AJ was born and raised in the East Bay and recently graduated from Sonoma State University in May 2025 with a degree in Early Childhood Studies. Her journey working with children began in high school at summer camps, and she loved it ever since. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and spending time with friends.

Alyssa is a Bay Area native who graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Psychology. After college she practiced behavioral therapy with children for 5 years working at GLMS Kensington. She then helped open the GLMS Lafayette campus in 2017 and has been a teacher with GLMS since then. Alyssa has completed her Assistant Montessori Teacher coursework from Montessori Teacher Education Center which is affiliated with the American Montessori Society (AMS) and accredited by the Montessori Council for Teacher Education (MACTE). Alyssa has two young children and lives in Moraga. Her favorite areas of teaching children are social and emotional skills while watching the children grow and learn. In her free time she enjoys traveling to different countries and learning about new cultures. Alyssa loves to cook and spend time with her family.

Ana was born in El Salvador, and Spanish is her first language. She has a deep love for working with children and brings five years of experience from children’s ministry, which inspired her passion for early childhood education. Ana is grateful to be part of a preschool community where she can nurture, guide, and support young learners as they grow.

Outside the classroom, she enjoys spending time with animals—especially horses—and loves horseback riding.

Brittney, an Oakland native, has loved working with children from a young age. Her experience spans private and public schools, daycare centers, and Montessori classrooms, where she developed a deep appreciation for child-led learning, independence, and nurturing each child’s unique strengths.

She is passionate about creating a calm, supportive environment where children can explore, make choices, and grow at their own pace. A proud mother to a seven-year-old, Brittney enjoys spending time with her family, baking, and arts and crafts.

Brittney is excited to join the Growing Light Montessori community and looks forward to supporting each child’s learning journey in a warm and thoughtfully prepared environment.

Ceci was born in Mexico and her first language is Spanish. She has been part of the Growing Light family for over 15 years and has worked at several of our GLMS campuses. Ceci has 4 children and loves to cook, create art and spend time with her family. In addition to Ceci’s early childhood education courses, she has completed her Assistant Montessori Teacher coursework from Montessori Teacher Education Center which is affiliated with the American Montessori Society (AMS) and accredited by the Montessori Council for Teacher Education (MACTE).

Jiab was born in Thailand in a city called Chang Kong and came to the United States as a refugee in 1993 when she was 14 years old. Jiab is fluent in Mien, Thai, Laos and English, and a mother to three children. Jiab has has over 15 years of Early Childhood teaching experience, and enjoys sharing her love of games, art, crafts, movement and sports with her students. Jiab loves being an educator, and loves her students like she loves her family.

My name is Kavisha. I am originally from the beautiful Fiji Islands. I migrated to the USA in the year 2006 with my family. I have worked with children for about 20 years now. I believe in providing a joyful learning experience that nurtures and prepares every child with a love for learning. I am married and have 3 wonderful children. In my spare time I love hanging out with my family. I like to learn languages and can speak 4 languages. I am excited to be a part of the GLMS team.

Maribel was born and raised in San Francisco. She has been working for the past five years at The Concordia School in Concord, Ca. It was here that she found a love for Montessori based education and curriculum. During her free time, Maribel enjoys spending time with her three children, finding new trails to walk, road trips and reading.

Michelle was born and raised in the Bay Area and currently resides in the East Bay with her family. She has a deep love and understanding of the Montessori methodology and philosophy, and has been a teacher of early childhood for 22 years. Her two daughters attend Montessori school, now in 7th and 4th grades though they began their Montessori education as infants. Michelle has experience teaching in Montessori classrooms since 2003 and ranged from infant/toddler classes up to kindergarten enrichment programs specializing in the kindergarten and 3rd year. She has extensive experiences in leading the primary programs and curriculum development with her teaching teams with high emphasis on Practical LIfe and social-emotional development. She earned her Associate Early Childhood Montessori credential from MTEC in 2010 and continues her love of learning through workshops, conferences and training that benefit her classrooms and coworkers. Michelle loves music, being outdoors and spending time with her friends and family.

Nasrin, lovingly known as “Nana”, has been an educator and child care professional for over 40 years. She brings decades of experience to our children with a degree in Early Childhood Education and as a former Registered Nurse. Nasrin founded two daycare businesses in Southern & Northern California. She has had the privilege of being a teacher at Growing Light Montessori School since 2017. She speaks Farsi and English, the mother of two grown children, and grandmother to two grandchildren. She lives with her husband of 56 years in Walnut Creek.