Meet the Playschool Atherton Staff!

Ms. Susan started Playschool Atherton in 1998 and has owned and operated it for 27 years. She opened a second site, Playschool Redwood City, in 2001 and operated it for 17 years before closing it in 2018. Playschool is proud to count thousands of local children as alumni. Susan has a degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, where she played on the tennis team. She and her husband Brad have four grown children and two grandchildren. In her spare time she likes to hike, bike, golf, needlepoint, and attend book clubs.

Ms. Diana is excited to return for her 17th year at Playschool! She has filled many roles over the years, and took over as our site director almost 2 years ago. This year, in addition to her administrative responsibilities, she will teach in the Preschool class in Room 2. Diana has more than 24 ECE units and is fluent in Spanish. She completed her college practicum here at Playschool, was a substitute teacher and taught Summer Camp prior to her full-time employment. Diana lives with her husband Andreas and son Alexander (12) in San Lorenzo. In her spare time Diana loves to shop!

Ms. Ferneyn joined Playschool in October 1999, teaching in the Preschool class her first year. Since then she has taught Pre-Kindergarten, Young Fives and Mommy and Me. This year, she teaches Preschool in room 4, leads our Music Together and Communication Programs and also enjoys being our head chef and gardener. She has her Early Childhood Education Credential from Cañada College. Before joining Playschool, she was the Preschool Director at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto for four years. In her free time she enjoys knitting, baking and gardening. She and her husband Peter have three grown sons and four grandchildren. We are honored to have Ferneyn as our most experienced Playschool teacher! Many thanks to her for 26(!) years of service to Playschool!

Ms. Janet grew up in Redwood City and has taught preschool since 1983. She worked at Messiah Children’s Center, Kirk House Preschool, and Funshine Learning Center (where she was the director). She taught at Playschool Redwood City from 2004-2018 before she moved to Pennsylvania. For 7 years she taught at Good Shepherd Preschool of Fox Chapel, PA. We are thrilled to have her back in the bay area and working at Playschool after a 7-year CA hiatus. Everyone loves Janet: children, parents, and co-workers. Janet has her Early Childhood Education Certificate from Canada College and lives in Menlo Park with her husband Mark.

Ms. Darice taught Pre-Kindergarten at Playschool for 5 years, at which point she thought of retiring...but we couldn't let her go! Prior to working at Playschool, Darice taught for 15 years at CCLC-Stanford Arboretum as both a head and floating teacher. She also taught Preschool at Belvedere Tiburon Childcare Center, Bel Aire School in Tiburon and Merry Moppet Preschool in Belmont. She has an A.S. degree in Early Childhood Education from Cañada College. She is currently on leave caring for family, but we hope to have her back with us soon. Darice lives in Redwood City.

Ms. Selena has a B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development with a minor in Psychology from San Jose State University. She has taught preschool in different capacities since 2012. At Playschool, she taught 2-3 year olds for five years. Prior to Playschool, she was a Special and General Education Teacher at Learning Links Preschool in Burlingame. In her spare time, she volunteered for three years at Parents Helping Parents supporting families raising children with special needs. On maternity leave, Selena established a moms’ group of babies born in 2021 to share experiences during each stage of development, to set up peer playdates and enjoy family-friendly events together. Selena and her husband Ryan live in San Carlos with their 4 year old daughter, Wrenix.

Ms. Betsy returns for her eighth year teaching at Playschool. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design where she majored in painting. She has additional Early Childhood Education units from Cañada and Skyline Colleges. Betsy has been a professional painter (murals, portraiture, abstracts) and floral designer for many years. We love to see some of her artwork alongside her students’ here at Playschool! She also taught preschool in an inclusive preschool setting for seven years: for five years at Learning Links Preschool in Burlingame and, most recently, at Milestones Preschool in Palo Alto. We recently received this from a parent: 'My child is going into kindergarten and still compares all her teachers to Ms. Betsy. No one compares!' Betsy has two grown daughters and lives in Menlo Park.

Ms. Julie has been part of the Playschool community since 2016; first as a parent, then as a substitute teacher, and now as a member of our full-time staff. Julie has a Bachelor of Arts in French/Psychology and additional Early Childhood Education coursework. She also trained at the Early Learning Center at Menlo Park City School District. Julie will teach Monday through Friday again this school year. Julie is known for her warmth and patience with young children. She is magical with our two and three year olds. When she’s not teaching, you can find her in the garden or at the craft store dreaming up awesome new activities with her two daughters. 

Ms. Carmen has taught preschool since 2015. She started at La Honda Elementary School District, where she was a preschool teacher aide (2015-2018) and then she was a preschool teacher/site supervisor (2018-2024). Most recently she taught at Building Kidz in San Carlos. Carmen has an Associate of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from Canada College, a Child Development Site Supervisor Permit, and a Child Development Master Teacher Permit. We knew when we first interviewed her that she was a great fit for Playschool! Carmen lives in Menlo Park with her husband and young daughter Mayte.

Ms. Aurys came to the United States from Venezuela 3 years ago. She has a Bachelor of Art degree in science from Venezuela where she taught the equivalent of preschool and first grade. Since coming to the US, she has been a preschool aide for Building Kidz in San Carlos and has worked hard on developing her English language skills. She is currently enrolled in English (ESL) classes 2x/week and in 6 Early Childhood Education units. She also tutors two children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on Saturdays. Needless to say, Aurys is a hard worker! She is married and lives in Redwood City. We heartily welcome her to Playschool where she will be a Teacher’s Aide.