ms. kendra // director

Favorite Colors: Turquoise, Blue, and Green

Hobbies: Spending time with my family, my significant other Sam and my six year old son Jayce. I like going to the beach, cooking, thrift shopping, desert adventures, Baja adventures, spending time with friends, dining out, and visiting my parents who live in Cambria on the Central Coast of California.

Favorite Childhood Memory: Growing up on San Simeon Beach with my chocolate lab named Missy was a memory that I will cherish for my lifetime. My mom and dad would pack a picnic, boogie boards, and shovel. We would play in the ocean waves until I could no longer move. Missy would dig holes around her chosen stick that were large enough to hide in. We have had an amazing life on the Central Coast.

My Vision of the Child: I view the child as capable, curious, creative, powerful, and tenaciously excited about experimenting with and investigating the world around them. I strive in my interactions with children to provide provocations that insight thinking, speaking, and questioning. It is through play that children interact to gain knowledge about the world they naturally desire to know more about. I look forward to listening to children to see where their interests may lead and building exploration opportunities around these interests. This profession offers so much learning for both the child and the teacher. It is a wonderful environment for all.

Bio: I am an excited educator and life long learner. I am passionate about the Reggio Emilia philosophy and have based my professional career around its inspirations. I first recognized my desire to work with young children after completing my Bachelors degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where I chose to teach at an outdoor school. I furthered my education by completing Early Childhood Education courses at Cuesta College where I met my Reggio mentor who encouraged me to follow my dreams in creating, opening, and operating, Coastal Sprouts preschool in Cambria, California. After many successful years with Coastal Sprouts, I desired to move to a larger city under the caveat of wanting to attain a Master’s Degree in Education and Curriculum Development. I completed my research at a Reggio inspired school in Solana Beach and earned my Masters Degree from the University of California San Diego. After fifteen years of experience in schools and classrooms, I took a leave from my professional development to spend time home to raise my son. My son Jayce is six years old and is enjoying his Kindergarten year at Hearst Elementary. I am very happy to be a part of the Little Sprouts team and I look forward to growing with our children, families, and staff.