Staff | Seabird Preschool| San Francisco

Our Staff

Our teachers and staff take pride in their commitment to making our program unique and dynamic. Our teaching staff is trained in early childhood education as well as child development and have the appropriate credentials for working with young children. Seabird Preschool teachers are committed to providing an enriching and nurturing learning environment that emphasizes all aspects of development. This includes providing activities and guidance in a play-like setting in order to promote social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth. Our teachers are expected to foster positive relationships with the children and their families, while maintaining professionalism at all times. As specially trained, highly dedicated individuals, our staff takes a passionate interest in educating young children.

Administration

Mei Chan

Director

Hi, my name is Mei Chan. My career in the Early Childhood education began with the birth of my first child more than 25 years ago. After obtaining my teaching credential, I was looking for employment that would let me stay close to my son, that is when I started working as a teacher and led preschool classrooms for over 5 years. I fell in love with being a teacher and wanted to stay and grow in the field. Later I transitioned into administrative role and have been directing preschools in the East Bay for the past 20 years. I used my skills to implement a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program, increase preschool capacity from 80 to 120 students, and grew two separate preschools from the ground and up.

Most of my teaching years were spent in the play-based combination school for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Over those years, I witnessed how play-based philosophy together with an emergent hands-on curriculum stimulated children’s learning ability and enabled them to continue to develop their interest in learning to grade schools.

Being an educator in early childhood is my calling. I enjoy supporting children and their families as well as preschool staff and work with other teachers as a unit to provide the best childcare possible. My passion is to mentor children to be the best they can be and show that they are special the way they are. I use lots of humor in my teaching because there is nothing brighter than a child’s smile and love creating stories for children to enjoy and learn at the same time. I am bilingual, I speak English and fluent in Cantonese and conversational Mandarin.

I join Seabird Preschool with my extensive experience in the role of Director. I am excited to start this new journey to provide the utmost quality care for the children and families and build the foundation of learning for our students.

I look forward to being part of your child’s early learning years!

For more information in Mandarin and Cantonese, you may speak with Mei.

Yulia Iskandar

General Manager

Hello, my name is Yulia Iskandar and I am a General Manager of Seabird Preschool. I have 18 units in Early Childhood Education and I am Pediatric CPR/First Aid certified. I have a Master’s Degree from University of Oregon in teaching foreign languages. I love children and find it gratifying to see them grow and develop new skills every day. I believe all kids deserve to have a safe and fun educational environment which we provide here at Seabird.

I have three children of my own and as a mom I know that play is crucial for children's development because play is their way to explore life and make new discoveries. At Seabird Preschool we strive to create and maintain an environment where children develop and learn through play and fun activities.

I look forward to building enriching relationships with Seabird students and their families in order to ensure success in preschool and in their future learning.

For more information in Russian, you may speak with Yulia.

Teachers

Jennefer Gonzalez

Teacher

Hello! My name is Jennefer and I have been in the education field and working with children for over ten years. I found my true passion when I began teaching preschool. Since then I have received my Bachelors Degree in Child Development with a focus in Early Childhood from San Francisco State University.

While working with children from ages 0-12, I found that the preschool age is a magical time in learning where children have an amazing gift to absorb everything around them. Creating a stimulating, cooperative, and rewarding environment for children to learn in is one of my main goals as an educator. Everyday is an opportunity to expand a child’s world and knowledge and I love doing so through play and conversation.

I look forward to teaching at Seabird and along with the children learning something new everyday.

Ava Sims

Teacher

Hello, my name is Ava Sims! I have 10 years of experience working with children and it is so special and enjoyable assisting these little ones grow! I am passionate about leadership development and I like collaborating with a team towards a common goal. That goal for me is helping children reach their full potential and become creative, smart and loving young people.

I started volunteering at Camp Have A-Lot Of Fun, a summer camp for children, when I was 11. Then I became a leader of the camp at 16 and when I turned 18 I became an assistant Coordinator to the whole camp. While in college I became a floater at a preschool and discovered that working in a classroom with children was my passion. I moved home to Sacramento and continued to teach in the two-year-old classroom. I love building special relationships with each child and incorporating music, dance and movement into my circle time and transitions.

I find being in the classroom is my calling and I can not wait to join the Seabird team and provide best care to Seabird students!

Mary Gee

Teacher

Hello, My name is Mary Gee. I was born and raised in Burma, now known as Myanmar, I speak fluently Burmese and English.

I’ve been teaching children since 1996. In these many years of early education, I never get tired of seeing a child’s innocence, curiosity, and enthusiasm. Watching them grow and develop into their own identity is one of the best things of this profession. Their questions and observations of the world truly bring a smile to my face each and every day.

As an early childhood educator, I am teaching children how to develop self help skills and independence but they also help me look at the world in a different perspective. This always gives me new ideas and keeps me creative on how to introduce new curriculum.

My other passion besides teaching is my love of baking. I have a degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management. I have lots of fun incorporating my love of cooking and baking into preschool curriculum. Sensory integration is very important for a child’s cognitive development. This ties into

everything a child is exposed to, social emotional and fine motor skills. From making playdough or banana bread to even making ice cream, these food exposures give a child the opportunity to learn in different, fun and exciting ways.

I am looking forward to being a part of this team and starting a new adventure with new friends and families here at Seabird Preschool.

Maria Carrascoso

Teacher

My passion to educate children brought me to this career. I am a mature and caring individual who has an understanding of the developmental needs of children. I believe that all children learn and thrive in an environment that is stimulating, comforting and appropriate to children's abilities. I am committed to provide character development and quality education to them. My experiences include: planning and implementing daily activities based on approved curriculum and center philosophy; maintaining developmental records for each child; completing developmental profiles and communicating with parents about their child's daily activities. On a daily basis, I use creative projects to teach Math, Science, and Language.

I had the chance to live in Australia and Thailand. I had also visited some parts of Europe. My experiences in these countries have broadened my understanding of different cultures.

Alice Zeng

Office Manager

Hi I'm Alice. I have been with the Seabird team since the opening day. I process all paperwork and take care of billing. I am always happy to assist with any questions regarding the registration process or invoicing through Brightwheel.

Tammy Zhao

Teacher

Hi I'm Tammy. I have over 6 years of experience working as an infant teacher with children 0 to 24 months.

I am professional, caring and dedicated teacher, infancy is my favorite age because this is the period of life when most of changes happen within the shortest amount of time. I find it joyful and rewarding to care for infants and see them grow and develop new skills every day.

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Child Adolescent Development from San Francisco State University.