Our Team
Teachers are the most important part of our school. We select our teachers based on the three “E’s”- experience, education, and most importantly enthusiasm. Our teachers are CPR and First-Aid certified and meet the standards of the state child development permit requirements.
Our preschool teachers are not only experienced but passionate about early education and the young children they support.
Meet Our Mission Team:
Victoria Lam Wong– Head Teacher/Owner
Ms. Vickie has been working in the preschool industry for over 20+ years. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a focus on Early Childhood Development. Since then, she’s been on a quest to gain as much knowledge and experience from the many childhood development philosophies out there on how to better guide children to have more self-esteem, learn resilience, and self-regulation. She’s studied philosophies such as Reggio Emilia, Project Approach, and Creative Curriculum and has worked in both the public and private sectors. She’s worked as a lead teacher in community Head Start programs such as Wu Yee as well as preschool programs for the San Francisco Unified School District. She’s also worked for both large and small private sector preschools in the Bay Area in order to gain experience in different environments. Throughout the years, she has received numerous awards for her teaching practices and acknowledged for her classroom achievements. Her dream has always been to own her own center that will encompass all her experiences and philosophies to create an environment and culture all her own.
Andy Wong – Director/Owner
After college, Mr. Andy worked as a project manager of a large corporation before opening his own business in tech which he ran successfully for 16 years. With the birth of his two children, he went back to school to study child development in hopes of being a great parent. His journey to find a quality center and his wife’s dream of one day opening her own school led him to develop his own. With his enthusiasm for learning, his commitment to quality, and his insight on management, he takes his role at the school seriously. His “open door” policy with families and team members provides warmth, comfort, and leadership to the school.
Becky Mendieta – Petite Room Lead Teacher
Ms. Becky is originally from the UK. and decided she wanted to travel and see more of the world. She applied to be a live-in Aupair in America where she worked for a family for almost two years caring for two school-aged children. She had a great experience living, working, and traveling with an American family. Becky had worked as a preschool teacher for over seven years with children ages two to four years back in her home country. Now that she had settled into America, Becky decided to go back to teaching preschool and we are lucky to have her! In her spare time she enjoys baking, fun day trips exploring, working out, and spending time with her husband and his family.
Karina Alvarado – Wonder Room Lead Teacher
Ms. Karina was born in Mexico and moved to the United States at the age of 8. She has lived in Salinas California since moving to the US. She recently took a huge personal step to make the move to San Francisco in hopes to explore and grow in a new living environment. She received her AA in Early Childhood Education from Hartnell Community College and is currently attending Fresno State and should be receiving her BS this December in Child Development. She has worked as a tutor for migrant students for many years and her last job was for a Daycare caring for children ranging from 4 months old to 5 years of age. She enjoys working with children as they see life through a different lens. The way they explore, learn, and relate to others is such a wonderful experience. She loves learning from children and believes they actually teach her so many wonderful things.
Ashley Lopez – Discover Room Lead Teacher
Ms. Ashley is a SF native and has been a teacher working directly with children since 2016. Throughout the years, she has worked with various age groups ranging from 3-10 years of age. She’s always had a curious mind and loves to learn new things which is why she love working with children. They push her to continually learn and grow. Working with children is all she’s ever known and it continues to be her best job ever!
Jenny Corpuz – Explorer Room Lead Teacher
Ms. Jenny Corpuz was born and raised in San Francisco. and received her BA in Human Development with a concentration in Adolescence at Cal State East Bay. She is continuing her Early Childhood education and taking additional classes at Merritt College.. She had began a career in research working with adolescent teens but her curiosity has now shifted to working with younger children. She is excited to help young children reach their full potential and to inspire children to feel confident in whatever their heart desires. During her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her dog, drinking boba with friends, and watching tv shows/movies on Netflix.
Jiana Bibbee – Explorer Room Lead Teacher
Ms. Jiana was born in Tokyo, Japan and spent some of her childhood shifting around between cities such as Italy, Oahu, and back to Japan before settling in Rocklin, CA when she was 16. Jiana graduated from Chico State in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development and a double minor in Psychology and Family Relations. During her time at Chico, she spent two semesters interning at local preschools, 2 semesters volunteer tutoring underprivileged children in the community, and her last semester working at an elementary after school program. She has found that preschool-age definitely has been a favorite of hers, so upon graduating made the big move to San Francisco to work at Petite Explorer Preschool and has been loving getting to know the city! On her own time, she loves cooking vegan food, going on long walks, and laying in parks!
Natasha Hui – Discover Room Teacher
Ms. Natasha was born and raised in the SF Bay Area. She graduated from UC Davis, where she earned a BS in Human Development. Just as children learn from grown-ups, she believes she can learn new things from children every day. Prior to Petite Explorers, she worked in SF’s Chinatown and the YMCA as an after-school teacher. Having spent several years with grade school ages, Natasha joined PE to seek new learning opportunities with younger age groups. During her free time, she enjoys watercolor painting, listening to music, and collecting art from indie creators.
Carynna Sera – Petite Room Teacher Assistant
Ms. Carynna was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She recently graduated from San Francisco State University and earned a BA in Psychology with a minor in Counseling. As a teen, she worked as a private babysitter and for a summer youth program with children ranging from 6-12 years old. Throughout some time in college, she worked part-time at a daycare for a local gym with children ages 1-13 years old. She has always had a love of working with kids and loves seeing the world through their eyes. Carynna plans on continuing her schooling in Early Education to become a teacher. She enjoys traveling, doing acting/voice acting projects, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog Tofu. She is beyond excited to be a part of the Petite Explorer family!
Kamieya Bynum – Petite Room Teacher Assistant
Ms. Kamieya was born and raised in San Francisco. She graduated from San Francisco State University, where she earned a BA in Early Childhood Development with a minor in Special Education. She is thrilled to be working with younger children to help them reach their goals and achieve their furthest potential. During her free time she likes to read, take trips with her family, and being outside exploring different parts of the Bay Area.
Jocelyn Dulanto – Wonder Room Teacher Assistant
Ms. Jocelyn was born and raised in San Francisco. She currently possesses an AA in Early Childhood Development but is currently attending SF State University to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Child Development. She began her journey in her junior year in high school as a tutor and realized then that she wanted a career working with children. She has worked in after-school programs for three years and also worked at a Montessori preschool for two years. During her free time, she likes to spend time with friends, go on long walks, attend concerts, and spend time with family.
Karla Torruco – Wonder Room Teacher Assistant
Ms. Karla is a passionate educator born in Mexico. Her childhood is filled with fond memories of her own mother teaching and supporting early childhood facilities. Needliess to say, it sparked her interest in teaching. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, specializing in Early Childhood Development and wellness.
Ms. Karla believes that childhood is the most beautiful stage of life and is dedicated to nurturing young minds. On her free time, she enjoys long walks with her dog, engaging in various sports, and indulging in her love for writing and baking.
Princess Caspillan – Discover Room Teacher Assistant
Melissa Saechao – Petite Room Teacher
Ms. Melissa’s childcare journey started 7 years ago while working as a babysitter. That experience opened her eyes to the desire to make a more significant impact. This realization motivated her to become a program educator for the City of El Cerrito, coinciding with her education in Childhood Development at Merritt College. Since then, she has worked in different childcare settings, from private to home daycares, and in May 2023, she obtained her associate degree in Child Development.
Melissa has a love for playing and using my imagination and creating new ideas. She enjoys reading stories, exploring various forms of art, and expressing myself through singing. Outside the classroom, Melissa loves to travel whether it’s immersing herself in nature through hikes, swimming in the beauty of the cold Bay area beaches, or road trips to national parks for camping adventures!
Meet Our NOPA Team:
Victoria Lam – Head Teacher/Owner
Ms. Vickie has been working in the preschool industry for over 20+ years. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a focus on Early Childhood Development. Since then, she’s been on a quest to gain as much knowledge and experience from the many childhood development philosophies out there on how to better guide children to have more self-esteem, learn resilience, and self-regulation. She’s studied philosophies such as Reggio Emilia, Project Approach, and Creative Curriculum and has worked in both the public and private sectors. She’s worked as a lead teacher in community Head Start programs such as Wu Yee as well as preschool programs for the San Francisco Unified School District. She’s also worked for both large and small private sector preschools in the Bay Area in order to gain experience in different environments. Throughout the years, she has received numerous awards for her teaching practices and acknowledged for her classroom achievements. Her dream has always been to own her own center that will encompass all her experiences and philosophies to create an environment and culture all her own.
Andy Wong – Director/Owner
After college, Mr. Andy worked as a project manager of a large corporation before opening his own business in tech which he ran successfully for 16 years. With the birth of his two children, he went back to school to study child development in hopes of being a great parent. His journey to find a quality center and his wife’s dream of one day opening her own school led him to develop his own. With his enthusiasm for learning, his commitment to quality, and his insight on management, he takes his role at the school seriously. His “open door” policy with families and team members provides warmth, comfort, and leadership to the school.
Jackie Angulo – Petite Room Lead Teacher
Ms. Jackie moved to San Francisco at the early age of 3 and considers herself a native of SF! She graduated from Sonoma State University, where she earned her BA in Early Childhood Studies with a concentration in Development. While at SSU, she gained valuable field experience at the preschool on campus that focused on project-based learning and Reggio-Emilia. Ms. Jackie strongly feels that children teach her just as much as she teaches them. “Children are like a breath of fresh air, they are honest, curious, and possess all the qualities that drive me to continue to do what I do.” Ms. Jackie loves to bake, read, drink boba, and spend as much time with family and friends as possible on her free time.
Jessica Thomas – Wonder Room Lead Teacher
Ms. Jessica was born and raised just 45 minutes outside of San Francisco in a town called Moraga. After graduating high school, she went to the University of Colorado Boulder where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Public Health. She found a love for teaching and is now entering her second year of being a preschool teacher. Outside of work she loves being out in nature, going on hikes, baking, knitting, and spending time with friends.
Adamari Martinez- Petite Room Teacher Assistant
Ms. Adamari was born and raised in San Francisco. She graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Chicano/a Studies and a minor in Human Development. As the eldest in her family, she grew up babysitting and caring for her younger siblings and cousins. However, while working as a camp counselor, she discovered her passion for early education and has found her way here to join the PE team!. On her free time, she enjoys going on walks, reading, and cooking.
Oceana Madani – Wonder Room Teacher
Ms. Oceana Madani was born and raised on the small island of Molokai, Hawaii. In High School she was an avid swimmer and member of the swim team and has taught children 3-12 years old swimming lessons. She came to San Francisco to attend the University of San Francisco, where she graduated in the Fall of 2020 with a degree in Hospitality. Early in her college years she babysat part time for children 8 months to 4 years, and always enjoyed working with children. In 2018, she suffered a stroke, and has been fortunate to make wonderful progress in her healing journey and complete her final years of college. As a stroke survivor she has learned and continues to learn many things about both physical and cognitive development. She is eager to share her experiences that being different and having a disability can be an asset. During her free time, she enjoys being in the sun and passing time with her cat, Winry. She is thrilled to be a part of The Petite Explorer Team!”
Lauren Stuart – Wonder Room Teacher
Lauren has lived in San Francisco for almost 20 years! She graduated from SF State University with a degree in Liberal Arts and continued her education at City College of San Francisco, obtaining her early childhood education teaching permit. She has worked in a preschool setting for the past 10 years working directly with children 2-5 years old. She loves working with children to witness their curiosity and wonder in everyday learning. In her spare time she likes to work on her art and enjoy everything that SF has to offer!
Patricia Soon – Petite Room Teacher Assistant
Ms. Patricia was born and raised in San Francisco. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 2021 earning her BA in Child Adolescent Development with a concentration in Youth and Out of School Time. She worked as a Youth Educator and a Program Lead with various age groups ranging from Preschool to High schoolers since 2013. She has always felt passionate about working with kids as she genuinely cares about early childhood development and the importance of being able to celebrate children’s accomplishments every day. During her free time she enjoys working out, walking her corgi, cooking, and exploring the city with friends and family.