“When what we introduce into the children’s world of ideas and feelings is in line with the direction of the developmental forces of a given stage of life, we strengthen the entire developing person in a way that remains a source of strength throughout that person’s life.”

—Rudolf Steiner

Our Early Childhood program is an extension of the family experience, providing an intermediary step between home and formal schooling for your child.  The goal is to provide a warm, calm, secure, and aesthetic environment in which the imagination and creativity of the child will flourish.

Preschool

Our Parent Participation Preschool provides a unique opportunity to share in your child’s experience and develop a more knowledgeable approach…

…to your child’s education. Through interaction with experienced teachers as well as other resources, parents receive instruction and guidance to increase their knowledge and skills related to the children and the flow of the classroom. Thus, parents grow in their own abilities to be educators both at home and at school, and the community experience provides a healthy social example for your child. 

Who can participate in the classroom? A parent, legal guardian, stepparent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or adult sibling. Having consistency helps the children feel comfort and gain age-appropriate thriving.

Kindergarten

The quality of Waldorf schools’ physical environment in early childhood is integral to its goals for the children. The feeling of warmth and…

…security is largely created by using natural materials like wood, cotton, and wool in the construction of the decor and toys. In this living-room-like environment are placed toys, which the children can use in open-play to imitate and transform the activities that belong to everyday adult life. There may be a wooden scale and baskets for children to pretend they are grocery shopping; a pile of timber stands ready to be constructed into a playhouse, a boat, or a train; a rocking horse invites a child to become a rider; homemade dolls lie in wooden cradles for children to create a pretend family and play house. The effect of this beautiful arrangement of decorations and toys is the feeling of stepping out of the business and clutter of modern life into a sanctuary where the children may breathe easily, relax, and play according to the impulses of their hearts. The children become more respectful of one another, move with greater self-assurance and grace, and are much more open in their creative self-expression. This kind of growth, this kind of unfolding of the imagination and creativity through free play, art, drama, music, oral recitation and dance are essential to our time.

Structured group activities consist of singing, reciting poems, and doing body movements. These activities are an engaging and fun way to lay a foundation for academics by developing memory and concentration. A love of reading begins with wondrous and adventurous storytelling by the teacher with story puppets. Arts and crafts consist of watercolor painting with the three primary colors to impart a true appreciation of the nature of color. Sculpting with beeswax, drawing with beeswax crayons and helping with baking prepare for nimble fingers that are ready for writing. Participating in cleaning, organizing, cooking, and gardening imparts critical skills for the real world. The 3 R’s in Waldorf education are reverence, repetition and rhythm.

Early Childhood Faculty:

Mele McCabe
Poppy Preschool Lead Teacher

Mele McCabe earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development and Family Studies from Cal State University of Long Beach.

Prior to that, she taught high school English in Tonga for six years and taught Tongan language to Peace Corps volunteers for three years. After three years working as assistant preschool teacher at Maple Village, she is now in her fifth year as the lead teacher of the Poppy Preschool class. She has three children and enjoys watching them grow. Her hobbies are reading, landscaping her home, having tea with her friends and neighbors, listening to music, and walking.

Kathy Striegl 
Poppy Preschool Assistant Teacher

Bio coming soon.

Gehisa Avila
Primrose Preschool Lead Teacher

Gehisa Avila read about Waldorf Education prior to becoming a mother, so when her firstborn was ready to start Parent/Toddler class, she was…

…ecstatic to have found Maple Village. As her son went on to preschool and kindergarten, Gehisa began volunteering in his classes and attended workshops and talks to better learn about Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy. 

She has worked as a substitute teacher in Early Childhood department and as Lead in the Early Childhood Aftercare Program.  Her calling grew stronger to work closer with the children, and she became an assistant; one year in the Lavender Preschool and for two years in the Sunflower Kindergarten under the mentorship of our dear Ms Charlotte.

She loves to bring her own experiences as a mom to the children with whom she shares her days.  She likes being silly and singing with them while holding a safe, loving space where they can grow and learn.  Community is very important to her, and she feels lucky to have been a part of Maple Village for the last 13 years and hopefully for many more years to come! 

She enjoys spending time with her two sons, her family, and the many friends she’s made along the way at our wonderful Village!

 

Karyna Garcia
Primrose Preschool Assistant Teacher

Karyna Garcia joined Maple Village in 2020 as a parent in the parent-child class with Miss Francesca and continued to volunteer and…

…support Miss Mele, Miss Victoria, Miss Nicole, and Miss Angie and slowly transitioned into subbing for the PreK’s and both Kindergarten classes.

Karyna was raised in Quito, Ecuador, and attended a small Catholic school from kindergarten until she graduated High School. She deeply understands the importance of community and still is in contact with her classmates and communicates with them daily.

She continued her higher education at the prestigious San Francisco de Quito University, in Quito Ecuador with a major in Marketing. She furthered her studies in Marketing and telecommunication at the Institute of Productivity and Marketing. Her education opened opportunities for her to work for major banks and telecommunication companies in Ecuador.

After many years of working for different companies, she decided to open a retail business that allowed her to travel to different parts of the world. She maintained her business for over a decade until she decided to stay in California full-time and start a family.

Since her arrival in the US, besides studying English at Glendale College and Cerritos College, Karyna has been a major player along with her spouse in starting and supporting the Professional Corporation Becerra Family Therapy, APC. Her marketing abilities placed the company in good standing with major insurance companies, and elevated visibility in the Mental Health Industry.

Karyna also continued her passion for management working part-time for RTI Properties and Beach Front Properties. Although business marketing has been her career, she found true love in caring for her daughter primarily.

Waldorf education’s pedagogy and sense of community inspired Karyna to be more involved in her daughter’s schooling and has gained experience with early childhood.

Her amazing mentors at Maple Village have helped her to develop a rhythm that is aligned with her spirit. She is thankful for the opportunity to continue learning from Miss Mele.

Aurora Dismukes 
Cherry Blossom Co-Lead Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Aurora Dismukes is honored to serve as the Lead Teacher for the Sunflower Kindergarten class. A lifelong admirer of Waldorf education, Aurora…

 … brings warmth, dedication, and deep reverence for childhood into her classroom. Her journey in education has included a wide range of teaching environments, all of which have enriched her understanding of how children learn and grow.

Aurora’s connection to Waldorf education runs deep—she attended a Waldorf kindergarten herself, an experience that left a lasting impression and inspired her path as an educator. She remains close with her own kindergarten teacher, a relationship that continues to guide her in her work with young children.

After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Gender and Women’s Studies from UC Berkeley, Aurora moved to Long Beach, where she soon found her home at Maple Village Waldorf School. She began her time at the school as Miss Kathy’s assistant in the Larkspur class and spent three years supporting the early childhood program, gaining invaluable experience and mentorship.

In addition to her classroom experience, Aurora is beginning her formal Waldorf teacher training through the Waldorf Institute of Southern California. This complements her Master’s-level coursework in Elementary Education and her years of independent study and practice in the Waldorf tradition.

Aurora brings a strong sense of joy, wonder, and care to her teaching. She is committed to creating a nurturing environment where children feel safe, loved, and free to explore the world around them. She looks forward to working in partnership with families to support the healthy development of each child.

Lauryn Taj
Cherry Blossom Co-Lead Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Lauryn Taj is delighted at the opportunity to be in service to the Maple Village Waldorf School community as a 3-Day Preschool Lead Teacher…

…Her Waldorf journey began at the recommendation of her mother when her eldest son was 15 months old. Beginning in the parent & child class with Ms. Francesca, the sense of simplicity, slowness, and reverence was palpable. Something inside of her soul lit up. It was a destiny moment; an awakening to her path forward as a Waldorf educator. 

Lauryn holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Biology, and continues her educational journey through the Waldorf Institute of Southern California teacher certification program. She comes to Maple Village with more than 20 years of experience working with children in many capacities. As a dedicated teacher, nanny, volunteer, tutor, and mentor, she continues to nurture environments that encourage intellectual, emotional, and physical growth in children. 

Lauryn co-created a Waldorf-inspired homeschool pod serving eight families and 18 children ranging from birth to eight years old. She has traveled through Latin America providing resources and participating in trainings for caregivers and educators of children with special needs. She met her life-partner volunteering with an organization that brings adaptive sports to people living with various disabilities, and she has dedicated much of her adult life to supporting children’s cancer research through extensive fundraising efforts. 

When not in the classroom, you can find Lauryn tending to her garden, caring for her chicken, practicing the art of jiu jitsu, hiking, camping, traveling, working out, gathering at drum circles and cultural events, and spending time with her beloved family and friends.

It is her deepest honor to continue to learn alongside the children at Maple Village Waldorf School on her ever-evolving path to purposeful growth. 

 

Germania (G) Egas
Cherry Blossom Kindergarten Assistant Teacher & EC Aftercare

Germania (G )Egas was born, raised, and educated in Ecuador.  She has always loved children and went to college to study…

… child development. She is passionate about nature and everything about this beautiful planet we call earth. She treasures the ocean; that’s why she moved to this beautiful city, Long Beach. She loves people, has visited many countries and enjoys traveling and meeting different people. While her first language is Spanish, she also speaks English and Portuguese. G loves animals, is a vegetarian, enjoys sports and exercise, and says her family and friends (the family she chooses to have by her side) are the biggest gifts she has. She is a happy and positive person, inspired by her mother. She is looking forward to learning more about this beautiful Waldorf School, working with new colleagues, and meeting the families. 

Phoebe Bessler
Gardening, Class Support/Floater & Preschool Aftercare 

Phoebe Brown has worked in education and childcare for over a decade, spending years nannying before becoming an instructional aide for special needs students…

…Upon having her own daughter and finding a position as an aide to a student here at Maple Village, she was captivated by Waldorf education and determined to join the community. Seeing how impactful the Waldorf routine was on her student and her daughter has only spurred her curiosity and led her to study children’s literacy and literature alongside Waldorf philosophy. She is excited and honored to be assisting in the early childhood program and continue connecting with the community.

Phoebe enjoys reading, spending time in her garden, embroidery, and making candles.