Our Team

TODDLER EDUCATOR

BAY CLASSROOM

Ann was born and raised in Sweden. She studied early childhood development at Kalmar University and graduated in 1995. Ann moved to the United States in 2007 with her husband and two children and has lived in Palo Alto since then.

Ann has many years of teaching experience and has worked in various preschool settings with an age range from 6 months to 5 years. She has been at The Learning Center since 2014 and started in the Bay classroom. Between 2015 and 2018, Ann was the infant educator in the Puddle Classroom. She returned to the toddler classroom when the infant program was closed.

Working with young children, especially toddlers, has always been Ann's preference, and she is still amazed about their learning and how competent they are in so many areas. Ann's favorite things to do with the children are music and movement, reading books, and process art experiences.

In her free time, Ann enjoys baking, traveling, watching movies, and spending time with her family, including a cat named Louie.

TODDLER EDUCATOR

BAY CLASSROOM

Iris Darla was born in El Salvador, Central America. As the daughter of a kindergarten teacher, she had the privilege of always being surrounded by many materials that allowed her imagination and creativity to fly, encouraging her to develop as an artist and a teacher.

In 2005, she began working as an art teacher with elementary school children in her native country, one of the main objectives of her class being to strengthen and support the knowledge and academic development of children in their academic classes. 

In 2015, she immigrated to the Bay Area with her family, and that was when she began her work as a child development teacher. To this day, she continues to increase her academic knowledge in this field.

In June 2023, she became part of the TLC community, where she found a lot of affinity with the philosophy, allowing her to quickly feel part of this beautiful family.

Iris enjoys her work with children because it allows her to rediscover the world daily and marvel at simple things like small children do. She fervently believes that playing is essential for children's development and learning.

She loves spending time with her two big kids, painting in oils, and riding her bike in the evenings to see the sunsets.

TODDLER EDUCATOR

BAY CLASSROOM

Jessica was born and raised in South San Francisco, CA. She was inspired by her grandmother, a high school chemistry teacher, to pursue a career in teaching. Jessica graduated from San Francisco State University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Child Adolescent Development. Jessica has been in the Early Childhood Education field since 2016 and has had the opportunity and experience to work with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Jessica started at The Learning Center in August 2024. Her favorite part of working with young children is watching them make new discoveries about the world around them. She enjoys reading books, singing songs, and dancing with them. Jessica is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive classroom environment where children and families can feel safe and welcomed.

In her free time, Jessica enjoys watching anime, reading a new book, dancing, attending live concerts, working out, or hanging out with friends.

 She recently moved to the South Bay and is constantly looking for new restaurants to try. She is passionate about fostering a love of learning and finds immense joy in making a positive impact on children’s lives. 

PRESCHOOL EDUCATOR

OCEAN CLASSROOM

Hailing from Minnesota as a youth, Amber has now lived in the Bay Area for 20-plus years. She has been working in Early Education since 2016. 

Amber's work with children has connected her to her purpose and place in the world. Her intent is to make genuine connections with the children and community she serves.

Her philosophy is that play is of utmost importance for every facet of a child's emotional growth and their individual learning journey. 

Because of this, she feels honored to be a part of The Learning Center family.

In her time away from teaching, she enjoys a day at the beach, going to concerts, learning to cook authentic cuisines, gardening, making candles, and singing.

EDUCATIONAL LEADER

PRESCHOOL EDUCATOR

OCEAN CLASSROOM

Eliza is originally from the Midwest but has spent most of her life in the Bay Area. From getting her first babysitting job at 13 years old, then lessons in high school to studying human development in college and child development in graduate school, Eliza has worked with young children for most of her life. She has worked as an early childhood educator since 2015 and as a toddler educator at TLC since 2019. She cannot imagine doing anything else! 

Eliza's favorite part of working with toddlers is the connections she makes with each individual child. She loves reading books, singing songs, and having conversations with children. She is inspired by how much they grow and learn, even over a few months. She learns more about children with each passing year. Still, they continue to surprise and impress her with their ideas, perspectives, and abilities! 

Eliza has three siblings, as well as a niece and a nephew, and spending time with her family is very important to her. When she is not spending time with the children or her family, Eliza enjoys working creatively with her hands. She studied to become a jeweler before entering the field of early childhood education and still enjoys making jewelry in her small home studio from time to time. She also enjoys knitting and creates blankets and stuffed animals for her niece and nephew every chance she gets. 

PRESCHOOL EDUCATOR

OCEAN CLASSROOM

Maria's early life was as an expatriate in Asia. She was fortunate to have unique experiences due to her father's work there. 

Maria started at The Learning Center in the 1980s. She learned and grew in the ECE field, which was made joyous and interesting by working with strong, experienced teachers in the Early Childhood Education field. 

Maria has a strong connection to Hawaii through early travel and having had family that emigrated from there to the San Francisco Bay Area two generations ago. And then, her family moved back to Hawaii for education and to raise their family. 

Maria is passionate and strongly believes that literature helps children understand and learn about compassion and humanity through stories. Maria enjoys passing this valued way of learning along to the next generation. 

SUPPORT EDUCATOR

McKenna is a Bay Area Native who grew up in Redwood City. She lives at home with her mom, dad, and sister. She started in the early childhood profession in 2016 and joined the TLC teaching team in 2020. 

She earned her AS degree in Early Childhood Education from Canada College.  McKenna’s favorite experiences with children are cooking, messy art, and dramatic play. 

When McKenna is not working, she enjoys hanging out with family and friends, working out daily, and getting her nails done. When vacationing, her favorite spot is near a pool or beach.  

SUBSTITUTE

Sandy feels so fortunate to come to The Learning Center every day. She started at The Learning Center in 2005 and feels like this is her second home. Working within the Early Childhood Education field makes her so happy. She learns so much from watching how children process and figure out the world surrounding them. For over 30 years, Sandy has worked in early childhood education in Germany and the United States. 

Sandy holds a bachelor's degree from San Jose State University in Child and Adolescent Development and continually seeks opportunities for ongoing professional development.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Paula is passionate about her work and the early childhood field. She has a deep respect for children and families. Paula is an enthusiastic believer in children's right to play.  Cultivating a program for children with uninterrupted time in indoor and outdoor environments that are home-like, beautiful, and engaging and creating a nurturing, challenging, and safe place for childhood is at the heart of her work. Paula loves how capable children are and how they still inspire her after all these years with their love and curiosity for learning and life. 

Paula's penchant for working with young children was innate.  Her first training as a teacher was in high school through the ROC program.  She has been living her commitment to children, their families, and teachers since 1985. Paula joined The Learning Center team in 1999 and, in August 2018, became the Executive Director.

Paula is a proud northern California native raised in the East Bay. She has two adult daughters who are alumni of TLC.  Currently, she lives in Los Gatos with her husband, youngest daughter, and numerous animals. Paula loves relaxing at the beach, listening to music, and traveling the world as much as time allows. She looks forward to many more years supporting children, families, and educators on a daily basis.