Our Staff

Ms. Suzette, Owner

The establishment of Natural Bridges Preschool has been a life-long dream for owner and teacher, Miss Suzette.

The dream began in college while working at a private preschool and elementary school in Whittier, California. Her goal was to graduate from college and teach elementary school in the Bay Area until she married and had children of her own. Knowing that she wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom for her own children, Miss Suzette began working to develop her ideal early childhood education program, curriculum, and materials.

On January 6, 2003, Natural Bridges opened with just six students, two of whom were Miss Suzette's own children, operating just two mornings a week. Now, Natural Bridges Preschool is in its 10th year of operation and now serves over 48 students in three different class groupings!

Ms. Suzette holds a California Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, Preschool Director Certificate, and has earned numerous awards in the field of Early Childhood Education from local parenting groups and educational groups. Suzette was awarded 'Teacher of the Year' in 2011 from Sunol Glen Unified School District for Excellence in Teaching.

Ms. Megan, Director

Hello, My name is Megan Ellefson and I am the Director here at Natural Bridges. I began teaching at Natural Bridges Preschool ten years ago and decided to pursue my passion for teaching and get my degree in Early Childhood Development. I have worked with children the majority of my life and helping them learn and grow is something that gives me great joy! I work closely with our students, staff, and parents to ensure we are providing a safe, nurturing learning environment, and that our students are confident and successful! Currently I am working towards obtaining my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with hopes of teaching in a Second or Third grade classroom. I have experience working with children ages 2-17 including teaching a Kindergarten class and managing a library.In my spare time I coach cheerleading at Irvington High School in Fremont. I also like to travel as much as possible. I enjoy art, movies, music, nature, and photography. I have a fun, high energy personality and look forward to working with you here at Natural Bridges Preschool.

Ms. Jennifer, Teacher

Hi there, My name is Jennifer Moreno. This is my second year teaching here at Natural Bridges. I have experience working with Pre-K students and developing curriculum. My goal is to teach Kindergarten one day. I do have an Associate’s Degree and am in progress of obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree. I have a calm personally and sometimes can be shy, but I love children and value providing excellent learning experiences for our students! My goal is to create a fun, engaging environment for them and develop hands-on, age appropriate curriculum that fully prepares them for their next chapter in education, Kindergarten! I look forward to having a great year!

Ms. Ronda, Teacher

Hello! My name is Ronda Williams. I am an artist and writer and have lived in the Bay Area most of my life. I spent the last twenty years in Santa Cruz raising two children and have recently moved to the East Bay to begin a new adventure studying Early Childhood Education at Ohlone College in Fremont and working with the wonderful children at Natural Bridges Preschool. In my spare time I enjoy painting, making jewelry, and tending to my animals. I have been teaching at Natural Bridges for three years now and enjoy every minute of it! I have experience developing curriculum and being the lead teacher in the classroom. I enjoy working closely with parents and creating an enriched learning environment for our students!

Ms. Candace, Teacher

Hello my name, is Candace Brooks I currently am an ABA therapist. I specialize in working with autistic children. I would like to say that makes me a patient and caring person. I have been working with Trumpet Behavioral Health for 2 years and I am an RBT. The children I work with range from as young as 2 years old to as old as 16 years old now. I have taught basic life skills from eating, shoe tying and even potty training. I myself am only 26 years old with no children of my own but being a sister, a therapist, and babysitter has prepared me a lot for my current job. In March of 2016, my best friends little brother passed away at 16 right before his 17th birthday and this year we decided to start a non- profit in his memory. The non-profit is in waiting due to paper work but we are hoping once we are approved that we can help children of low income families get musical instruments and lessons for free or really reduced prices. For this organization, I am a CFO. I have 3 cats and my spare time that I am not working or furthering my education goes to playing video games.

Staff Qualifications

Each of our teachers meets or exceeds state standards for preschool teachers. They each are CPR and First Aid trained as well as have FBI fingerprint clearance. Our teachers all have prior experience working with young children and believe that children learn best in a structured play-based learning environment.