Laura Zellerbach (she/her)

Program Director

Laura holds a BA in Psychology with Women’s Studies from Barnard College at Columbia University, and an M.S.Ed. in Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special and General Education Dual Certification from Bank Street College of Education in New York.

Prior to joining The Little School she was Director of Curriculum and Staff Development as well as Child Development Specialist at Katherine Michiels School in San Francisco. 

This is Laura's eighth year at The Little School. 

Sophia Garcia (she/her)

Teacher, Classroom One

Sophia holds a BA in Child and Adolescent Development, with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education, from San Francisco State University. 

Prior to joining The Little School she was a lead teacher at the Jewish Community Center (Helen Diller Campus) for three years, at Bright Horizons for one year, at First Presbyterian Early Childhood Center in Santa Barbara for one year, and at the YMCA Preschool of Santa Barbara for three years.  

This is Sophia's eighth year at The Little School. 

Rosie Bochenek (she/her)

Teacher, Classroom One (MWF)

Rosie holds a degree in Sociology from San Diego State University and Early Childhood Education coursework from Diablo Valley College.

Prior to joining The Little School she taught at the City of Walnut Creek Community Arts Preschool, Larson's Infant Center, and Pixar Child Development Center.

This is Rosie’s sixth year at The Little School.

Jake Stueckle (he/him)

Teacher, Classroom Three

Jake has studied Philosophy and Music Performance at Whitworth University, holds ECE coursework from City College of San Francisco and is pursuing a BA in ECE at Ashford University. 

Prior to joining The Little School, he was a junior preschool teacher at a Kids by the Bay Financial District in San Francisco, the program director for the Cub program at Mountain Camp Woodside, and a program assistant for the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center after school program. 

This is Jake’s sixth year at The Little School.

Kaile Thomas (she/her)

Executive Director

Kaile holds a BA in Child and Adolescent Development with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from San Francisco State University, an MA in Early Childhood Education from San Francisco State University, and a postgraduate certificate in parent-infant mental health. 

Prior to joining The Little School, she was the Director of the San Francisco Family Support Network at Safe & Sound.

This is Kaile’s sixth year at The Little School.

Laura Brady (she/her)

Floater Teacher

Laura holds ECE coursework from College of Marin.

Prior to joining The Little School Laura has spent over 15 years working with children of all ages and abilities as a nanny with Bay Area Families. She trained as a Postpartum Doula and has an ongoing practice as a licensed massage therapist. Laura is the mother to two wonderful teenagers.

This is Laura’s fourth year at The Little School.

Mukti Dharod (she/her)

Teacher, TK

Mukti holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Child and Adolescent Development with a concentration in School-Age and Family. She has also done her minor in Education and Special Education from San Francisco State University, as well as Child Development coursework from City College of San Francisco.

Prior to joining The Little School, she taught at StarSeeds, City College Mission Campus School, and Shalom School for a total of five years of classroom experience.

This is Mukti’s fourth year at The Little School.

Asia Koliner (she/her)

Teacher, Classroom Two

Asia holds a BA in Community Studies from University of California, Santa Cruz and studied ECE at Saddleback College. 

Prior to joining The Little School, she spent time working and interning with the Boys and GIrls Club of America, as a patient coordinator at UCSF Pediatric Orthopaedics, and spent two years working at a Reggio-Emilia inspired preschool in San Francisco.

This is Asia's fourth year at The Little School.

Sam Mainman (she/her)

Teacher, Classroom Two

Sam holds a BS in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona, an MAT in Early Childhood Education from the College of Charleston, as well as a Teacher level California Child Development Permit.

Prior to joining the Little School, Sam was a lead preschool teacher in an inclusion classroom at Valley View Early Learning Center in the Catalina Foothills School District 16 in Tucson, AZ for four years. Sam also has experience working with foster care children and families in the Tucson area and nannying for various families throughout the years.

This is Sam's third year at the Little School.

Riley Graham (she/her)

Floater Teacher

Riley holds a BA in German Studies from San Francisco State University and an MA in Education with an Emphasis in Education from Mills College. She studied Early Childhood Education at City College of San Francisco and holds a Site Supervisor level California Child Development Permit.

Prior to joining The Little School, she worked in a bilingual preschool in Germany, the Children's School at Mills College, and Pacific Primary in San Francisco. Riley has been working in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 15 years.

This is Riley’s third year at The Little School.

Kathy Prophete (she/her)

Teacher, Classroom One (MWF)

Kathy holds a MA in Early Childhood Education from San Francisco State University, and her undergraduate work concentrated on Elementary Education with a minor in Child Development. Kathy has a California Multiple Subjects Credential and a Child Development Directors Permit. Kathy has been an educator for over 25 years, specializing in relationship-based programs grounded in attachment theory and developing emergent and project-based curricula inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach.
Prior to joining the Little School, Kathy founded, directed, and co-taught at Mount Sutro School, a small part-day enrichment program for young toddlers and two-year-olds. 

This is Kathy’s third year at The Little School.

Maria Silva (she/her)

Teacher, TK

Maria holds Early Childhood Development coursework from Cañada College. Prior to joining The Little School, she taught for the City of South San Francisco at a private play based preschool for 7 years. She also mentored school aged youth in South San Francisco’s Park and Recreation after school program for 2 years.

This is Maria’s third year at The Little School.

Kat Kim (she/her)

Teacher, TK

Kat studied Magazine Journalism and Art History at Syracuse University, and holds ECE coursework from SMCCCD's Skyline College and Cañada College. Prior to joining The Little School, Kat was a teacher at the Reggio Emilia-inspired Stretch the Imagination preschool, a forest teacher at Woodland Preschool, and a Teacher Aide and Substitute at NOPA Montessori. 

Before teaching in preschools, Kat worked in publishing, startups, a nonprofit that teaches mindfulness and meditation to youth in Oakland, and as a nanny for children of all ages for 7 years in the Bay Area. 

This is Kat’s second year at The Little School.

Sarah Cook (she/her)

Floater Teacher

Sarah holds a BS in Neuroscience from Tulane University as well as a Teacher level California Child Development Permit. 

Prior to becoming a Teacher at Little School, she was a Little School alumna and participated in the Teacher’s Aide program throughout her childhood. Then, she was a Teacher in Training before transitioning into her current role.

This is Sarah’s second full year at The Little School.

Sara Farr Toloee (she/her)

Teacher, Classroom Four

Sara is an alumna of The Little School.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with an emphasis in early childhood and is currently taking ECE classes at City College of San Francisco.

This is Sara’s second full year at The Little School.

Jiana Bibbee (she/her)

Teacher, Classroom Four

Jiana holds a BA in Child Development with minors in Psychology and Family Relations from California State University, Chico.

Prior to joining The Little School, she worked with 3-5 year olds at Petite Explorer in the Mission District for two years.

This is Jiana’s second year at The Little School.

Marni Tuel (she/her)

Teacher, Classroom Three

Marni holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a MA in Expressive Arts Therapy from the University of Louisville, Kentucky. She studied ECE at City College of San Francisco.

Prior to joining The Little School, Marni taught at Slippery Fish Co-Operative Preschool for 13 years. She was a ceramics instructor with Baltimore Clayworks and an arts educator with Kollage Community School for the Arts.  

This is Marni’s second year at The Little School.

Chris Edwards (he/him)

Finance Director

Chris holds a BA in History from Yale University, an MA in International Relations with concentrations in Strategic Studies, Japan Studies, and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). 

Prior to joining The Little School, he worked in corporate finance at eBay/StubHub and Checkr, equity research at JPMorgan and Jefferies, defense consulting at Booz Allen Hamilton, and taught English in Nagano, Japan. He also served on the Board of Directors at Pacific Primary. 

This is Chris’s second year at The Little School.

Ravi Tanner (he/him)

Administrative Coordinator

Ravi brings a passion for education to his role as Administrative Coordinator at The Little School. He grew up in Marin County after immigrating to the United States when he was 5, and credits his positive educational experiences to inspiring his commitment to youth development. With a bachelor's degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University and over 7 years of experience in customer service and management, Ravi loves applying his administrative skill set to supporting The Little School. 

Outside of work, Ravi is a music enthusiast with a growing vinyl collection and a dedicated "fish nerd" who maintains a thriving tropical aquarium. He lives in Inner Sunset with his husband and dog, Diego, and loves spending time with his nieces and nephews. Ravi is thrilled to join The Little School team and looks forward to making a meaningful contribution to the school community.

This is Ravi’s first year at The Little School.

Autumn Farris (she/they)

Alternate Teacher

Autumn has studied Illustration at California College of the Arts in Oakland, California.

Prior to joining The Little School, she spent a year working in the fashion industry and well over 4 years in hospitality. She’s previously worked in children’s entertainment and media as an illustrator and character designer. Autumn has also spent a multitude of years volunteering as an elementary school tutor and school aide in Stockton, California. 

This is Autumn’s first year at The Little School. 

Laura Garcia

Teacher, Classroom Five

Laura is a native San Franciscan, whose interests are exploring the wonders and sciences of nature, psychology and the arts. She enjoys live entertainment, music, theater, comedy and dance.

She studied Early Childhood Education at City College of San Francisco with a focus on Special Education . She has experience as an advocate for children in the juvenile justice system volunteering as a CASA court appointed special advocate for children in foster care.
She began her teaching career in 1992 in the Head Start programs, then went on to join the San Francisco Unified School District as a lead substitute teacher in the Early Childhood educational programs. Before transitioning to Temple Emanu- El from 2001-2023 her many roles were teachers-aide, program support, co-lead teacher, and 10 years as Program Inclusion Specialist and Teacher Mentor.

Following her work at Temple Emanu- El she became a team member and teacher for 2 years at Pacific Primary Preschool co developing a curriculum in music, movement and the expressive arts, with an emphasis on Anti-Bias curriculum and social justice/emotional development encompassing the philosophy Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

This is Laura’s first year at The Little School.

Maya Clemmons (she/her) 

Teacher in Training, Classroom One

Maya holds a Bachelor’s degree in Child and Adolescent Development with coursework in ECE and Education Equity from San Francisco State University, as well as an Associate’s Degree in Psychology from City College of San Francisco.

Prior to joining The Little School, she was an Inclusion Specialist and English Teacher at The Storybook School, taught in the toddler and infant classrooms at SF State’s Children’s Campus, was a Behavior Technician at Learning ARTS in SF, and an after school Program Leader at A.P Giannini Beacon where she led art and cooking enrichment. 

Before pursuing Child Development and Education, she studied Animation and Illustration at San Jose State University and led Costume and Fashion Design at the Theater Tech Department at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts.

This is Maya’s first year at The Little School.

Cassidy Ernst

Teacher, Classroom Two

Cassidy holds a Master’s in Human Rights Education from the University of San Francisco, along with bachelor’s degrees in German and International Relations from San Francisco State University, and an ECE Certification from CCSF. Before joining The Little School, she spent four and a half years teaching preschool at Congregation Emanu-El. Her graduate work focused on supporting educators in using teaching as a tool for genocide prevention and fostering critical, inclusive approaches to teaching about genocide. She is passionate about combining her expertise in critical genocide education with her background in early childhood education to highlight a central theme: the vital role of social-emotional development. By emphasizing the early foundations of empathy, she underscores how nurturing these skills from a young age can serve as a powerful tool for crime prevention and for fostering a shared humanity—ultimately contributing to a more equitable society.

This is Cassidy’s first year at The Little School.

Randy Wong

Receptionist

Randy was born and raised in San Francisco. He has discovered that he has a deep passion to serve the youth. He is pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education because he believes that supporting young children in their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development is the most impactful purpose he can pursue. Beyond this deep passion of his, he’s a multisport athlete who enjoys a wide range of activities, such as snowboarding, playing basketball and football, and going fishing.

This is Randy’s first year at The Little School.