Claire Koukoutsakis  has been teaching at MVPNS since 1990 and became Director in 2007. She is also a Child Development Instructor at Foothill College. She developed Foothill's Mentor Teacher program and coordinates their Child Development Training Consortium. Claire has a B.A. in Child Development from Chico State University and an M.A. in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College (thesis pending). Her warmth and professionalism towards children and parents provide a comforting beginning to the parent participation�experience.
Marie Faust Evitt  has been teaching at MVPNS since 2001. She wrote a book of fun and educational activities for teachers and parents to do with children based on the MVPNS curriculum. Thinking BIG, Learning BIG: Connecting Science, Math, Literacy and Language in Early Childhood was published by Gryphon House in 2009. Prior to teaching she worked as a freelance journalist, writing articles on child development, parenting and education for national magazines such as Parents, Child, Parenting, and Family Fun. Marie has a B.A. in English from the University of Rochester, an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri and Early Childhood Education units from Foothill College. She enjoys sharing with her classes her love of reading and writing, as well as her curiosity about science.
Rachel Martensson  joined the MVPNS teaching team as a teacher in August 2009. She received her A.A. in Child Development from Foothill College. She has operated her own family child care center, been a nanny, and worked as an assistant teacher at a child care center. Prior to her career focus on preschool education, she was an English teacher at the community college level. She has a B.A. in English and an M.Ed. in English Education from the University of Florida.
Through Rachel’s natural sense of wonder and love for learning she emphasizes the importance of children becoming active participants in their own learning through exploration, questioning, and investigation.
Timothy Dobbins  began working as an assistant teacher at MVPNS in 1989. He has a B.A. in English from Fordham University, and also graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has Early Childhood Education units from Foothill College, and was awarded the Mountain View-Los Altos Adult Education Excellence in Support Services Award in 2001. Tim is known for his hands-on approach to learning, encouraging children to build trains out of cardboard boxes, nurture pumpkins and tomatoes in the school garden, and hammer creations out of wood scraps.
Wilma Chu  joined MVPNS in 2007 as an assistant teacher. She has a B.S. from Loma Linda University and has her Early Childhood units from Foothill College. Wilma's passion for early childhood education developed while she was a parent at MVPNS with her two daughters. Wilma enjoys sharing the wonder of nature with children.
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