Meet the Team

Anita

Brianna

Brianna joined the community at Wildwood in September 2025. She was lucky enough to be born and raised in Oakland, where she learned how to incorporate creativity, humor, whimsy, and compassion into her everyday life. Brianna is a big lover of anything nature has to offer, whether it be a creepy crawly, beautiful flowers, or good old fashioned dirt. Coming from a background in art, it is her mission to assist people of all ages and walks of life to be able to truly express themselves creatively and without pressure to do it “the right way”. Learning how to resource in ways that are both kind to the environment and to other people is such a valuable skill. Being able to utilize renewable resources, or recycled materials, carves a path for endless imagination and creativity. Brianna is excited to share her passions for making art sustainable, having fun, and leading with empathy. She believes absolutely everything takes a village, and together people of all ages can learn from one another to create a culture of sustainability and community care. She appreciates the opportunity to be working with this wonderful community!

Calvatta

'Teacher C' joined the OGS/Wildwood community as a substitute in 2021 and quickly won the hearts of children and teachers with her positive attitude and willingness to jump in and get her hands dirty.  Calvatta earned her Associate Teacher certificate from Chabot College and has nearly fifteen years of experience with young children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. 

Candace

Candace has over twelve years of experience as a dedicated and passionate mentor and youth advocate. She has taught both elementary and preschool students in private and public school settings. She is passionate about incorporating art and movement, music and history in education and about serving children in her community and helping them succeed, and grow in positive ways, instilling pride, and the direction to becoming well-rounded, culturally aware, resilient, purposeful individuals.

Devin

Devin grew up in California and Nevada. They moved to the bay to study Women and Gender Studies and Anthropology at San Francisco State University. After graduating, their interests have been in facilitating safer spaces for youth to creatively express their unique and shared experiences, embody their power, and nourish joyful and cooperative relationships. You can often find Devin outside, riding their bike, talking to plants, playing with their dogs in the forest, or cuddling with their cat in the sun.

Devon

Devon has worked with children since 2013 in various capacities, including a focus on outdoor experiential learning. When he learned about Reggio Emilia inspired learning, it immediately seemed like the kind of educational systems and philosophies he wanted to see more of in the world. Devon is a firm believer in the immense potential of children. He is passionate about bringing student-led and hands-on education to the fore, fostering creativity and curiosity through exploration and play, and setting up situations and projects for students to work through on their own. He loves bringing creativity and music into children's learning experience and about connecting with each child to understand what makes them unique.

Jill

Jillian Kumar has been working at Wildwood Children's School for six years and teaching children for 11 years. She has taught in all of the age groups, and is most passionate about doing art with children. Jill's mom was a preschool director and Jill followed in her footsteps. She has been around children all of her life since her mom was a teacher, and always found happiness in this field. Jill is always excited to learn and grow with children, especially in the infant classroom. Her hobbies are going to the beach and collecting seashells.  

Lesleigh

Lesleigh has about 9 years of teaching experience ranging from infant care all the way up to school age, with the majority of her classroom time being with children from 6 months to 2 years. She attended Diablo Valley College and Mission College, and holds 18 early childhood education units, and an Associates degree in Child Development. Lesleigh has a passion for the field and loves to be hands on with the kids and my fellow teachers to make the process of play not just something fun, but a catalyst that facilitates learning, along with cognitive and physical growth. She loves finding new ways to make the classroom experience something enriching and stimulating, and learning from the children what engages and interests them. Lesleigh comes from a big family with 5 sisters, and knows every child is their own individual with their own sets of needs. She loves getting to know children, and every family as well.

Libby

Shields

Shields joined Wildwood in 2022.They have many years of experience across a variety of age groups and environments, and been particularly focused on nature-based learning. Shields is passionate about bringing art and making experiences to children.

Sincere

Sincere (Ms. Cere for smaller friends) joined Wildwood/OGS as a substitute in 2025. She grew up in a neighborhood not too far from Oakland Garden School, so it feels really special to now be teaching young learners in the same community that helped raise her. She has always had a love for working with children and spent many of my summers helping out at her grandma’s daycare, which sparked a passion for early childhood education. With a background in childcare and customer service, she loves encouraging curiosity, creativity, and confidence through play, exploration, and storytelling. It excites her to join children on their journey and to support their development in a warm, caring, and nurturing environment. 

Yushao

Yushao has been working at Wildwood Children's School since it opened in September 2015. She received her Associates Degree from Laney College and holds an Early Childhoold Development credential. Yushao has worked with all preschool ages at Wildwood, and is currently in the Trunks class. She speaks three languages, English, Mandarin and Cantonese. She has worked to teach some Mandarin words and songs to the children in the program. Yushao loves teaching young children and also loves baking.