Holy Shepherd Community Preschool uses a team-teaching approach to the classroom  

Claire Peterson, Executive Director 

Ms. Claire joined Holy Shepherd Community Preschool in the Spring of 2023 after serving as the director at St. Mark’s Nursery School for 9 years. She has a BA in Communications and 30+ units of early childhood education course work. Ms. Claire has an extensive background in both business and in early childhood education—skill sets she uses each and every day as a preschool director! A longtime Orinda resident, she has also held a variety of volunteer positions in the community, from organizing the Wagner Ranch Round Up to serving as the Orinda Park Pool swim team director for multiple years. When Ms. Claire is not at work she is hopefully enjoying spending time with her family. Ms. Claire loves the outdoors—hiking, spending time at the beach, camping or just walking to town!

Ms. Amy

Ms. Amy moved to the Bay Area in 2022 and took the position of Director and Lead Teacher at what was then called Holy Shepherd Christian Preschool.  She is now Director-in-Training of the enlarged program here at Holy Shepherd Community Preschool.  She has a BA in Liberal Studies and a Masters of Teaching, and has been working in Education for over 15 years.  Ms. Amy decided on this career path from a very early age.  In high school she worked as a Sunday School teacher and always knew she wanted a career working with children. She has experience with infants and students all the way through the upper elementary grades. Outside of work, you will find Ms. Amy spending time with her husband and two young boys. They have been enjoying getting to know the Bay Area. They love to be out of doors, playing sports, hiking, camping, and going to the beach!

Ms. Amanda

Ms. Amanda is our Program Lead for the 4’s class and has worked in Early Childhood Education for over 15 years. Prior to joining us at Holy Shepherd, she taught and served as Ms. Claire’s Assistant Director at St. Mark’s Nursery School.  Ms. Amanda was born and raised in California and lives in Concord with her husband and three children. She discovered her love of teaching while volunteering in her son's preschool class at Diablo Valley College, where she then went on to study Early Childhood Education. Ms. Amanda’s dedication to ECE is rooted in helping children develop the tools they need to be successful in their relationships with peers and in developing a life-long love of learning. She is passionate about making the world a kinder place and believes that teaching young children kindness and caring for their community is the first step. Ms. Amanda will co-teach the Hawk class for the 2024-2025 school year. 

Ms. Corinne

Ms. Corinne is the Lead Teacher in our 2’s classroom and has been a dedicated early childhood teacher for the past five years. Before joining the team at Holy Shepherd, she spent two years as the 2’s Program Lead at St. Mark’s. Corinne began as a classroom aide shortly after graduating from the University of Oregon and quickly fell in love with the field of Early Childhood Education. She especially enjoys watching her students learn to communicate over the course of the school year. Outside of her professional life, Ms. Corinne enjoys reading, line dancing, and practicing yoga. 

Ms. Aidan

Ms. Aidan is a teacher in the 2’s room. She has worked in the Early Childhood Education field since 2015. She has a BS in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Nevada, Reno. She moved to Orinda in 2019 from her hometown of Reno and loves the community here! Ms. Aidan enjoys spending her time outdoors with a wide variety of activities including soccer, wakeboarding, skiing, and climbing. 

Ms. Tania

Ms. Tania is a teacher in our 4’s classroom. She has worked in early childhood education for more than three years and joined HSCP in the fall of 2023. Ms. Tania made the decision to start working at preschool during Covid and has since earned 12+ units in Early Childhood Education. Tania grew up in Orinda and attended college in Switzerland. She earned a BA in International Banking and Finance with a minor in Italian, and worked in event planning and marketing until she made the decision to stay at home with her family. Ms. Tania lives in Orinda with her husband and two boys and is an active volunteer in the community. She currently serves on the board at Miramonte High School and Boys Team Charity. When not at work or volunteering, you can find Ms. Tania in a yoga studio, walking outdoors, at the library, or on her next family travel adventure.

Ms. Kristin

Ms. Kristin joined HSCP in August of 2023. Before coming to HSCP, she taught at Duck’s Nest Preschool in Oakland for 9 years. She has 15+ units in early childhood education and has been in the childhood education field working as a teacher and also as a nanny for over 20 years. Ms. Kristin grew up in Pinole, California and still lives in the East Bay near her family. When she’s not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, Gloria and Violet. Ms. Kristin loves taking her two dogs on daily walks along the bay trail, going to the beach, and reading. 

Ms. Vicky

Ms. Vicky is a 2's teacher at Holy Shepherd Community Preschool. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Public Health in Taiwan and moved to the United States in 2012. Ms. Vicky now lives in Orinda and has three kids. She loves watching her kids and other children make learning breakthroughs or have that "aha moment!"  Observing the way children learn to play, share toys, and take turns with their peers -- and how that develops into friendships over a school year -- is the best feeling in the world. These precious moments are why Ms. Vicky decided to teach. She joined HSCP in the Spring of 2023 after being an aide and intern at St. Mark's Nursery School for two years, and has completed 18 units of early childhood education coursework. When Ms. Vicky is not working, you can find her in the kitchen baking up goodies and spending time with family, watching movies and playing board games. You will also find Ms. Vicky outdoors enjoying a leisurely walk.

Ms. Martha

Ms. Martha is a co-teacher at Holy Shepard Community Preschool and has sixteen years’ experience working in ECE.  She started out as a volunteer at her children's preschool and liked it so much, she worked to get a permanent position and has enjoyed teaching ever since!  Prior to coming to Holy Shepherd in 2024, Ms. Martha was the pre-K Teacher at Giggles Preschool for 16 years. She holds an Associate's degree in early childhood development from Merritt College. Ms. Martha is pretty good at making creative and fun arts and crafts ideas. She also is a fluent Spanish speaker and loves to share and teach her language to her students. Ms. Martha was born and raised in Jalisco, Mexico, and moved to the United States twenty-three years ago. She spends her free time with her family and enjoys doing some gardening at home. 

Ms. Lesli

Ms. Lesli is an Assistant Teacher in the 3’s classroom. She started her career in Early Childhood Education in the Fall of 2022 prior to the expansion of the HSCP program, and is currently taking ECE classes at Los Medanos College.  Ms. Lesli has enjoyed her career path, which also includes working retail as store manager at various outlets. As a Bay Area native, Ms. Lesli loves the outdoors. When she isn’t working, she likes going on walks and hikes, finding new places to eat, playing at the park, and spending time with family -- especially her 1-year-old toddler and 3-year-old Doberman.

Ms. Martine

Ms. Martine is our longtime Substitute Teacher, and a native of France.  She moved to California in 1992 after marrying an Oakland resident she met in Ecuador, where she helped establish “Operation Handicap International” in association with Doctors Without Borders and studied Spanish while working at the French Alliance as Press Liaison.  Since moving to CA, Ms. Martine has worked for a French travel agency, the French Consulate in SF, and Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley.  Her teaching career began when the owner of her children’s preschool observed her volunteer interactions with students and asked her to officially teach them French.  Over the years, she has also taught French at Duck’s Nest and Spanish at The School of Art & Sciences.  Ms. Martine has 13 units in Early Childhood Education

Ms. Jeanne

Ms. Jeanne is the Program Aide in the 2’s Room. She joined HSCP in the summer of 2023 after working at St. Mark’s Nursery School for two years, and she is currently working on her units to become a fully-qualified teacher in Early Childhood Education.  Prior to starting her career in ECE, Ms. Jeanne lived in Korea for three years teaching English to elementary school students. When not at work, Ms. Jeanne is spending her time finding new restaurants and trying new foods!

Ms. Cindy

Ms. Cindy is the Lead Teacher for the 3-year-olds at Holy Shepherd. She was inspired to pursue teaching by her own childhood experiences, and has worked with children for almost twenty years as a preschool teacher and in various other roles including administration and running summer camps and after-school emergent classes. Born in San Francisco to parents from El Salvador, Ms. Cindy is fluent in both Spanish and English. Cindy is a mother of two children and has four cats. In her free time, she enjoys being in nature, going on mini-getaways with friends and family, and is an avid bowler who recently joined a bowling league! Cindy is also a massage therapist. Her dual roles as a preschool teacher and massage therapist allow her to make a positive impact on the well-being of both children and adults, fostering growth, learning, and relaxation for everyone.