Susanna Chan (Popo): Teacher's Helper (all ages)
Susanna is Corinna’s mother; the children often refer to her as Popo, which means grandma in Cantonese. She cooks the lunches for the children and is there to help out throughout the day. Popo is full of energy; constantly playing with the children -singing, dancing, and joking around. Her presence definitely helps bring a sense of family community into the program. She treats each kid as her own, constantly spoiling each one with lots of love, hugs, and kisses.
Teacher Corinna: Director
Born and raised in San Francisco, Corinna always had a passion working with children. She graduated with her BA in Child Development from San Francisco State University in 2008. She has worked in every aspect of a preschool, from an Assistant, Teacher, to a Director. Her passion had then motivated her to open My Little Learning Tree in August of 2009 as a home-based preschool. With so much support from the community and her family, she eventually expanded into its current location. Corinna enjoys working hands on with the children, continuously building relationships with the families, and making a difference in the children’s lives. She strongly believes that communication is what helps the children in their development the most. She continues to work closely with her staff in curriculum planning to ensure the quality education for the children. Corinna feels that it is important to build a strong foundation to help the children grow and develop into well-rounded, kind, and caring people.
Staff
Teacher Chiori: Site Supervisor/Lead Teacher of the Cherry Tree Class (4-5 yrs)
Chiori Wong received her Child Development Teaching permit in 2013 from the Commission on Teaching Credentialing and her BA in Liberal Studies with a Teacher’s Prep emphasis from San Francisco State University in 2016. She began her love for children in the preschool age while in high school when she volunteered to be the preschool art teacher at her local church. She has worked as a Teacher’s Assistant for 4 years at a preschool center in San Francisco and later became a head teacher there for 3 years before her path with My Little Learning Tree crossed. She strives to use education as a positive inspiration in guiding young minds to build solid foundations in which they can create and contribute to the world that they live in. Compassionate, personalized and community orientated lesson plans are her strategies on transforming education to benefit her children’s self-identify, confidence and future.
Teacher Mikka: Lead Teacher of the Apple Tree Class (2-3 yrs)
Mikka was born and raised in San Francisco. She graduated from San Francisco State University Fall of 2017 obtaining her BA in Consumer and Family Sciences with a minor in Labor Studies. Since 2012, Mikka has been assisting in Hula and Tahitian dancing where she has worked with students 3-12 years old. She has also worked in Behavioral Therapy where she spent one-on-one time with children on the spectrum of Autism. She believes every child deserves the best care in hopes of creating positive experiences in their lives.
Teacher Justyne: Lead Teacher of the Peach Tree Class (3-4 yrs)
Justyne, originally from Los Angeles came to San Francisco to attend San Francisco State University. She majored in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences with minors in History and Education. Justyne’s mom is a huge part of Justyne’s inspiration into wanting to work with children since her mom is a Kindergarten teacher. Justyne has been a Teacher Assistant at SFSU’s Early Childhood Education Center, Behavior Technician for children with autism, worked one on one with children during the beginning of COVID, and previously also worked as a camp counselor. She has enjoyed every step of the way learning from and with the children. Justyne’s goal at My Little Learning Tree is to provide the children comfort, knowledge, happiness, and to be their cheerleader every step of the way.
Teacher Rachel: Teacher's Assistant (all ages)
Bio will be coming shortly!