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.

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. 

PRESCHOOL EDUCATOR

RIVER CLASSROOM

Meredith is a Bay Area native, born and raised in Redwood City. Since childhood, she has always had a vivid imagination and affinity for art and creative expression. She originally studied art and interior design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco but decided to switch to a major in Child Development after spending time in her mother’s Kindergarten classroom. 

She earned her degree in Early Childhood Education from Foothill College and has worked in several preschool programs over the last ten years. She loves working with young children, preparing them for the next stage of learning while fostering their independence and self-esteem through play and creative expression. 

In her free time, she is still very much interested in art and design! She loves painting, weaving, and drawing and is always looking for a new medium to try. She still lives in Redwood City with her husband and their daughter. She is very close to her family and loves spending time with them making memories together.

PRESCHOOL EDUCATOR

RIVER CLASSROOM

Tina firmly believes play is a vital part of a child's life. Playing freely in an open-ended environment can provide much growth in all developmental stages.

Tina was fortunate enough to raise her own children while staying at home. Those key years and memories led Tina to pursue her career in child development. Tina graduated with a BA in Child and Adolescent Development from SF State University with a school-age concentration.

Tina enjoys walking, vacationing, cooking, and participating in social activities. Much of her free time is tied between volunteering at her temple, where she is involved in numerous roles, and spending time with her family.

Tina started working at TLC as a substitute in 2007. Later, she made the switch to a full-time educator. Tina has had so much fun working alongside the children from when they first start their years at TLC to when they are ready for that next chapter as they leave for kindergarten. Not only are great memories made together, but hopefully, they will be with them forever!

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.