Arbor Preschool in Berkeley & Oakland

Marisa ramirez, director

Marisa holds a BA in Liberal Studies and Child development from California State University, Chico. She has been an educator for five years, primarily working with preschool age children, including teaching in infant & toddler classrooms. Marisa is passionate about bringing yoga and mindfulness into the classroom using various techniques, and is excited to utilize her Spanish background to incorporate the Spanish language in her teaching. She enjoys watching the children create collaborative artistic canvases in the art studio, and bringing in an emergent curriculum that supports each child’s development and interests. Marisa enjoys learning alongside the children, and researching their favorite topics using books and scientific experiments. This will be Marisa’s first year as a Director, and her experience in the classroom as a Lead Teacher and working with parents in previous years makes her excited to be part of the Arbor Preschool team and continue her leadership growth. Outside of school she enjoys hiking with her fiancé, painting, cooking, lifting weights at the gym, and reading!

Estefani Gomez tellez, lead teacher

Estefani is 26 and bilingual. When she was 18, she took an early childhood development class at Las Positas College, which inspired her to work for her associate certificate and she has now gained 31 units in early childhood development. Estefani has a total of 5 years working in childcare with children between 18 months and 5 years old as both a teacher and a lead teacher and has enjoyed babysitting, coaching, and tutoring for over 7 years. Estefani find this field extremely rewarding and fulfilling and loves to watch each child grow and meet their milestones. Her goal is to continue to learn and bring her full potential to Arbor preschool so she can support your child toward their greatest potential. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors and loves to hike, swim, snowboard, and bike. Estefani also spends a lot of her time with family and reading.

Anahi Hernandez, teacher

Anahi graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Her experience with children began as an ESL teacher in China and South Korea. It was then that she realized how much she loved working with preschool aged children. Since then, she has been focused on learning to become the best educator she can be to ensure more students receive a quality education. She is excited to join the Arbor Preschool family and work alongside other kind, creative and passionate individuals. In her spare time, she enjoys brushing up on her Korean with K-dramas, exploring the outdoors with her dog, and traveling with her husband.

Daisy Valle, Teacher

I am finishing my undergrad in Child and Adolescent Development Social and Community Settings with a minor in Psychology at California State University, Sacramento. I will be graduating next spring and am really excited to apply all of my current and new knowledge at Arbor Preschool! I have been working with children from a young age. From babysitting for close relatives and friends to being a youth group mentor/ coordinator to working as an at-home child care provider and to becoming a preschool teacher; I have truly found a great passion for working with children. I love seeing them learn, grow, and develop into beautiful human beings! In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, exploring new places, and practicing self-care. I am excited and grateful to be a part of the Arbor Preschool family and really looking forward to this new journey!

becky Lidow, business administrator, co-founder

Becky has been an educator for the past 11 years, working with children from preschool age up to and through college. She holds a BA in Psychology from Lewis & Clark College and a master’s degree in education. She was drawn to found Arbor Preschool because of her interest in the developing child and her desire to create a thoughtful place for her own children to learn and grow. Meeting Kelly and realizing we shared common goals was a dream. She is excited to incorporate her interest in the world around us as well as her knowledge of Spanish into the classroom. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the Bay Area with her family, playing with her three year old and baby, hiking, traveling, and getting lost in a really good book.

Kelly Johnston, curriculum and teacher advisor, co-founder

Kelly was a preschool teacher in San Francisco for 10 years. She has her BA in Theatre from San Francisco State University and holds her California Child Development Site Supervisor Permit. In 2005 Kelly began working as an assistant preschool teacher and quickly fell in love with teaching, supporting families, and being a part of such a loving community. After a few years of assistant teaching she took on the role of lead teacher and began dreaming of opening her own school. She took a break from teaching to learn the ins and outs of running a small business by working as a manager in her family’s corporate flower company. Her passion and love remained with teaching, and her dream was realized with the opening of Arbor Preschool. In her free time Kelly loves to spend time with her family, practice yoga, read, travel, and bake!