very creative and makes up new fun games for the kids to play every day. Ms. Melody holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Language Education. She also was an elementary school teacher in the Philippines for 10 years and has been at Stepping Stones for 2 years. Mr. Billy was a teacher at Stepping Stones from 1997-2000, and in 2009 rejoined the teaching staff. In the interim, he pursued a career in music, both singing and producing. He is now completing his AA degree in Child Development.