our teachers

Kristy has been teaching at our school since 1999, and has been the school’s director since 2000. She received her bachelor’s degree in 1984 from UC Davis, and was awarded her teaching credential in 1999. Prior to the co-op, she spent 2 years teaching at Woodside Parents Nursery School and 5 years at Stanford’s Bing Nursery School. Kristy is passionate about play based education and is grateful that she gets to teach not only the children, but the parents as well. Kristy lives in Menlo Park with her husband and dog, and has two grown children and three grandchildren. When she isn’t teaching, Kristy loves to read, run, and spend time with family and friends.

Lalaine brings over 35 years of experience working with families to the Co-op. She earned her bachelor’s degree in child development in 1988 and holds an adult education teaching credential specializing in parent education and family management. However, she considers parenting her own four children to be her most valuable education, providing countless lessons across many facets and stages of parenting. Lalaine served as a teacher and parent educator at Little Hands (co-op) for 23 years, with three of those years as program director. She is currently an associate faculty member at West Valley College, where she teaches parenting and family courses and also maintains her own parent coaching business, Parenting With Lalaine. Outside of her professional work, Lalaine enjoys spending time on the golf course, catching up on book club reading, traveling with her husband, and sharing moments with her lifelong friends, grown-up children, and adorable grandson.

Katie spent nine wonderful years as a parent at the Co-op and is thrilled to be joining the amazing team of teachers! During her time at the school, she served as the Fundraising Co-chair and spent seven years on the Board. Katie has a BA in Sociology and a MA in Education and taught first grade at a Bay Area elementary school for six years before taking time off to raise her three children, all of whom attended the Co-op. She strongly believes in the power of a play-based education and the amazing sense of community found at the Co-op. Katie lives in Menlo Park with her husband and kids, and enjoys reading, walking with friends, coaching her kids’ sports teams, and traveling with her family.