Welcome to another installment of our Friday Faces series! This week, we have our Tiny Wonders teachers, who are responsible for our preschool and kinder kids. Read on to meet them all!
Share a photo from your summer and describe why this is special to you…
—Brynn 
—Lareina 
—Mollie
Lareina: This little nugget has been my regular reminder to rest my body.
Mollie: This photo was from the week of Thanksgiving in Tucson, AZ. My daughter is a sophomore at the University of Arizona and this was the first time our family was all back together since August. We called this vacation rental “the horse house” for obvious reasons!
What did you recently read, and what did you take away from it?
Brynn: Where the Crawdads Sing. I really enjoyed this book, and was pushed to finish it quickly because I really wanted to see the movie! Great read.
Yanina: Introduction to Curriculum for Early Childhood Education (Paris and Beeve)
Bethany: I have been reading Atomic Habits. I have really been enjoying this book and it has helped me establish many new positve routines lately!
Sutten: I recently read Midnight Library. It was such a beautiful book and was the complete opposite of what I typically gravitate to. Reading that book encouraged me to live my life to the fullest and evaluate what’s good for me and what works. It was filled with a lot of lovely quotes that were both encouraging and thoughtful.
Bella: Being in the infant room every day, we read quite a few books. Recently Orange Pear Apple Bear has been a hit in our class. One takeaway I got from this book is that “apple” is apparently an extremely fun word for babies to repeat.
Deena: What We Inherit by Jessica Pearce Rotondi, which are stories of bravery and fortitude that span the course of time, opening doors and answers to the past.
Lareina: This past year, I’ve had a rotation of four books that I indulge in at my leisure. Milk & Honey and Home Body, both poetry and both by Rupi Kaur. Our National Parks by John Muir. And Women in Clothes, a collection of surveys, stories, first accounts, and more, by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, Leanne Shapton, and 639 others. Each book is a gentle reminder that though people vary greatly in day-to-day living, we are all still connected through nature and experiences.
Mollie: I’m in the middle of Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. It’s such an interesting look at how all sorts of outside factors contribute to personal success. I absolutely recommend reading it!
Brynn—Infant Teacher 
Yanina Mazza—Toddler Aide 
Bethany Kitzmiller—Toddler Aide
What have been some highlights from this year so far, and what else are you looking forward to teaching or learning with your students this year?
Brynn: Watching the infants grow into their personalities, and giving them the space to be whoever they want to be.
Yanina: I’m excited to challenge myself to collaborate more in the new year with the toddlers and infants!
Bethany: Some highlights from this year have just been watching each child grow so much throughout the year! It is so fun to see them develope new skills each day and see them get so excited about learning new things!
Sutten: My biggest highlight of the year has been seeing the growth in not only the children, but the staff as well. I look forward to being at the new campus and creating lovely memories!
Bella: The biggest highlight of my year has been watching the infants in our room grow into their own unique personalities. I’m looking forward to exploring our new campus after break.
Deena: The unplanned gifts of heart-to-heart connections. Finding joy in reading the same book over and over and over again. I am looking forward to new adventures and the challenges that come alongside them.
Lareina: The improvement of my health! (Remission status!)
Mollie: It was a very busy start to the school year, and it’s been wonderful making connections with all of our new students and families! I always look forward to the second half of the year when the babies are toddlers are settled into the rhythms of the classrooms – that’s when they all really begin to shine!
Sutten Brebes—Toddler Teacher 
Bella Nelson—Tiny Wonders Aide 
Deena Eschenbach—Tiny Wonders Aide
How long have you been at SLOCA, and what attracted you to our community?
Brynn: 2 years! The fact that we ARE a community, we lean on one another and are able to ask one another for support.
Yanina: First of all, the school drew my family with a sense of community and an emphasis on inspiring a love of learning. This school develops strong character, such as integrity, diversity, compassion, and respect. I also found the management of the school very professional. I have been here since September 2022.
Bethany: I have been at SLOCA for just under 2 years. It is such a great community to be a part of. I feel like I learn something new here everyday. SLOCA has helped me grow so much as an Ealry Ed teacher and I love the people I work with!
Sutten: I Have been at SLOCA for almost three years. The first thing that really drew me was the philosophy of the Tiny wonders program. I appreciate so much of it and I would not be the teacher I am today without Mollie and Merediths guidance. The family I have found at SLOCA keeps me going. I am so thankful for everything SLOCA has given me (:
Bella: This is my second year at SLOCA.
Deena:This is my 5th year at SLOCA. Jennifer Perneel’s encouragement lead me to apply. I had been working at a preschool in Arroyo Grande while my youngest son, Finn, was one of her students. SLOCA’s love of learning and the imagination to dream for what we have yet to see.
Lareina: I’ve been employed with SLOCA for over 4 years now. What drew me in was the approach to education. I’ve always enjoyed learning. The beauty of this world is that there is always someone out there every day researching to prepare and inform the world of something new. What keeps me at SLOCA is the community. I really don’t think I would be this far along and back at work if it weren’t for the support from the relationships that have been established through this community.
Mollie: I’ve been at SLOCA for 4 years and I love the connectedness of this community!
Lareina Gamboa—Tiny Wonders Aide 
Mollie Bryson—Assistant Director of Early Childhood
