Our coop is very fortunate to have such a diverse, warm and loving staff of seven professional teachers and an experienced educational director to quide them. We bring in music specialists every week and we employ a Parent & Me teacher and a Parent & Me teacher's assistant. Our staff reflect the rich diversity of Los Angeles, enriching our curriculum with each of their unique cultural backgrounds. Our team-teaching approach involves everyone's input and encourages support and growth for all. Many of our teachers work as mentors for student interns from the Santa Monica College Early Childhood Development and UCLA's Developmental Psychology departments. We encourage our own teacher's growth with continuing education benefits and ongoing workshops.
Our supportive work environment creates a happy and harmonious group of educators and we're very proud of our staff retention. Our director has been with us for ten years and two of our teachers have been with us for nearly 30 years!
Educational Director - Sylvia Rath
Sylvia was hired as our Director in 1999 after teaching preschool children for eight years. Sylvia has a B.A. in Psychology and Early Child Development from Antioch University. Sylvia started working as a volunteer in her son's preschool and fully appreciates the love, commitment and time that it takes to work with a co-op community. She enjoys escaping the office to work directly with the children and is often found engaged in a fun activity of singing, dancing, pretend play, or storytelling. She draws on her experience as a teacher to work closely with the staff on keeping the developmental curriculum current, rich and inspiring.
Our Teachers
Lee Kaplan
Lee has a B.A. in Psychology and has taught at Little Village for over twenty years. Lee's two daughters (now grown) are alumni. He is known for his remarkable intuition and uncanny ability to ease a child's separation anxiety. He has incredible warmth and kindness that draws children in as he leads them on an adventure through the worlds of science and storytelling.
Deja Barnes
Deja was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended Santa Monica College for Early Child Development while working as a nanny. A mother of three, Deja has guided the imaginations of young children for over 12 years. Deja's experience as mom serves her well as she provides support, understanding and encouragement to the parents of Little Village.
Stephanie Gonzales
Stephanie is earning her A.A. degree at Santa Monica College in Early Child Development. She is bilingual and speaks Spanish fluently. She worked for a year in our Parent & Me Program and is now a teacher in our morning program 5 days a week. Stephanie enjoys exploring the world of art and reading stories with our children. She is like a loving big sister to them--full of fun and play.
Rosslyn Amoah
Rosslyn has her A.A. degree from Santa Monica College and is in the process of completing her preschool teaching credential. Rosslyn is a budding photographer and does an amazing job documenting our children. Rosslyn has studied the Reggio Emilia approach and incorporates its principles in her classroom and curriculum.
Jessica Escobar
Jessica is currently completing her AA degree in Early Child Development at West Los Angeles College. The children love her vibrant personality as she introduces them to fun games and songs. Jessica is fluent in Spanish and her warmth and commitment to our families has made her very popular with our parents and children alike.
Nancy Nicho
Nancy has taught at Little Village for over twenty years and her enthusiasm for develpmental learning has never wavered. She has an A.A. and preschool teacher certification from Santa Monica College. She also has completed her B.A. in Early Child Development at Antioch University. Nancy works with our oldest children and has helped hundreds of children make confident and successful transitions from preschool to kindergarten.
Angie Bevans
Angie is currently completing her preschool teaching credential at Santa Monica College. She is the mother of two young boys and her experience as a parent has proved invaluable when supporting our parents with advice and our children with guidance. Angie is fluent in Spanish and her "rug time" curriculum is always entertaining and thought-provoking.
Parent & Me Group Leader
Jenny Marshall, M.A.
As an Early Childhood Educator, I have dedicated over 20 years working with young learners and their parents in schools and homes, as well as training teachers, social work and psychology interns, and pediatric doctors in their residency how to effectively respond to the needs of young children. For several years I served as Director of First 5 LA's School Readiness on the Westside Project, and First 5 California’s Special Needs Project in Los Angeles, and also served on the Task Force for the Early Identification and Intervention Collaborative of Los Angeles County. All these innovative programs are large-scale community collaborations that help children enter school ready to learn. I have worked in public and private settings throughout New York City and Los Angeles. I am an Educational Therapist in private practice and hold a Master's degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Columbia University, Teacher's College. My greatest accomplishment, however, is my 7-year-old daughter Hana!
Our Music Specialists
Every Tuesday music teachers Lou Stratten and Abbe Proviser visit each classroom. Lou plays guitar, sings and uses puppets to introduce the children to the world of songs. Abbe teaches musical concepts through movement and music.
