The Center's teaching staff is selected for their strong educational backgrounds in child development, their professional experience, and their sensitivity to the needs of young children. The coordinator has a master's degree in child development, the master teachers have bachelor degrees, the teachers have associate degrees, and associate teachers have 12 units of core courses in child development. The coordinator, master teachers, teachers, and associate teachers are fully credentialed by the California State Commission in accordance with the Child Development Permit Matrix. Each staff member is committed to developmentally appropriate practice and dedicated to nurturing children toward competence in all areas of development.
"At the core of all education that makes a difference in the lives of children, beneath all the methods, materials and curricula, is a teacher who cares about each child, one who teaches from the heart." - Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld
Louise Piper, Coordinator Over the past 30 years, through my work with children, families, staff, and colleagues on campus and in the community, I have learned when we all come together with a clear focus on children and allow our hopes and dreams to guide our vision, the possibilities are endless. At the Mary Meta Lazarus Child Development Center, we work together to create a place where meaningful relationships are developed, where there is a genuine sense of belonging, and where original thinking and imaginative responses are encouraged. We believe children deserve tender loving care and flourish in environments filled with opportunities to explore, experiment, wonder, and play. Our dream is that children in our program will learn to love learning and that their preschool experience will be truly magical.
Karen Wiggins-Dowler, Master TeacherThe complex interaction between Karen and a child is like an intricate dance--the child leads and Karen follows, always remaining closely in tune, carefully anticipating the child's next move. She offers more support when a task is new for the child and less as his competence increases. In this dance, the child remains engaged. He becomes enthusiastic about learning and develops a willingness to challenge himself. It is this warm, responsive collaboration between Karen and the child that promotes learning and fosters a sense of autonomy and independent mastery.
Lori Pilster, Master TeacherLori is a powerful force for good in shaping children's knowledge of literacy. Children learn to love books through their joyful encounters with stories shared with them by an enthusiastic, committed teacher, like Lori. She invites children into the magical world of literacy by encouraging their active participation and creating in them an intense interest. As a result of this dynamic interaction, children delight in words, explore new ideas, visualize new images, expand their awareness of the world, and reflect on connections between their lives and the story. Lori "builds readers" by compelling children to engage and enjoy. She makes reading aloud an experience that entices her young listeners to want to become readers and writers themselves!
Yovanka Crossley, TeacherYovanka skillfully engages in meaningful dialogue with children as they work. It is through these intimate conversations that she creates a climate that supports creative development and aesthetic appreciation. Yovanka makes the classroom a place where self-expression is nurtured and where creativity can flourish. "When children learn in such a safe, supportive setting under the gentle, constant guidance of a caring teacher, they prove over and over again that they are among the most creative members of this gifted and talented human family of ours."
Maggie Lam, TeacherMaggie truly invests in children. She seizes many opportunities to generate friendly conversation between herself and a child or between two children. She is tuned into children and understands their cues. She asks questions, describes what she sees a child doing, and she listens carefully to children's communicative efforts. During Maggie's one-to-one conversations, she works to prolong the interchange. She values tossing the conversational ball back forth as a sound way to build a child's fluency and foster the development of expressive and receptive language skills. Maggie understands that a close relationship exists between language competence and intellectual development.
Jamie Hui, Associate TeacherJamie is truly present--closely observing how children interact with materials, recognizing that children have a natural curiosity about math. She understands that mathematics for young children is more than just numbers and rote counting, that it involves logical operations like matching and sorting, arranging by size, and dealing with space, time, speed, and sequence. Jamie makes mathematics a sense-making process for children, one with everyday relevance. In her classroom, quality mathematics is a joy, not a pressure! She encourages children to reflect on their play and construct mathematical meanings by asking open-ended questions like: "How did you know?" "What else would work like this?" It's all about challenging children to go beyond what they already know.
Clara Lucia Valdez Chon, Associate TeacherClara works to understand the needs of each child. She is genuine and listens carefully. She applies her knowledge of child development to her work in the classroom. Clara is nurturing and responsive and, at the same time, she understands the importance of learning to create an environment where children can grow and develop. She wants children to love school, to love learning, and to thrive.
- Paulyne Kirkes, Office Assistant
