Nurturing Young Minds
with Care & Creativity
we’re all about our amazing team of educators!
We handpick talented and passionate teachers who bring warmth and enthusiasm to our school. Our loving, proactive, and devoted teachers are the heart and soul of our program, each one dedicated to creating a nurturing environment where children thrive. Each member of our team has completed comprehensive coursework in early childhood education, are well-versed in the industry’s best practices, and is trained in Pediatric First Aid and CPR. It is their creativity, care, and knowledge that has fostered our warm, comfortable and home-like environment where children learn and find friendships in our close-knit family.
Jenny Bradshaw
DIRECTOR
Jenny brings a wealth of experience, warmth, and enthusiasm to her role as Director of First Friends. With a deep affection for young children, she has dedicated her life to creating nurturing learning environments for our earliest learners. Raised in Marin County, Jenny earned her BA in Education, Learning, and Societies and Communication from the University of Washington, and later pursued a Master’s degree in Educational Therapy at Notre Dame de Namur University, where she studied individualized intervention strategies to support learning on academic, psycho-educational, and socio-emotional levels.
She brings a broad range of practical experience to this role, including work in preschool and elementary classrooms, designing and implementing individualized preschool curricula, running home-based schools for early learners, and caring for infants and toddlers in daycare settings. In parallel, Jenny also worked as a project manager on large-scale international and corporate events. She is thrilled to bring her organizational, leadership, and project management skills to her role as Director, where she can channel them toward what she is most passionate about: supporting our youngest learners.
Outside of work, Jenny enjoys gardening, cooking for her family, and spending time at home with her daughter, husband, and dog.
Jocelyn Rivera
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Jocelyn is a dedicated educator and program leader with more than 20 years of experience in early childhood education. She holds a B.A. in Education from Brown University and earned her California State Teaching Credential at the University of San Francisco. Throughout her career, Jocelyn has worked with children from infancy through sixth grade and spent 14 years as the owner and director of a successful preschool program in Marin.
She is deeply committed to creating hands-on, project-based learning experiences that inspire curiosity, foster collaboration, and connect young children to the world around them. Jocelyn is also a proud mom and stepmom to five boys—ages seventeen to twenty-two—and lives in San Rafael with her husband and their two playful dogs, Ziggy and Bean. When she’s not in the classroom, she enjoys yoga, hiking, gardening, and traveling.
Ana Segal
HEAD TEACHER
Ana grew up in creative and vibrant classrooms, attending a performing arts school in San Francisco. She completed her B.S. in Music Production at Elon University in North Carolina, where she tutored in the writing center and music department. She was also delighted in teaching local second graders English and math. Later, Ana became a registered yoga teacher: a valuable tool for teaching mindfulness and mind body awareness. She later pursued her Early Childhood Education studies at Saddleback University.
She returned to Bolinas and worked as an organic farmer for two years, cultivating her deep and loving relationship with the land. Ana enjoys rotating between her many hobbies such as crochet, sketching, songwriting, and painting. She also loves to hike with her 3-year-old rescue dog, Shadow.
Ana strives to empower young minds to believe in their inner strength. She brings warmth, creativity, and a playful spirit to the classroom, as she fosters meaningful relationships through the magic of music, yoga, and gardening. Ana is thrilled to connect with the inspiring young kids and families of First Friends.
Mo Walker
TEACHER
Teacher Mo has been teaching since 2015 and holds a teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education from Santa Rosa Junior College. She has worked with children across all age groups, from infants and toddlers to preschool and school-age students.
Mo’s approach to her work with children is marked by a warm, loving demeanor, and deep sensitivity to children’s needs. She creates strong, caring bonds that help children feel safe, understood, and confident in exploring their world. She loves incorporating music, movement, and cooking into learning, recognizing that each child is unique and thrives when opportunities both challenge and support their interests.
In her free time she enjoys spending time with her 4-year-old son, exploring local coffee shops, and staying active through fitness.
Shirley Asuncion
TEACHER
Shirley has over 20 years of experience teaching preschool where she has enjoyed watching countless children grow, learn, and discover the world around them. She earned her bachelor's degree at San Francisco State University and continued her early childhood education training at City College of San Francisco.
Shirley is committed to creating a warm, inclusive classroom where children feel safe to express themselves; where they can explore, create, and grow at their own pace as they develop a lifelong love of learning. As a mother of two college graduates, Shirley understands the importance of nurturing a child's natural curiosity and building a strong educational foundation during the crucial early years.
Shirley finds joy in gardening, cooking, hula dancing, and learning to play the ukulele. Her hobbies inspire her work, and she embraces hands-on learning. Shirley’s travels to places like Hawaii, the Philippines, and various parts of the Caribbean have given her a deep appreciation for different cultures and perspectives, which she shares with the children through stories, music, and cultural learning activities.
Cerena Julien
TEACHER
Cerena brings a joyful, nurturing presence to the classroom, with a strong background in early childhood development, education, and psychology. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with an emphasis in Education from UC Santa Cruz and studied Early Childhood Development at Las Positas College, where she earned her Child Development Associate Teacher Permit. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Applied Sport and Performance Psychology at Dominican University of California. Cerena has been teaching children of all ages since 2011, including as a Special Education teacher at Leadership Public Schools. Cerena also serves as an Assistant Coach for the Men’s Basketball team at College of Marin and is also an intern Professor of Psychology there.
Cerena is passionate about creating a safe, inclusive, and engaging learning environment where every child feels seen, valued, heard, supported in their growth, and celebrated for who they are. She strives to foster the natural curiosity, energy, and imagination young children bring to school each day.
In her free time, she enjoys hiking, painting, reading, mindfulness practices, going to the beach, walking her dog, and playing basketball with her son (who just entered his freshman year at Redwood!).
Laura Di Stasi
TEACHER
Laura brings over 30 years of dedicated experience in early childhood education, including 12 years as a Preschool Director. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and a Program Director’s Permit from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Throughout her career, Laura has been deeply committed to supporting high-quality, developmentally appropriate learning environments. She has served as a Mentor Teacher for the Marin Cares program, working closely with preschool educators to enhance teaching practices and program quality across multiple sites. Since retiring from full-time teaching in 2020, Laura has continued to share her expertise as a substitute teacher and consultant. She partnered with the Bolinas-Stinson School District’s Pre-K program to consult on classroom design and curriculum development.
Her approach combines a deep understanding of child development with practical strategies to create joyful and nurturing early childhood experiences. When she’s not working with children and educators, Laura enjoys spending time with her family in Bolinas and pursuing her love of dance.
Schedule a Tour
We invite you to experience the magic of our preschool firsthand! Come take a tour and discover the nurturing environment, dedicated educators, and enriching activities that await your child.
Schedule your visit today and see why families love being part of our preschool community.