We are All Five

We are a year-round, full-time preschool program. We are committed to building an equitable society, where each family, no matter their background, has access to high-quality early childhood education for their children in a nurturing and respectful learning community. We have an intentional model of socioeconomic diversity. 50% of students come from low-income families and are supported through public funding. 50% of students come from middle-income and high-income families, who make a financial commitment on a sliding scale according to their financial resources.

STATE SUBSIDY
50%
FULL AND PARTIAL PAY
50%

Nuestro enfoque

Our mission is to inspire learning through play for All Five years in a nurturing and respectful learning community. These are our beliefs in action:

1. We provide child-centered early childhood education as we believe that children’s development unfolds naturally when given a nurturing, respectful and interesting environment. We work with an emergent play-based curriculum as we know that young children learn through play and in relationships with others. Our daily work is based on a strength-based approach as we believe that each child is unique, curious, creative and a capable learner.

2. We value teachers, we take care of each other, work collaboratively and we are committed to continuous professional learning as we know that educating young children is complex work that requires self-reflective team, knowledge in child development and teaching practices and healthy teachers.

3. We celebrate diversity and encourage family participation because we appreciate that each family and child bring a unique presence to our community which supports and enriches our learning environment. We also believe that children learn best when school and family work together in a supportive environment.

4. We work together to build a strong community because we believe that nurturing and cohesive communities provide a foundation of knowledge, support, care and inspiration for children and families to flourish.

5. We take care and respect of our environment because we believe that nature provides infinite opportunities for learning and that we have a responsibility with our planet.

Nuestros programas

PRESCHOOL PROGRAM We serve 24 children between 2 years 9 months and their entry into kindergarten. Learning is supported by a team of five teachers. Daily Schedule:

7:30am – 9:00am Gradual entry and arrival. Healthy breakfast available, family style. Indoor and outdoor projects including  block-building, painting, water-exploration, sand work, cooking, and clay manipulation. 9:00am – 10:30am Continuation for projects and activity areas 10:30am – 10:45am Optional healthy snack (usually served outside) 10:45am – 11:45am Continuation of projects for the day (mostly outside) 11:45am – 12:15am Circle times: music and movement, singing, stories and dramatic play, book-reading 12:00am – 12:45pm Family style lunch 12:30pm – 1:00pm Teeth-brushing, bathroom, get ready for nap, quiet reading 1:00pm – 3:00pm Nap or rest and quiet time. This is handled based on individual needs of children. The time is approximate. 3:00pm – 4:30pm Healthy snack served as children are ready, family style, with conversation and books, with further exploration of  indoor and outdoor activities as above 4:30pm – 5:30pm Children and teachers work together for clean-up and preparation for closing   INFANT-TODDLER PROGRAM (Coming soon!)

Nuestro equipo

Teaching Team

Joy Suzuki

Joy Suzuki

Head Teacher

Joy grew up in the Bay Area and went to SF State University. She lived in Japan working as an artisan and teaching ESL for many years. She found fulfillment in working with children there, so she pursued studies and work in Early Childhood Education from 2012 after her return to the US.

Kahdijah Ali

Kahdijah Ali

Teacher

Kathrine Lacson

Kathrine Lacson

Teacher

Kat has been an Early Childhood Educator for more than 6 years. She graduated in 2013 with an A.S. in Early Childhood Development at Cañada College and planning on pursuing a higher education. Her love of diversity came from her family's frequent moves from Singapore to the various states here in the US. She is also an organist and a choir member in her church.

Patricia Lepe

Patricia Lepe

Teacher

Patricia was born and raised in the Bay Area. She has been in the field of Early Childhood Education for 4 years. She found her love of working with children and families through volunteer work while her daughters attended preschool. She now continues pursing her studies in Education. Patricia enjoys hiking, photography, reading and traveling with her daughters.

Kerry Folan

Kerry Folan

Teacher

Kerry finds great fulfillment from teaching preschool children. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and a Master's Degree in Education from Stanford University. She taught for many years at a co-operative preschool before joining the All Five community. She and her family enjoy traveling, being outdoors and spending time with friends.

Stephanie Valencia

Stephanie Valencia

Teacher

Stephanie grew up in the Bay Area. She has been in the of Education and Child Development for the past 9 years. She holds an A.S. in Early Childhood Development from Cañada College. Stephanie loves spending time with her family. On the weekends she enjoys going to the park, to the library and cooking with her daughters.

Supporting Team

Carol Thomsen

Carol Thomsen

Executive Director

Carol is a Stanford-educated, 30-year veteran teacher. She has taught, directed and founded several early education programs including at Stanford’s Bing Nursery School, Stanford Sierra Camp, and at Head Start in East Palo Alto. She is a 2013 Silicon Valley Woman of Influence.

Lynne Dartnall

Lynne Dartnall

Director of Finance

Lynne is originally from New Zealand and came to the US in 2014 with her husband. Lynne brings financial and operational experience from her travels around the world. In the spring of 2016, she met Carol through a mutual friend and started volunteering at All Five. In Fall 2016, she joined our staff and is now responsible for our Finances.

Helen Luis

Helen Luis

Assistant Director

Helen was born and raised in the bay area and feels very fortunate to be able to work with children and families. She has enjoyed spending the past 25 years in both teaching and administrative roles for preschools in the peninsula area. She loves early childhood and holds a Bachelors Degree in Child Development. You can often find Helen walking her dog on the coast, cheering for the Warriors, and patiently waiting for her adult children to come home for visits.

Gloria Pirir

Gloria Pirir

Classroom Manager

Gloria is originally from Guatemala and has lived in the Bay Area for more than a decade. Her daughter graduated from All Five in 2018 and now attends a Spanish immersion school with her older brother. Gloria keeps the classroom and school well maintained and supplied. Gloria loves cooking and gardening and she is now pursuing Child Development classes at Foothill College.

Ivette Molina

Ivette Molina

Custodian

Jorge Molina

Jorge Molina

Custodian

Board Members

  • Mary Dent, Board Chair. Mary is CEO of Green Dot Bank and founder of dcIQ. She is an experienced executive and expert in policy issues. She is a former Vice-President at Silicon Valley Bank and an Advisory Board Member to the Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences. She and her family live in Menlo Park.
  • Roger Hansen, Board Treasurer. Roger is the Director of Tax and Accounting Services at Comprehensive Financial Management. He is a former manager at Price-Waterhouse Coopers. He and his wife and their four children live in Redwood City.
  • Carol Thomsen, Executive Director and Founder. Carol is a Stanford educated, 30-year veteran teacher. She has taught, directed and founded a number of early education programs including at Stanford’s Bing Nursery School and Head Start in East Palo Alto. She is a 2013 Silicon Valley Woman of Influence. She and her husband are raising two boys in Menlo Park.
  • Rachel Hochstetler, Director of Development and Board Secretary. Rachel is a Major Gifts Officer at the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health and cares deeply about ensuring children fulfill their potential. As a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Education and the parent of an All Five alumnus, Rachel combines her passion for early childhood education with her development background to support All Five’s philanthropic goals. She and her husband are raising two young children in Menlo Park.
  • Peggy Pizzo, Board Member. Peggy is a Senior Scholar at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education, carrying out research related to emotional and social intelligence in young children and the adults who are important to them. She is a prolific author and deep advocate for children. She and her husband live on Stanford.
  • Jenna Wachtel, Board Member. Jenna is the Program Director of Early Learning at the New Teacher Center and a Board member at the East Palo Alto Kids Foundation. She is a coach, mentor, presenter, and leader in the early learning community locally and nationally. She is also a recipient of the Young Leader award from the Skoll World Foundation. She and her husband live in Redwood City.
  • Andrea Gueneau de Mussy, Board Member. Andrea is an educational psychologist and a preschool educator. She worked at All Five as a teacher and Assistant Director until September 2019. She is currently leading a research project about teaching practices in Latin American preschools.

Advisory Board

  • Stephanie Agnew, Parent Education Coordinator, Parent’s Place
  • Gloria Marshall, Director, Creative Montessori Learning Center.
  • Diana McCool, Community Volunteer.
  • Peckie Peters, Head Teacher, Bing Nursery School.
  • Deborah Stipek, Faculty, Stanford University School of Education.

Nuestros compañeros

At All Five, we believe that strong communities provide a foundation of knowledge, support, care and inspiration for children and families to flourish. We are grateful to all these organizations and initiatives who are part of our community:

Our school is located at 1391 Chilco Street, Menlo Park, CA 94025

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