Meet the Playschool Atherton Staff!

Ms. Susan started Playschool Atherton in 1998 and has owned and operated it for 26 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 16th year at Playschool! Since taking over as our site director last January, Diana has filled many roles. This year, in addition to her administrative responsibilities, she will teach Tues/Thurs Preschool in Room 1 with Selena. 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 (11) 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 and then in Pre-Kindergarten for 20 years, Afternoon Young Fives for 2 years and Mommy and Me for 1 year. She teaches Preschool in room 4, leads our Music Together Program 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 25(!) years of service to Playschool!

Ms. Darice taught Pre-Kindergarten at Playschool for 5 years, at which point she thought of retiring...but we couldn't let her go! For the 2024-2025 year, she teaches a few mornings a week and is our go-to substitute. 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. Darice lives in Redwood City and enjoys spending time with her family.

Ms. Selena has taught 2-3 year olds for five years at Playschool. She 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. 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 3 year old daughter, Wrenix. This year she teaches the Tues/Thurs Preschool class.

Ms. Betsy returns for her seventh 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. 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. At Playschool she has taught Preschool in Room 4 with Ferneyn, Darice, Cristina and Rose. Betsy has two grown daughters and lives in Menlo Park. We love to see some of her artwork alongside her students’ here at Playschool!

Ms. Rose taught Summer Camp at Playschool for two years and we loved her so much that we hired her for a full-time position as soon as one was available! She was a teacher’s aide in a first grade classroom for two years at St. Dunstan’s School in Millbrae. At Playschool, she taught with Shawnta in Room 3 for three years and moved to room 4 last year to teach with Betsy. Rose has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Elementary Education from San Francisco State University. Rose has a 10-year-old son, Tristan, and lives in Daly City.

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 in room 2 this school year with Brenda. Julie is known for her warmth and patience with young children. 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. Brenda is our newest Playschool teacher and we couldn't be happier to have her! She has 6 years of preschool teaching experience. Most recently she taught at Bright Horizons Preschool in San Mateo. She earned an Associates degree in Early Childhood Education from Foothill College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Education Sciences from the University of California at Irvine. Brenda holds a Master Teacher Permit. She will teach Preschool this year in room 2 with Julie. She has a 10 year old daughter, Madison, and lives in Menlo Park. In her free time, she enjoys participating in theatre and traveling around the bay area exploring different cities with her daughter.