(Front Left to Right) Mikaela, Bianca, Sabrina, and Ruqoiyah
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 Mandarin, Spanish and Tagalog.
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 age.
**ALL of our teachers are fully vaccinated and boosted.
Lisbeth and Mary, our co-founders, are our Executive Directors and have strong daily input into the direction of our program.
Miss Ruqoiyah 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 low-income 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.
Joined our team in October 2012
Miss Destinie 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.
Joined our team in February 2018
Mr. Andrew 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.
Joined our team in April 2015
Miss Emily is a San Franciscan native who has been working with children since 2014. She graduated from City College in Child Development and has been working with children in Afterschool programs and camps and now preschool. Miss Emily loves to sing, hula hoop, and bargain shop! Her favorite children’s book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
Joined our team in May 2018
Miss Sabrina has her AA in Early Childhood Education from De Anza College and is currently a student at San Francisco State University to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development. She started working in the child development field when she was 18 years old as an assistant teacher at a home daycare/preschool center in her hometown Morgan Hill, CA. A year later, she began working as a teacher for another child care company and worked with preschool and school-age kids for 6 years. Miss Sabrina approaches teaching with a calm, nurturing, and soft demeanor because she believes children learn best in an environment that they feel safe, loved, and respected in! “I desire to impact the children I teach through a positive unbiased learning experience that allows each child, with or without special needs, to be expressive artistically and become passionate about creating and exploring.” Her favorite children’s book is “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen.
Joined our team July 2021
Miss Bianca 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.
Joined our team August 2021
Miss Mikaela recently earned a B.A. in Child Development with a concentration in Early Childhood from San Francisco State University during the summer of 2021. She started her teaching journey at the ECEC at SFSU in addition to tutoring elementary aged children. Prior to moving back to San Francisco, she shortly taught at a fine arts preschool in her hometown Eagle Rock. Miss Mikaela is bilingual and speaks Tagalog. You can often find her at the Outer Sunset Farmer’s Market buying her favorite fruits and Filipino desserts. And if it’s a really nice day out you might find her at Ocean Beach. Miss Mikaela’s favorite book is Curious George by H.A. Rey!
Joined our team February 2022
Miss Katrina is 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.
Joined our team February 2022
Miss Sophie is a native San Franciscan who grew up just across the park from Stepping Stones. She graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in World Arts and Cultures and has worked in various arts organizations throughout her career, most recently at the San Francisco Opera. During the pandemic, she realized the most important work she could be doing was in early childhood education and recently obtained her associate teacher certificate from SF City College. She believes in supporting children’s imagination and creative development through a respectful, play-based environment. Her favorite book as a child was King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey and Don Wood.
Joined our team May 2022
