Teachers

Stepping Stones teachers are highly qualified to enhance each child’s growth and development in a stimulating atmosphere of warmth and understanding.

Our low teacher to student ratios (1:6) allow your child to develop as an individual as well as part of a group in a happy, safe, and nurturing environment.

All of our teachers are First Aid and CPR certified, and we have teachers who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish.

Your child will interact with each teacher at Stepping Stones throughout the day. During group play times each teacher takes time to read, play and talk with all of the children. Your child will also have 2 teachers assigned to his or her classroom, depending on your child’s development. 

Lisbeth and Mary, our co-founders, are our Executive Directors and have strong daily input into the direction of our program.

Ruqoiyah Ghe-Huang is our school director. She comes to us with a Bachelor’s Degree from UCLA in both History and Applied Developmental Pyschology. She taught preschool at the UCLA Krieger Center for three years before moving to San Francisco. She was a center manager for a high needs preschool in the Fillmore District for another two years before joining us. She loves the arts and loves to prepare creative activities for the children. She hopes they find their own creativity and teach them about telling their stories/feelings through the arts. She is bilingual and speaks her native language of Cham. She actively encourages the students to learn as many different languages! And her favorite children’s story is Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems.

Destinie Chavarria is our assistant director. She joins us with a Child Development certification from Chabot College. She has been in the field of Education since 2005 and early education since 2010. Miss Destinie is a compulsive reader and participates in many charity events including marathons. She is also a foodie and loves Disneyland. Her favorite children’s book is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.

Katrina Yip is our other assistant director who was born and raised in San Francisco. As a teenager she volunteered as a summer camp leader and basketball coach for children K-8 which sparked her interest in the child development field. She has worked at after school programs for elementary school aged children and daycares with infants and toddlers. Prior to joining Stepping Stones, she was working as an Early Interventionist. Currently she is taking course at CCSF to fulfill her educational goals. She is a big believer in “learning through play” and that children thrive in a safe, nurturing environment. She loves a good, hilarious movie, has four cats and a chameleon. Her favorite children’s book is “Madeline” by Ludwig Bemelmans. 

Andrew Ghe-Huang has his Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and completed his Multi-subject teaching credentialing program from CSU Monterey. While in college, he spent years teaching children how to swim and how to play violin. While he was in his credentialing program and after, he taught at Hillcrest Elementary School, a low-income school in the Outer Mission. Mr. Andrew is also a watercolor and stencil artist. He enjoys bringing both art and music to the children. He is a classically trained violinist and has played violin since the age of 10 and also plays the viola and piano. He also is bilingual and speaks Mandarin. His favorite children’s book is Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.

Bianca Porras graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies- Preparation for Teaching. While in college, she danced Mexican Folklorico. She has been working with preschool children since 2015. On her spare time, she takes care of her puppy named Java, who is a whirlwind of fun. Miss Bianca highly enjoys traveling, coffee, Disney, and BTS! Her favorite children’s book is “Don’t Touch My Hair” by Sharee Miller. 

Dominique Dismuke-Davis has been teaching in Early Care and Education since 2015 and received her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Los Medanos College. When she is not teaching, she is crafting with her cricut machine at home and taking her dog for walks. Miss Dominique believes in building interactive, creative curriculum to create curious children into lifelong learners and working with parents as a team to make sure learning is consistent from home to school. Her favorite children’s book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault.

Alyssa Capili grew up in the Inner Sunset and has lived here her whole life! She was raised the oldest of 11 cousins and discovered her love of helping take care of children from a young age. She has worked in the field of Early Childhood Education from 2015. She has her B.A. in Psychology and her B.S. in Human Development, with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education, from U.C. Davis. She loves incorporating science and zoology into curriculum and she has a snake, two pet tortoises, and a chameleon at home! In her spare time she loves listening to audio books, going to Disneyland, and playing Lorcana. Teacher Alyssa’s favorite book is Toad on the Road by Stephen Shakan. 

Demi Botello earned her B.A. in Communications and has spent the past several years working with young children in creative, play-based environments. Demi is passionate about helping children understand their emotions and express themselves with confidence and care. She incorporates mindfulness and time in nature into her teaching, believing that curiosity and connection to the world around us are essential parts of learning and growing. Demi is continuing her studies in education and clinical herbalism to support a holistic approach to teaching and learning. Outside of school, Demi enjoys creating magazines, DJing, and rock climbing. Her favorite children’s story is The Way to Start a Day by Byrd Baylor.