California Early Childhood Mentor Program Teachers
Mildred Torrez
- Mildred, better known as "Taffy," is a Mentor Teacher at Del Rey Elementary School, located in Victorville. She teaches children ages 3 to 5 years. Her current teaching schedule is Monday through Friday, with two 3-hour sessions daily.
- Taffy has her A.S. degree in Child Development and holds a Site Supervisor Permit. She is currently enrolled in the B.S. program through the University of LaVerne. After teaching for approximately 10 years in private preschools, Taffy has spent the last 11 years at Victor Valley College Child Development Center and State Preschool programs.
- There is a special emphasis on literacy and story-based curriculum in Taffy's classroom. "I am a firm believer in parent collaboration and teamwork between teachers and families, focusing especially on the concept of 'parent as the child's first teacher’." says Taffy.
- Taffy can be reached at 760.955.9324.
Lorraine Macaulay
- Lorraine is a Mentor Teacher at Country Kids Family Child Care, located in Hesperia. She provides the care and education for infants through twelve year olds. Her current schedule is Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Lorraine holds a Master Teacher Permit, a Family Child Care Certificate and her Associates Degree in Child Development. She has been in the child care field for 25 years, teaching in both the family child care environment and center based programs.
- Students who chose to conduct their lab hours with Lorraine will gain experience serving multi-aged groups. They will also get exposure to the daily operations of a family child care facility.
- Lorraine can be reached at 760.244.1780.
Jackie Powell
- Jackie is a Mentor Teacher at Mojave Vista State Preschool, located in Victorville. She teaches children who are 4 and 5 years old. Her current teaching schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Jackie has her B.A. in Child Development from the University of La Verne, A.S. Degree in Child Development from Victor Valley College and hold at Site Supervisor Permit. She also holds a Parent Educator Certificate- Parents as Teacher Program and has been with the Mentor Teacher Program since 1998. She has taught for SBCSS State Preschool since 1996 and prior to that she taught in a private center. She has six years of experience as a Children Supervisor for a Bible Study Fellowship.
- Jackie's specialization is with music, props and puppets. She has collected a vast array of puppets that she uses in her everyday teaching. The children are captivated by this curriculum strategy and student teachers will have the opportunity to learn this wonderful classroom tool.
- Jackie can be reached at 760.241.4144.
Sharon Schneider
- Sharon is a Mentor Teacher at Rancho Verde State Preschool, located in Apple Valley. Her current teaching schedule is Monday through Friday, from 8:15 to 3:15.
- Sharon has her A. S. degree in Child Development and holds a Site Supervisor Permit. She taught for 20 years at Apple Valley Christian School, where she started her career as an aide and eventually became the director of the school. Five years ago she helped to open the new State Preschool site at Rancho Verde, and she has been teaching there since.
- Sharon notes, “Even though our program has a strong emphasis on language and literacy, our main goal is to help each child to grow in whatever their area of need might be. We provide a fun and active learning environment, which promotes social, emotional and cognitive growth. We work closely with families to enrich both the home and school experience for the children. I love to laugh and interact with the children on a personal level. I also enjoy literature, so when we're not telling stories, children are encouraged to make up their own."
- Sharon can be reached at 760.240.4732.
Diana Lynn McCann
- Diana Lynn McCann is a Mentor Teacher at Little Eagles State Preschool in Lucerne Valley, CA. The ages of her children are 3-5. Her current teaching schedule is Monday through Friday 7:30-3:30. She holds two preschool sessions each day, a morning session and an afternoon session.
- Diane holds an AS in Child Development from Victor Valley College and a Site Supervisors Credential through the State of California. She is currently working on her BS in Child Development at the University of Laverne. She has worked for San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools since 1998. She has worked as a teacher�s aide in Special Education programs from the Severely Emotionally Disturbed, to Autistic and Severely Handicapped children, as an associate teacher in the Infant/Toddler program, and has 6 years with the State Preschool Program.
- Diana's classroom is unique in that there are only 16 children in each class; not 24 or 32, and students will see it makes a huge difference in the environment of the classroom. Diana states, "I believe that a good teacher is really a facilitator of learning, and that children intuitively are drawn to what they need to learn, so it is important to provide them with a variety of experiences. We can help them with this step of their learning by scaffolding and looking for teachable moments in all they do throughout the day. I believe that whatever you do, do it with all your heart. For me this involves learning and having fun together, right along with the children. So be prepared to come and play if you do your practicum hours with us.
- Diana can be reached at 760.248.7317.
Marlene Emlay
- Marlene Emlay is a Mentor Teacher at Sitting Bull State Preschool. Her program offers a morning class from 8:00 to 11:00 and an afternoon class from 12:00 to 3:00 to three to five year olds in Apple Valley. Her program operates Monday through Friday.
- Marlene holds an AS degree in Child Development and a Site Supervisor Permit. She first started in the early childhood education as a parent, then a substitute teacher and has worked her way to her current position as the Site Supervisor at Mojave Mesa State Preschool.
- Marlene states, "We love science and hands-on activities in my class. I have a snake and turtle and look forward to bringing in more reptiles, spiders and insects. I try to make coming to school a fun and exciting adventure. I stress kindness to others and make it extremely important to work out our difficulties and problems with respect and understanding.
- Marlene can be reached at 760.240.5278.
Deana Riddle
- Deana "Deena� Riddle is a Mentor Teacher at Lemon Street Infant Center. Her program serves children 2 months to 30 months, and is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. She is available for conferencing from 2-3 p.m.
- Deana holds an A.S. in Child Development an A.A. in Liberal Studies, a New Zealand Early Childhood Teaching Certificate and a California Teaching Credential Certificate as a Child Development Site Supervisor.
- Deana has been in the field of education for 30 years, starting as a teacher's assistant after school in a private preschool. Since that time, she has spent years as a preschool teacher, special education instructional assistant an infant edu-carer and currently a state preschool teacher/ site supervisor. Deana states, "Here at the Lemon Street Infant Center we have a very unique program. We provide a special blend of caring & teaching for our babies and their teen parents. If you can�t tolerate diversity, this is NOT the place for you. We actively embrace differences and create a relationship based on educational caregiving situation fully including the parent in the function and decisions made for her child's care here in the center. We try to provide children with an opportunity for choice, including when they eat, sleep, play outside etc. We truly aspire to follow the child's lead, sharing the power and expanding on their interests and current knowledge. We trust babies to know what they need, and it is our job to figure out what they need by the clues they provide. The babies regulate their own schedule.
- "Please note that working with teen parents requires a special ability to adapt and not judge, we really do have the utmost respect and support for these moms that must get up (after a rough night with baby) ride at least 2 buses (with baby and gear in tow) and get to class by 7:05 A.M. We try to be very accepting of all of their strong emotions.
- If you think you have what it takes to join a team dedicated to enhancing the lives of teen-parents and ultimately their children, and you don't want to hang out just because, "I LOVE babies!" then give Deana a call at 760.956.3868 and schedule an interview and 2 hour interactive observation.
Kimberly O'Brien
- Kim O'Brien is a Mentor Teacher at Vista Verde State Preschool in Baldy Mesa. Her program offers a half-day morning program from 8:45-11:45 for 4 and 5 year olds.
- Kim has worked with young children for 12 years, and has been a mom for 16 years. She has taught in church nurseries, private preschools and for the State Preschool program. She earned her Associates degree in Early Childhood in 2003 and is currently taking classes at Chapman and Victor Valley Collage in order to get her Bachelor's degree.
- Kim states, "I believe that every child should be given a safe place to express their creativity, their personality and their senses of humor. I feel it is important it is to let children be children and not to stifle their creativity. If there is a puddle, there should be the chance to jump in it and see how high the splash is. If it is raining, the opportunity to catch some raindrops on your tongue is given. When the snow starts to fall that the size and shape of a snow flake are examined. A child can hold a worm and measure how long it is, or hold a wooden spoon to touch play dough, and a child can hold a teacher's hand while watching a butterfly take off from a distance. Every child should be given the chance to learn and explore in the way that is comfortable to them. I was given so much by my teachers and mentors throughout my childhood career. I have been taught that you can learn a great deal from the teacher next door. I would like you to observe our class for about an hour to make sure this is where you would like to learn."
- You can reach Kim at 760.868.3036.
Judy Money
Name of Classroom: S.B.C.S.S. Adelanto State Preschool
Age of Children in Class: Three, Four and Five years old.
Judy's current teaching schedule: 8:30-11:30/12:30-3:30
A Brief description of Judy's education (degrees, certification, etc):
A.A. degree. B.A. degree in Child Development. Site Supervisor Permit. 105 professional growth hours every five years.
Brief description of Judy's teaching experience:
I have been fortunate to work for San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools for fifteen years. The first two years I worked for the county I worked in the Infant/Toddler program. Prior to working for S.B.C.S.S. I worked at Guadalupe Child Development Center in San Bernardino for nine years.
Special characteristics of Judy's classroom:
We have a double site, ALL in one room. It sounds confusing but it actually helps 96+ children. Our staff gets along great and offers many talents (Mr. Ron plays the guitar and most of the staff has been trained to do "Sunshine Circle"; Ms Nicolle is our lead teacher for our program and is very knowledgeable about program rules and regulations She's a wonderful Site Supervisor and offers many creative literacy activities). Our hours are different and we rotate outside times and group time so we are able to work with children in smaller groups. We are very fortunate to have a beautiful, well stocked classroom that meets the needs of so many children here in Adelanto.
Other information about Judy:
I am married with one son who attends Serrano High School.
Judy can be reached at (760) 246-3396.
Nicolle Burgos
Name of Classroom: S.B.C.S.S. Adelanto State Preschool
Age of Children in Class: Three, Four and Five years old.
Nicolle's current teaching schedule: 7:45 - 10:45 and 11:45 - 2:45 Monday through Friday
Nicolle's description of her education (degrees, certification, etc):
Earned an A.S Degree in Child Development in 1999 from Victor Valley College. I am currently working on my B.S. Degree in Early Childhood Education from Kendall College, an online program located in Chicago, Illinois. I also have a Site Supervisor Permit.Brief description of Judy's teaching experience:
Brief description of her teaching experience:
I began my teaching experience as a Mentee student with Victor Valley College in 1996. I worked in private preschool for a year before coming to the SBCSS State Preschool Program in 1998. I have taught all over the county of San Bernardino including Victorville, Hesperia, Ft. Irwin and Adelanto. I currently work as the Lead Teacher for the High Desert area for State Preschool. This job enables me to not only work with the children, but help teachers as well. I enjoy teaching preschool with all my heart and I look forward to my new endeavor as a Mentor Teacher with Victor Valley College.
Special characteristics of Nicolle's class :
I am very fortunate to share a classroom with Judy Money. We operate 4 classes at our school and work great as a team. Even though we have two different classes each, our teams collaborate every day to provide the best program we can for the children of Adelanto. We have a wide range of talented teachers and associates in our classroom who have strengths in literacy, math, science and music. We are for sure a multi-modality site! The families at Adelanto State Preschool are very supportive and understand the importance in Early Childhood Education. We provide a fun hands-on learning experience focusing on social emotional development.
Other information about Nicolle:
In addition to teaching, I am also a Girl Scout Leader for my daughter's Brownie troop. I enjoy working with the girls on leadership, respect and life skills that will carry on with them their entire lives. Being a positive role model to not only my preschool students but also to the community is very important to me! I am a also a mother of two young children, so early childhood education is with me 24 hours a day!
Nicolle can be reached at (760) 246-3396.