TEACHERS
At Creative Explorers, our teachers are passionate, kind, loving, patient and fun individuals that will nurture your child's growth. We are thankful for each one of them, as they are our extended family.
Ms. Wendy
I have over 6 years of experience working with children. It started out as a part time job until I found out I loved working with the children and started taking classes and furthering my knowledge. I have done many other types of jobs from retail to admin work, but I can't think about any other job that makes me happy to come to work.
I enjoy reading, camping, hiking and traveling but most of all I love spending time with my friends and family.
Ms. Gena
I have worked in the Early Childhood Education field for over 25 years. Currently I work with toddlers but have worked with infants, preschool, and school age children. I studied Early Childhood Education and also in the medical field, but my passion is working with children. I enjoy watching them grow and learn and become successful. I have been working at Creative Explorers since 2018 and out of the 25 years working with children, this is the best school I have worked at.
My hobbies include crafting, walking and spending time with family. I am a mother of 3, and a grandmother to one grandson.
Ms Crystal
I have had the opportunity to work with young children for almost 30 years. Most of that time has been spent with infants, 2's, 3's and 4 year olds. I love teaching and watching the children grow and thrive. Each day I know that they will make me smile and laugh. I am so happy to be here working here at Creative Explorers.
I am a Mother of two: my son is 20 and my daughter is 14. I love spending time with my children, family and friends. I love animals; I have a dog Charlotte, and a guinea pig Frayah that lives with me at home. I also take care of Nacho on the weekends and love sharing with the kids what he can do!
Ms Marissa
I have been working with children for over 15 years and 8 of those years have been spent here at Creartive Explorers. Since joining in 2014, I’ve been fortunate to have spent time teaching among all of the age groups here. In doing so, I’ve found my “home”with the Pre-K class, although you’ll often find me visiting the younger classrooms when I have the chance.
I earned an associates degree in Early Childhood Education from Mission College in 2014. From there I transferred to SJSU where I received a BA in Child and Adolescent Development in 2017.
Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, watching sports, kickboxing and spending time with friends and family.
Ms Amber
I grew up in Campbell and have always considered the bay area home. One of the most fulfilling experiences I find is helping children thrive! The smiles and laughs from gathering together create the most uplifting moments. Could not ask for a better work environment!
My educational background is that of art and early childhood education, and I enjoy applying my creative knowledge to find various ways for children to create themselves! My art education was focused on animation and illustration, so you could say I get pretty animated in the classroom! I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone at Creative Explorers!
My hobbies consist of; gardening, drawing, and crafting.
Ms Maggie
I just recently moved to California from Minnesota. This past winter was the first time in my life that I experienced a winter without snow or below 0 temperatures.
I studied Early Childhood Education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. I have been teaching preschool in Minnesota for the past 5 years. Before teaching I worked in many childcare centers, was a reading tutor for pre k students, and coached soccer for 3 and 4 year olds. Working with young children has always been a passion of mine.
In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, exploring the Bay Area, exercising (especially running), being outdoors, traveling and more. I just completed my personal training certification and will be moving on to my group fitness certification next!
Ms Barbara
I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a substitute at Creative Explorers. It provides me the opportunity to share my passion of Early Childhood Education with the staff and the children.
I have worked in a variety of programs during my long career both public and private, including my owning my own school. I attended San Diego State University for my Bachelor’s Degree and Pacific Oaks for my Masters Degree. Both programs gave me the tools and experience to be an effective and loving teacher.
My second passion is my love of baseball. I have visited twenty four out of thirty stadiums, both American and National Leagues. I enjoy listening to and watching games any day of the week.
In May of 2021 I became a grandmother to twins; how lucky am I that my son and his wife gave me a boy and a girl! My plan is to visit them more often in Portland as the pandemic hopefully goes away.
Ms. Jenny
I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher. I have over 10 years of experience working with children ranging in age from infants to age 9, and have enjoyed creating different curriculum activities for them. I enjoy planning experiences which are developmentally appropriate and of interest to them, teaching them new songs as well as the movement that goes along with the music. I have an Associate Science degree from Mission College in Early Childhood Education.
I love to read books, listen to all kinds of music and go to concerts. I also enjoy spending time with my family, and dancing as I started doing it when I was very little.
Ms Darcy
Funny story… when taking a career aptitude test in Middle School, the test determined that I should consider A) a career in Childcare, or B) a career as an entertainer… Some days it’s hard to tell the difference when working with a group of rambunctious preschoolers!
In 2003 I began working as a Pre-K teacher with a co-teacher and 24 children. I instantly knew that I was born to be an early childhood educator and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I have worked with children ages 12 months up to 6 years old with the majority of my experience being with pre-kindergarten/transitional kindergarten age children. Being a co-owner of Creative Explorers and working hands on with the children brings me great joy.
I enjoy traveling abroad as well as locally and have been fortunate enough to have visited 42 out of the 50 states in the U.S. When I am unable to travel and explore, I enjoy the simple things… laughing, being outdoors, going on walks, sipping coffee, spending time with my dogs, watching early morning sunrises, people watching… the list is endless really. I’m a pretty happy and content person.
Ms Annie
I have been fortunate to have lived on and traveled four different continents. This has allowed me to experience many customs and meet people from many different cultures. I celebrate the diversity we have here in the Bay Area and am lucky to call this place home.
In 2009, both Ms Darcy and I opened Creative Explorers. She had a dream and vision about quality childcare that excited me. My experience with business management and operations complimented her skill set and the rest is history! I've worked with children in many aspects including being an early childhood educator for many years.
Although my responsibilities are to take care of the operational side of the business, I love giving hugs and having conversations with all of the children each morning. We can all learn from their zest to explore and experience the world around them. And, they absolutely crack me up!
In my spare time, you will often find me experimenting with cooking and eating new foods, spending time with old and new friends, working out, having new experiences, and exploring the world with a camera in my hand.