2024-25 Teaching Team
Jessica Spenchian, M.A. (she/her) – Founder, Director & Teacher Mentor
Jessica is a certified preschool teacher and former college-level writing instructor. She is also the mother of two wonderful middle and elementary school age children (ages 12 and 10).
With a pre-teaching background in early literacy program evaluation (K-5), grant writing, resource development, interactive media production and project management, Jessica brings a dynamic interdisciplinary perspective to her work with students of all ages. Back in 2015, frequent feedback regarding her caring personality and intuitive ability to connect with young children–combined with a focus on raising her own two children–motivated Jessica to turn her creative energy toward founding her own preschool program.
Inspired by her previous experience working as a Head Preschool Teacher at Stretch the Imagination in San Francisco, Jessica’s mission was to combine the developmental advantages of small, high quality toddler and preschool environments with the provision of full time childcare. Her commitment to the use of responsive language and to designing age appropriate, play-based avenues for extended inquiry make her particularly fond of the project-oriented Reggio approach to early childhood education: an approach which views young children as active and capable shapers of the world around them.
Jessica’s interest in child-centered teaching and in emergent curriculum design–instructional methods which position the children’s own evolving questions as starting points for all forms of sensory exploration–is complemented by her deep understanding of the Italian cultural context out of which the Reggio model arose. Having lived and worked in Bologna, Italy for over three years prior to becoming a teacher, Jessica is a fluent (but imperfect) speaker of Italian and she remains optimistic about the possibility of adding an Italian language and cultural component to The Children’s Workshop Oakland program at some point in the future.
Jessica holds a BA in World Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz, a Child Development Permit from City College of San Francisco and a Masters degree in English Composition with a Post-Secondary Reading Certificate from San Francisco State University.
Lisa Cepeda-Vasquez (she/her) – Assistant Director, Operations & Teacher Training + Supervising Lead Roots & Acorn Classroom Teacher (18 months – 3 years)
Lisa first embarked on her career with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. However, while in college, she took an assistant position in early childhood and developed an incredible love and respect for the preschool age. Inspired by the children’s naturally inquisitive ways, loving and gentle attitudes and by the respect they shared for their communal environment and for each other, Lisa returned to school to complete her degree in Childhood Development at Merritt College. After working in several different types of programs, Lisa has found that she truly believes in an emergent style of learning wherein she can give children back their right to explore this world and all it has to offer in their own individual ways.
Lisa has been exploring our lovely city of Oakland since she was a child, coming to visit her many relatives and grandparents who lived in the area. Her parents were both born and raised in Oakland and she has fond memories of trips to Fairy Land, feeding the ducks at the lake and going to the park in Montclair. Many of these wonderful memories are the reason she and her lovely wife chose to move back to Oakland. Lisa loves being outdoors, playing soccer and baseball, walking the lake and hiking in Joaquin Miller and throughout Berkeley. Cooking and baking are also passions of hers, as food in her family was a way to express and share love and come together. Overall, Teacher Lisa loves to be adventurous and silly and to dance, sing and tell stories. It is her hope that by sharing her passions with her students, they will in turn discover where their own unique passions lie and will revel in pursuing them!
Since joining CWO in 2018, Lisa has been instrumental in programmatic stewardship, working closely with Jessica as a senior founding member of CWO’s leadership team and helping to develop core training and professional development practices for mentoring both new and seasoned teachers. Having played many roles within the program, Lisa’s favorite vantage point is shepherding new student and new teacher learning through responsive and reflective practice in the always bustling and dynamic 2s classroom. Lisa considers herself a perpetual student of education and remains committed to evolving and strengthening her own teaching year over year.
Kat Rosemond (she/her) – Auxiliary Campus Resident Site Supervisor + Supervising Lead Seedling Classroom Teacher (3.5-4.5 years)
Teacher Kat is honored to be a part of the CWO community! She finds joy in discovering how the unique experiences and perspectives of this community shape our classroom environments!
Kat holds a BA in Geography and Anthropology from Vassar and completed her Early Childhood Education coursework prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic at Saddleback and Merritt Colleges. She has numerous years of experience working with children of all ages, from infancy through high school as a nanny, postpartum doula, field trip and camp coordinator and garden teacher. She has over three years of experience serving as a co-lead teacher within mixed age two, three and four year old preschool classrooms.
Growing up in Georgia, Kat lived and worked in New York and Vermont before moving to the Bay Area in 2017. With a background in outdoor education, she is especially excited to explore and develop curiosities about soil, garden critters and plants when working outside with students. While in the classroom, she loves diving into imaginative play and deeply values curiosity, empowerment and collaboration. In her time outside of work she coaches a Bay Area Roller Derby team and enjoys unwinding by cooking dinners with her housemate and kitty.
Samuel Maier, M.A. (he/him) – Assistant Director, Curriculum & Assessment + Supervising Lead Oaks Classroom Teacher (4.5 years+)
Sam comes from a long line of teachers. After growing up in his mother and father’s classrooms, he was convinced that he would do anything but teach! But, as life seems to go, that is how he is happiest, and he has devoted his life to working with young children. Sam has taught across the country, starting in Pasadena, CA before relocating first to Chicago and later to New York City. Sam has taught both as a classroom teacher and as a studio art teacher. In 2017 he completed a dual Masters degree in Philosophy and Education from Teachers College at Columbia University, specializing in contemporary social theory and progressive, critical and multicultural education.
Sam is a firm believer in the importance of play. His classrooms always contain a variety of open-ended materials for experimentation, construction and storytelling. Reggio Emilia’s project-based approach appeals to Sam because of the vast room it leaves for children to learn cooperatively together. In Reggio-inspired classrooms, students’ innate desire to learn about their world and from each other is recognized and highly valued and responsibility for both constructing the curriculum and continuously shaping the many lenses through which that curriculum comes to be explored is thus placed in the children’s hands, with their teachers acting as co-learning partners and framing facilitators in the service of their vision.
Before moving to the East Bay, Sam spent the 2019-2020 school year working at schools in various small villages in India, from the Ladakhi Himalayas to tropical valleys in Tamil Nadu. The year abroad exposed Sam to culturally sustaining educational organizations that create play-based curricula in a very different context. These schools prioritize skill-based education, particularly farming and crafts, as a way to ensure that schooling feels familiar and applicable to children’s rural home lives. Environmental and cultural sustainability were central to these schools’ missions and the experience will forever shape the way Sam considers his role as teacher and his work as an educator.
Outside the classroom Sam likes to work with his hands, particularly with clay. While living in New York, he showed his work at various galleries in Manhattan. Sam hand-builds geometric vases out of slabs of stoneware. He also collects children’s books. (Tony’s Hard Work Day by Alan Arkin – 1972 edition with illustrations by James Stevenson is one of his prized possessions!) Additional passions include urban cycling and cycle and pedestrian-safe urban design, cooking, playing tennis and basketball and political organizing.
Chelsea America (she/her) – Afternoon Supervisor, Project-Based Curriculum Mentor & Atelierista
Teacher Chelsea is a passionate artist and educator who believes that art making is integral to the learning process. Having spent several years teaching art in elementary schools, moving from classroom to classroom to lead students through various projects prior to teaching at CWO, Chelsea has enjoyed putting down roots at CWO: previously as a full time 2s, 4s and 5s classroom teacher and atelierista (2019-2022) and now as a Supervisor and Project Based Curriculum Mentor for the afternoon team on the heels of a three year hiatus taken to pursue an MFA from San Francisco State University.
Teaching in public elementary schools and in preschool summer camps over the years has shown Teacher Chelsea the limitless creativity and capabilities of young children. She views art as the perfect tool for investigation, having arms in all other subject areas including math, science, design and technology, humanities and history. Art provides a tangible form to the learning process and for the imagination. For children, art is both visual aid and articulation for their investigations. Chelsea loves seeing her students make discoveries and problem solve through the process of art making: what happens when they mix colors or the look on their faces as they lift a scratch-board to reveal the imprint of their artwork. Art expresses individuality and stimulates the brain through its visual and sensorial qualities and Chelsea is excited to support and inspire her students and fellow teachers!
Teacher Chelsea has a huge heart for children. With three vivacious children of her own, she believes in the inherent capability and autonomy of young learners. The Reggio-Emilia philosophy coincides with her beliefs about and experiences in education. She believes in the power of the joy of learning and understands that every child is a naturally curious learner who should be supported to follow his/her own path of interest. After observing the ways in which the children and teachers consistently collaborate together at CWO, with such mutual degrees of vested interest, respect and reciprocity, Teacher Chelsea is grateful to have found a place amongst this incredible team of educators and within such a unique cooperative learning community. Chelsea holds a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, an MFA from San Francisco State University and has pursued Post-Baccalaureate studies at the Siena Art Institute in Siena, Italy. When not teaching, Chelsea enjoys undertaking elaborate art projects, taking trips to the library and going on adventures outdoors with her own children. In her solo-time, Chelsea teaches monthly art classes for adults, explores art exhibitions and puts time into her personal art practice. In sum, art is life for Chelsea!
Kris Carlos (they/them) – Roots Classroom Co-Lead Teacher (18 months-2.5 years)
Kris was raised in Sacramento County and graduated from UC Davis in 2022 with a major in Theater and a minor in Physics. Toward the end of their degree, they pivoted toward education classes and interned as an assistant in middle school math classes. After graduating, Kris got a job at a preschool and worked there for the following two years, gaining their Preschool CDA as well as completing their core ECE and infant toddler coursework to obtain their Child Development teaching permit. They worked in every classroom at their previous childcare center, gaining experience with students ages 3 months to 4 and 5 years before settling in a 2s classroom.
At their previous center Kris explored both prepared and emergent curriculum, turning observed interests into projects for students to explore. They look forward to continuing to expand and develop emergent curriculum as they become more familiar with the pedagogical practices of the Reggio Emilia approach.
Outside of teaching Kris lives with their partner, Tiffany, and their two cats. They love to explore museums and create fantastic worlds through tabletop role playing games and collage.
Haley Bates (she/her) – Roots Classroom Co-Lead Teacher (18 months-2.5 years)
New to the Bay Area, Haley is filled to the brim with gratitude to be joining the CWO community as a Teacher in Training this January and to begin the path toward receiving her Child Development Teaching permit. Playing and imagination have been a big part of her life for as long as she can remember, so much so that she earned a BFA in Theatre from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, with a focus on directing and playwriting. During the 2020 pandemic Haley reassessed her career and asked herself, “How can I better serve my community?” She found herself repeatedly aspiring to work with children. In 2021 Haley began nannying and joined an elementary school, University Cooperative School, as an afterschool caregiver. Within a year she transitioned to an assistant teacher and subbing role. Instantly, she fell in love with the kids and families she worked with, discovering there was no other work she wanted to do more. Haley transformed into a big kid amongst the children she worked with, focusing on being a support in creating a safe environment and letting the child’s imagination navigate the journey. To watch young, hungry minds ask, “Why, how, can we try?” reinforced Haley’s commitment to creating environments where children could feel seen, heard and inspired. These years spent working with kids, she can only express a deep appreciation of how early we develop our sense of self and community and the importance of nurturing the natural curiosity we are born with. Haley looks forward to exploring new ways to support young learners and their families as she trains to become a member of the CWO teaching team. When not at school, someone might find Haley reading, beach combing, surfing, crafting or taking a nap.
Sara Candito (she/her) – Acorn Classroom Lead Teacher (2.5-3.5 years)
Sara is a creative and caring teacher who is passionate about the importance of play for preschool-age learning. Over the past decade, prior to joining the CWO team, Sara worked as an assistant preschool teacher, substitute and parent volunteer in early childhood and elementary school classrooms. She is dedicated to supporting the emotional, social and cognitive development of young children through play and wonder-based learning activities.
As a former designer, Sara’s passion for teaching began when she became a mother. The birth of her first son opened her eyes to the rewarding life of working with young children. During the six years that she served as a weekly volunteer within her sons’ preschool and elementary school classrooms, Sara discovered her gift for positively, calmly and respectfully engaging children. It was in the classroom that Sara first realized how much teaching leverages the two most essential facets of her personality: her drive to nurture and her spark for creativity.
While working as an assistant teacher in the Children’s House at Global Montessori International School in 2019, Sara completed her Early Childhood Education certificate through UCLA Extension and prepared to formally launch her teaching career when the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way! Once schools reopened, she began substitute teaching at The New School of Berkeley, where it felt incredible to be part of a program that respected children as individuals and allowed them the freedom to explore their environment.
During her first years of teaching, Sara’s commitment to continuing her own learning resulted in her discovery of the Reggio Emilia approach which affirmed her ardent belief in children’s vital right to play. After attending an online professional development conference called the “Free to Play Summit”, Sara came away with a plethora of ideas for bringing wonder, nature and child-led play into the classroom. She has since fallen in love with the Reggio spirit of collaborative learning and with the inquiry-driven and emergent project-based teaching environment at CWO! She is a huge fan of open-ended use of loose parts and found materials to power children’s imaginations.
Sara holds a joint BS and BA from UC Davis in Design and Visual Communication Arts and in Italian, a professional degree in Fashion Design from FIDM and a Montessori Language Arts certification. In her free time she enjoys exploring the Bay Area with her husband and her two wonderful sons.
Sean Robinson (he/him) – Acorn Classroom Co-Teacher (2.5-3.5 years)
Teacher Sean is a dynamic and creative educator with a passion for hands-on learning, music, and storytelling. With a background in fine arts and intermedia, he brings an engaging, interdisciplinary approach to early childhood education, believing that children learn best when their curiosity is sparked through play, creativity, and exploration.
Sean has worked in a variety of educational settings, from teaching science and gardening at New Traditions Elementary in San Francisco to leading wilderness survival programs at Trackers Earth in Berkeley. His experience has deepened his appreciation for experiential learning—whether it’s through outdoor education, music, or interactive storytelling. He has developed original curricula, illustrated educational materials, and composed songs to help young learners connect with complex topics in a meaningful way.
Now returning to Oakland, Sean is excited to rejoin the team at Children’s Workshop, where he previously taught. He is eager to contribute to the school’s community-driven and holistic approach to early education. He believes in the power of storytelling, silliness, and connection to foster a joyful learning environment where children feel inspired to explore the world around them.
Chiara (she/her/hers) – Seedling Classroom Co-Teacher (3.5-3.5 years)
Chiara is an artist and educator from New York City who has worked passionately in education since 2020. Upon earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Arts and Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College Chiara relocated to Western Massachusetts to be immersed in the rural landscapes that she had longed for as a child. Chiara had previously worked in urban educational settings while in school, but it was amongst New England nature that she found her true passion for Early Childhood Education at Hampshire College’s Farm and Garden Education Collaborative. Chiara soon noticed that she felt most confident as an instructor when she remained as curious and open to learning as her students were. Knowing little about the fascinating lives of plants and animals on the farm, Chiara inspired her group with her boundless desire to grow through experience with them. Aside from learning how to groom and feed goats, chickens and rabbits, Chiara’s favorite memory from her time in this role was creating botanical dyes from locally sourced plants. She and her students beamed in awe as a pot of boiling goldenrod gave a vibrant yellow hue to the strands of yarn they had hand spun. This foundational experience in teaching led Chiara to trust that as an educator her goal was not to know all of the answers but to foster spaces where her students felt safe to explore the magic of the unknown alongside her. Chiara carried this sentiment to a play-based ECE center in Sacramento, CA, where she served as a co-teacher for 2.5 years and played a large role in the creative aspects of the school’s curriculum development. During her time in this position, Chiara discovered the “Five Essentials to Meaningful Play” and everything clicked into place. Meaningful play occurs when:
1. The child has agency to make their own decisions.
2. The child is self-motivated when engaging in play.
3. The child becomes immersed in a “flow state” during play.
4. The play is spontaneous, non scripted, and open to the unexpected
5. The play is FUN!
Chiara identified that it is these same tenets that fulfill her in her own art practice as well! Witnessing the confidence and self-regulation skills that visual and sensory expression provided her younger pre-verbal students, Chiara employed her background in the Arts to incorporate creative engagement into every aspect of her classroom environment. She strongly believes that play is a form of art and that children are intrinsically creative beings.
Laney Meris (she/her) – Oaks Classroom Co-Teacher (4.5 years+)
Laney joined The Children’s Workshop Oakland team in the Spring of 2022 as a Junior Co-Teacher in Training and has since completed college coursework in Early Childhood Education to earn her Child Development Teaching Permit. First apprenticing alongside Teacher Lisa in our youngest classroom, Laney has worked hard to strengthen her whole and small group facilitation and further develop her project-based curriculum design skills.
Having followed her former three year old Acorn Class students to last year’s Seedling Classroom and then to this year’s Oaks Classroom, Laney is thrilled to continue shepherding student learning and growth alongside Teacher Sam.
Outside of school Laney enjoys caring for her cat, spending time with friends, cooking and learning all she can about child development.
Ayah Aldajani (she/they) – Junior Co-Teacher In Training
Ayah is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley and is very excited about the opportunity to join the CWO teaching team and work closely with students, teachers, and families to support young children’s academic, social, and emotional growth and development. Majoring in Psychology and Social Welfare, with a minor in Education, Ayah has developed a strong foundation in developmental psychology, early childhood education, social-emotional learning (SEL) and curriculum implementation through rigorous coursework and hands-on experience.
Her passion for child development and education led her to work as a teaching assistant at The Orange House, a home-based family child care program serving children ages 2–5 years, for the past two and a half years where she gained firsthand experience addressing social-emotional challenges, fostering emotional resilience and supporting diverse developmental needs. Ayah also served as a curriculum facilitator at The Orange House, designing and implementing play based lesson plans integrating art, science, math, and reading into daily activities. In addition to creating inclusive curricula, she collaborated with senior teachers to conduct student developmental assessments. Her interest in social-emotional learning led her to focus her undergraduate research on SEL interventions over the past two years and she recently introduced an SEL program that incorporates high-quality children’s literature to foster key social-emotional competencies. As the leader of this initiative, Ayah gained additional experience supervising this program’s development, implementation, assessment and refinement.
Beyond her academic and research commitments, Ayah has volunteered with the UC Berkeley Public Service Center’s Creative Residencies for Emerging Artists Teaching Empowerment (CREATE) program for the past three years, where she taught visual arts at underfunded school-run after-school programs through two placements: first with Berkeley Youth Alternatives (BYA), working with children facing academic challenges and complex family circumstances, such as parental incarceration, and second, at Sylvia Mendez Elementary, where she taught visual arts in a bilingual classroom and designed engaging, hands-on activities that students could choose to participate in after school. In both roles Ayah designed art lessons that served as therapeutic outlets, prioritizing student engagement and emotional expression, deepening her understanding of the unique identities students bring to the classroom and reinforcing her commitment to fostering inclusive and supportive educational environments.
Discovering the importance of providing students with creative autonomy, allowing them to explore their interests and express themselves in meaningful ways Ayah has also been fascinated with how language and cultural background influence student learning and sought additional leadership opportunities within CREATE as a program manager who oversaw outreach, recruitment and retention of student teachers; organized weekly professional development meetings featuring community experts who provided valuable insights into education and equity; and ensured diverse cohorts aligned with partner sites’ needs. Ayah will complete additional early childhood education coursework this Summer to obtain her Child Development permit and become a fully credentialed toddler and preschool teacher. Ayah is Palestinian but was raised for most of her life in Dubai. She recently became a West Coaster after moving to California to attend university at Cal.
Raul Barragan (he/they) – Junior Co-Teacher In Training
Raul is so appreciative to be joining the CWO community as a Junior Co-Teacher In Training! New to teaching, they have been a preschool instructional assistant at Lockwood Child Development Center since September 2024. Raul had always wanted to work in childcare in some capacity and it was during their time at Lockwood that their passion for early childhood education truly solidified. Being a kid at heart, Raul has a deep well of empathy for children and tries to view the world from their perspective. Raul is also a creative person and is eager to learn to teach through the Reggio Emilia lens and to complete college coursework over the summer to obtain their Child Development permit to become a fully certified toddler and preschool teacher.
Originally from Chicago, Raul has called Oakland home since 2022. Outside of the classroom Raul is an ambient/experimental musician and visual artist who–inspired by California ecology, 80’s sci-fi/horror soundtracks, alien lifeforms and deep sea creatures–works to create textural and ethereal soundscapes. They have previously released albums with Chicago Research and Liminal Ennui Records and are currently working on a forthcoming album. Raul lives with their amazing wife, Claire, and two wacky chihuahuas, Lupi and Tini. Together they enjoy hiking in Joaquin Miller Park and driving to the coast to view the sea life.
Bianca Di Palma (she/her) – Back Up Supervisor & Floating Support
After taking a few years off to raise her two daughters, Bianca was thrilled to get back in the classroom! Bianca studied Psychology at the University of San Francisco where she became fascinated with early childhood development, particularly the cognitive benefits of play and its effects on the growing brain. After volunteering within a preschool program in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District, Bianca knew she wanted to work in early childhood education. While teaching, Bianca received her early childhood certificate from City College of San Francisco.
Bianca has over ten years of experience in early childhood education. She has worked within various types of programs over the years, from state funded pre-K to smaller private schools. Over the course of her teaching journey Bianca discovered and became a dedicated practitioner of the Reggio-Emilia philosophy. With over eight years of experience as a Reggio teacher, Bianca aims to create an environment where children’s ideas and interests are valued and early school experiences reflect joy and foster a lifelong love of learning. She encourages children to do their own research and to be observant and curious, empowering them to ask and seek answers to their questions.
Bianca is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico and has been residing in the Bay Area for 18 years. She lives in Oakland with her husband Mike and their two daughters, Renata and Leona, along with a dog and too many cats.
Chef Christine Olivo (she/her) – Kitchen & Backend Support