About Sylvia

Growing up on the East Coast, I would occasionally visit my grandparents and uncle in California. Nowadays, I am blessed to be living in Corte Madera — in the same house where my father grew up! I remember as a girl, visiting and having my grandfather (my nono) share with me his magical garden -- where he pulled a carrot from the dirt, washed it, and gave it to me to eat. This sweet carrot was unlike any vegetable I had eaten before!

Since those days of my childhood, my life has taken a circuitous path. After majoring in Chinese language, I worked for an import-export company in New York. Then, I studied filmmaking and worked in video production. Following that, I moved to Hawaii to study environmental planning and Asian studies.   

After working in many fields, I came to teaching when my first child was born. I was reunited with my grandfather’s magical garden when my husband and I moved to Corte Madera to raise our family in the very same house. It was while caring for my newborn son at home that I reconnected with many of my favorite childhood activities and experiences – my love of song and music, fairy tales, exploring nature, crafting, cooking, and working in the garden.

When I first visited a Waldorf-inspired preschool for my son, I knew that it was the right place for him and for me. I completed a three-year Waldorf teacher training at the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training in 2007. I also completed the Lifeways North America Early Childhood training in 2017 and attended early childhood classes at the College of Marin. Over this period of 15 years, I have worked at both Marin Waldorf School (in the preschool) and at the Mountain School (in Corte Madera) as both assistant and lead. All this time, I have envisioned a program at my home – one that meets the needs of today’s young children with a nurturing setting with room to explore and grow.

Now that my own children are flying with their own strong wings, I would like to turn my attention toward the children in my local community and create a preschool for them. I would like to share the magic of planting a carrot seed, caring for it, and picking a fresh sweet carrot right out of the dirt and eating it!