Pride And Joy Preschool--Staff

History -- Home -- Preschool Environment

Moilan Manning
Executive Director
Please see our History page for more information.

Our Staff

Administrative Manager
Mark is originally from New York. He relocated to the Bay Area with his family during his last year of high school. As he settled in California, he became passionate about various outdoor hobbies. He loves rock climbing, camping, cycling, biking, swimming and his European cars. Mark has been a friend of Pride and Joy Preschool since he moved to California. He graduated from San Francisco State with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Special Education. He is a trained behavioral analyst with an emphasis on using only positive techniques in working with his clients. Mark takes part in many wonderful programs that provide opportunities for both young and adult students with plenty of outdoor fun activities. Apart from being knowledgeable in the field of Special Ed, he is also an excellent manager. Mark has been involved in Pride and Joy Preschool since the beginning of our program at the Liberty Street location. He helped a great deal in designing and implementing our outdoor activity areas, including building our play structures. Now he plays a major role at Pride and Joy Preschool as our administrative manager.

Program Director
For over 20 years Aurora worked at Head Start as a Child Development Administrator. She has lead a variety of preschool programs and has strong management and leadership abilities. Because of her broad exposure to many cultures she has developed a great sense of understanding toward people from different social and economic backgrounds. Aurora is a trainer for Early Childhood programs as well as other professionals in this field. For years Aurora has been a highly regarded mentor teacher and director. She earned distinction for guiding a program of 10 classrooms serving infants/toddlers to kindergarten entry children to a successful accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). She holds a Program Director and Lifetime Child Instructional Permit from the State of California and is an active member of the California Child Development Administrators Association (CCDAA) as well as the NAEYC.
Aurora is highly energetic, vibrant, people person and is committed to high education and care standards for children and families. Without a doubt, Aurora is a great asset/contributor to our program at Pride and Joy Preschool.

Site Supervisor
Joan has many years of Early Childhood experience, including being a Director of a childcare center, a Professional Growth Advisor for First 5 of Contra Costa County as well as being a mentor teacher in the field of Early Childhood Education. Joan takes pride in having joined the Pride and Joy Preschool team.
Joan's passion for the Early Childhood field began when she was a foster parent to children who were displaced due to domestic violence.
She enjoys many outdoor activities such as golfing, walking, bike riding and horse back riding. Apart from outdoor fun, she is very family oriented. She enjoys spending time with and caring for her 90 year old mother.

Erika, our preschool teacher, developed a great passion for children while working as a part-time childcare sitter during her younger years. After high school, Erika worked in a corporation and held a managerial position for many years. As time went on, Erika felt strongly that she was destined to pursue a career working with young children.
In order to follow her hearts desire of being an early childhood educator, Erika joined Pride and Joy Preschool’s team. Erika is committed to working with young children and she aims to be the best in the field that she can be. Her future goal is to be a master teacher in the field of early childhood education as well as to be a mentor teacher. She is currently enrolled in classes to bring her closer to her objectives. Erika's positive energy, delightful personality and her cheerful demeanor are a great addition to our preschool. Erika's passions include, watching movies, going to the beach, and reading good books.

Kathryn began her teaching career at age 16, assisting her mother in their family-owned preschool. After graduating from the university with a B.A. Political Science degree, she continued to pursue her interest in early childhood education. She started taking masters classes while being trained in the Amsterdam-based Montessori. The classes and the training were deferred with her family's migration briefly to Brunei, and then, to the United States.
In 2004, she earned her Early Childhood Teaching Credential in California and has supervised aspiring teachers in her own classroom. Before joining Pride and Joy Preschool, she was head teacher for a Marin County private preschool. Outside of the classroom, Kathryn enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, going to the beach, swimming, camping, biking, bowling, flying kites, frolicking in the snow, or simply rocking it out with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and singing karaoke.

Marisa is our preschool co-teacher. She was born and raised in Oxnard, California and moved to the Bay Area 8 years ago. She is very passionate about working with children. She is a patient and generous person who has never been afraid to take on a challenge, which is a great asset for Pride and Joy preschool.
Marisa is currently finishing her BA in Early Child Development at Cal State East Bay. It gives her great joy to watch children learn and grow. It has given her a sense of fulfillment to guide them and help them build their confidence. Most importantly, she believes that children should just have fun being kids.
At her leisure, Marisa volunteers at the Berkeley Youth Alternatives Center doing gardening. She feels that volunteering has been an exciting experience and she has learned more about plants and giving back to the earth. Some of her passions are spending time with family, painting, traveling, gardening, camping and baking.

Anna was a former employee of Pride and Joy for many years. After a long break to raise her five amazing children, she decided to continue her career in the field of Early Childhood Education. Anna has always been passionate about children and feels that she can contribute a great deal towards making a difference in children’s lives. In her leisure time, Anna enjoys spending time with her family and she is crazy about cooking - her expertise is Mexican cuisine. Apart from being a terrific housewife, she enjoys taking her family to the beach as well as outdoor camping.

Ming Feng came on board Pride and Joy as an assistant teacher in our Infant/Toddler department. Ming speaks Cantonese and Mandarin. She is a wonderful addition to this group because she is passionate about children and she has such a positive and cheerful personality. Teachers and other staff \members frequently compliment the love and patience she shows towards children. Her contributions to Pride and Joy are much appreciated and we are very fortunate to have her as part of our team. She is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters who are currently attending College.

Shirley came to the United States from Hong Kong. She speaks fluent Cantonese and Mandarin. Shirley is a very proud mother of a beautiful teenage girl. Before joining Pride and Joy Preschool, Shirley worked with newborns through three years old at an Infant/Toddler program affiliated with UCB. In order to follow her passion and her career path, Shirley continues to attend Early Childhood Education classes to learn more about what it takes to be the best in the field.
Shirley's love for young children is evident in her everyday expression and interaction with them. She strives to be an excellent provider for young infants/toddlers and her goal is to make each day’s transition for our children as smooth sailing as possible.

Griselda was born in Mexico and she speaks both English and Spanish fluently. She migrated to the United States 6 years ago and has lived here in the Bay Area with her husband and her children ever since. She is a proud mother of three adorable children and she keeps them happy and healthy by being a very involved mom.
Griselda’s major goal and passion in life is working with children. She is currently pursuing a degree in the field of Early Childhood Education while receiving training in the Pre-K Academy with First 5 Contra Costa Professional Development Program.
Prior to joining Pride and Joy Preschool, Griselda had worked with children with special needs (APAC program) for 15 years. Griselda believes that each child is different and unique and she enjoys every moment with them. At her leisure, she volunteers with the Richmond United Soccer Club in order to be involved with her kids, making Soccer one of her many hobbies. SI SE PUEDE!

Maggie's bio is coming soon.

	Administrative Manager Mark is originally from New York. He relocated to the Bay Area with his family during his last year of high school. As he settled in California, he became passionate about various outdoor hobbies. He loves rock climbing, camping, cycling, biking, swimming and his European cars. Mark has been a friend of Pride and Joy Preschool since he moved to California. He graduated from San Francisco State with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Special Education. He is a trained behavioral analyst with an emphasis on using only positive techniques in working with his clients. Mark takes part in many wonderful programs that provide opportunities for both young and adult students with plenty of outdoor fun activities. Apart from being knowledgeable in the field of Special Ed, he is also an excellent manager. Mark has been involved in Pride and Joy Preschool since the beginning of our program at the Liberty Street location. He helped a great deal in designing and implementing our outdoor activity areas, including building our play structures. Now he plays a major role at Pride and Joy Preschool as our administrative manager.
	Program Director For over 20 years Aurora worked at Head Start as a Child Development Administrator. She has lead a variety of preschool programs and has strong management and leadership abilities. Because of her broad exposure to many cultures she has developed a great sense of understanding toward people from different social and economic backgrounds. Aurora is a trainer for Early Childhood programs as well as other professionals in this field. For years Aurora has been a highly regarded mentor teacher and director. She earned distinction for guiding a program of 10 classrooms serving infants/toddlers to kindergarten entry children to a successful accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). She holds a Program Director and Lifetime Child Instructional Permit from the State of California and is an active member of the California Child Development Administrators Association (CCDAA) as well as the NAEYC. Aurora is highly energetic, vibrant, people person and is committed to high education and care standards for children and families. Without a doubt, Aurora is a great asset/contributor to our program at Pride and Joy Preschool.
	Site Supervisor Joan has many years of Early Childhood experience, including being a Director of a childcare center, a Professional Growth Advisor for First 5 of Contra Costa County as well as being a mentor teacher in the field of Early Childhood Education. Joan takes pride in having joined the Pride and Joy Preschool team. Joan's passion for the Early Childhood field began when she was a foster parent to children who were displaced due to domestic violence. She enjoys many outdoor activities such as golfing, walking, bike riding and horse back riding. Apart from outdoor fun, she is very family oriented. She enjoys spending time with and caring for her 90 year old mother.
	Erika, our preschool teacher, developed a great passion for children while working as a part-time childcare sitter during her younger years. After high school, Erika worked in a corporation and held a managerial position for many years. As time went on, Erika felt strongly that she was destined to pursue a career working with young children. In order to follow her hearts desire of being an early childhood educator, Erika joined Pride and Joy Preschool’s team. Erika is committed to working with young children and she aims to be the best in the field that she can be. Her future goal is to be a master teacher in the field of early childhood education as well as to be a mentor teacher. She is currently enrolled in classes to bring her closer to her objectives. Erika's positive energy, delightful personality and her cheerful demeanor are a great addition to our preschool. Erika's passions include, watching movies, going to the beach, and reading good books.
	Kathryn began her teaching career at age 16, assisting her mother in their family-owned preschool. After graduating from the university with a B.A. Political Science degree, she continued to pursue her interest in early childhood education. She started taking masters classes while being trained in the Amsterdam-based Montessori. The classes and the training were deferred with her family's migration briefly to Brunei, and then, to the United States. In 2004, she earned her Early Childhood Teaching Credential in California and has supervised aspiring teachers in her own classroom. Before joining Pride and Joy Preschool, she was head teacher for a Marin County private preschool. Outside of the classroom, Kathryn enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, going to the beach, swimming, camping, biking, bowling, flying kites, frolicking in the snow, or simply rocking it out with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and singing karaoke.
	Marisa is our preschool co-teacher. She was born and raised in Oxnard, California and moved to the Bay Area 8 years ago. She is very passionate about working with children. She is a patient and generous person who has never been afraid to take on a challenge, which is a great asset for Pride and Joy preschool. Marisa is currently finishing her BA in Early Child Development at Cal State East Bay. It gives her great joy to watch children learn and grow. It has given her a sense of fulfillment to guide them and help them build their confidence. Most importantly, she believes that children should just have fun being kids. At her leisure, Marisa volunteers at the Berkeley Youth Alternatives Center doing gardening. She feels that volunteering has been an exciting experience and she has learned more about plants and giving back to the earth. Some of her passions are spending time with family, painting, traveling, gardening, camping and baking.
	Anna was a former employee of Pride and Joy for many years. After a long break to raise her five amazing children, she decided to continue her career in the field of Early Childhood Education. Anna has always been passionate about children and feels that she can contribute a great deal towards making a difference in children’s lives. In her leisure time, Anna enjoys spending time with her family and she is crazy about cooking - her expertise is Mexican cuisine. Apart from being a terrific housewife, she enjoys taking her family to the beach as well as outdoor camping.
	Ming Feng came on board Pride and Joy as an assistant teacher in our Infant/Toddler department. Ming speaks Cantonese and Mandarin. She is a wonderful addition to this group because she is passionate about children and she has such a positive and cheerful personality. Teachers and other staff \members frequently compliment the love and patience she shows towards children. Her contributions to Pride and Joy are much appreciated and we are very fortunate to have her as part of our team. She is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters who are currently attending College.
	Shirley came to the United States from Hong Kong. She speaks fluent Cantonese and Mandarin. Shirley is a very proud mother of a beautiful teenage girl. Before joining Pride and Joy Preschool, Shirley worked with newborns through three years old at an Infant/Toddler program affiliated with UCB. In order to follow her passion and her career path, Shirley continues to attend Early Childhood Education classes to learn more about what it takes to be the best in the field. Shirley's love for young children is evident in her everyday expression and interaction with them. She strives to be an excellent provider for young infants/toddlers and her goal is to make each day’s transition for our children as smooth sailing as possible.
	Griselda was born in Mexico and she speaks both English and Spanish fluently. She migrated to the United States 6 years ago and has lived here in the Bay Area with her husband and her children ever since. She is a proud mother of three adorable children and she keeps them happy and healthy by being a very involved mom. Griselda’s major goal and passion in life is working with children. She is currently pursuing a degree in the field of Early Childhood Education while receiving training in the Pre-K Academy with First 5 Contra Costa Professional Development Program. Prior to joining Pride and Joy Preschool, Griselda had worked with children with special needs (APAC program) for 15 years. Griselda believes that each child is different and unique and she enjoys every moment with them. At her leisure, she volunteers with the Richmond United Soccer Club in order to be involved with her kids, making Soccer one of her many hobbies. SI SE PUEDE!
	Maggie's bio is coming soon.