The Edgewood House School teaching and care giving staff are unique. Rather than being "hired" or "employed" we have all "chosen each other" and work together under the same business practices and teaching/learning philosophies. EHS is a collaborative effort among us, and our interconnectedness, team approach and professional respect is our school's greatest asset.
Janessa Granillo
Janessa
Granillo is a Bay Area native who grew up in San Mateo. She comes from
a close family of three girls and enjoys living on the peninsula.
Janessa is a founding teacher at EHS and more recently expanded
Edgewood House, with the lease of Edgewood House Too.
Janessa
received her Bachelor's Degree in Child and Adolescent Development from
San Francisco State University where she did her practicum in the child
development lab school called R.O.C.K (Real Options For City Kids). At
R.O.C.K, she supported the teachers of local schools through tutoring,
aiding, and coaching sports. Ater graduation, she took her first job as
a preschool teacher and has been teaching preschool in Palo Alto for
the past four years. At her previous school, Janessa was a head teacher
and specialized in the Pre-K curriculum where she worked
collaboratively with Tanya on the planning and implementing of the
Pre-K program.
In her free time, Janessa can be found playing
soccer, spending time with friends, or kickboxing. She has played
soccer since she was a young girl and is very passionate about the
game. When she's not on the field scoring goals, you can find her
running her dog or spending time with her nephews. She also enjoys
traveling, rock climbing, and hiking.
Janessa believes in Early
Childhood Education as a foundation for the future. She cannot imagine
working in any other field and enjoys play based teaching because of
the collaborative journey of learning that exists between teachers,
children, and parents in a child-centered environment.
Mallory Brown
Mallory
Brown
is a Bay Area native who grew up in the East Bay town of Castro
Valley with her wonderful family. She is also a founding teacher at
Edgewood House and is enjoying
exploring the peninsula and the Palo Alto community following her
relocation to the area helping with the creation of Edgewood House Too.
Mallory
received her Bachelor's Degree in Human Development with a minor in
Spanish from University of California, Davis, where she completed her
practicum in the child development lab school, C.C.F.S (Center For
Child and Family Studies). Mallory supported the Program Coordinator in
a preschool classroom (ages 3-5) by greeting families, implementing a
play based curriculum, and putting together specialized obstacle courses to
further develop gross motor skills. After graduation, she took her
first job as a preschool teacher and has been working in Palo Alto ever since! At her previous school, Mallory ran and developed
curriculum for her 2-3 year old small group along with leading circle
times, and forming lasting relationships with children, families, and
colleagues.
In her free time, Mallory can be found spending
time with family and friends. She is very fond of music, (an interest
she likes to share with children) and is often found singing, dancing,
or playing piano. She also has a seven year background as a gymnast and
after teaching gymnastics to children for 6 years (something she also
incorporates into her work with children), she likes to stay active by
kickboxing, waterskiing, and wakeboarding. When she's not doing one of
these activities, Mallory loves to travel and practice her spanish
skills. She enjoyed studying abroad in Spain, traveling throughout the
British Isles, and looks forward to exploring more of the world.
Mallory
loves working in the early child development field. She considers
herself an advocate for children and is passionate about creating and
facilitating a play based environment where children can grow, learn,
discover, create, and be happy. She believes that children are
competent, capable, and creative, and that families, teachers, and
children are most successful when they all work together!
Tanya Stabinsky
Tanya was born and raised in Palo Alto as the youngest of nine children. She began her career while a student at UC Davis (B.S.-Human Development), teaching part-time in a nearby preschool. There, her passion for working with children and families was born.
Early in her career, she pursued
a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology at USF, but found the
therapeutic aspect of counseling not as personally rewarding as working
directly with children, parents and teachers on a day-to-day basis. At
24, upon the arrival of her first child, she was considered a young
mother; at 39, she was considered an older mother. In between, she has
been a single mother, a stay at home mother, a working mother; she have
divorced, remarried, and blended a family. She has navigated two school
districts, advocated for her children's special needs, and successfully
mentored many teachers and parents. She has dealt with elder care
issues, mental health issues, friends and loved ones with cancer... her
experiences span the human lifecycle.
She has 22 years experience
teaching and directing early childhood programs (Palo Alto Community
Child Care, Children's Center of the Stanford Community, and Crescent
Park Child Development), strong networking and interpersonal skills,
and an intimate background of community resources and referrals. She considers Edgewood House School as both a personal and professional dream come true!
Dora Ayala
Dora
Ayala and her family have been part of the Tanya's family for over 13
years. She first started working with Tanya's children when Kelsey was
3 years old and Jared was 9 months. Since then she has provided child
care for many of Tanya's nieces, nephews and friends' children. Dora
is a mother, a grandmother, a caregiver to many and the best friend
Tanya has ever had.
Dora is a native of El Salvador. She uses Spanish daily in her work with children and has encouraged a great love for Spanish in Tanya's children. She
brings a special level of nurturing to the home that is irreplaceable
in the lives of the Stabinsky children which she now extends to the
children of Edgewood House.
Dora lives with her husband Nicolas, son's Jorge and Franklin, daughter in law, Ana and 6 grandchildren in East Palo Alto.
Dora's grandchildren will be frequent visitors to the Edgewood House.
The Stabinskys consider the Ayala family an integral part of their
lives.
Wienda Swezey
Wienda Swezey is a native of
Indonesia, who made the move
to California
4 years ago and loves it! She is a resident of Mountain View where she lives with her
husband, Adam, and 10 year old daughter, Dhesyia. She is the newest
member to the Edgewood House School Team, following the creation of Edgewood
House Too, and we are delighted to have her on board!
Wienda has always
been an advocate for children and loves being around them and interacting with
them. She has a natural gift for working with children and is extremely
calming, comforting, and encouraging. She credits her start in the field
to Tanya (her sister in law) , who commented on
her natural ease with children and encouraged her to pursue it further as her
career. Wienda started taking child development classes and continues her
formal education while sharing her many talents with the EdgewoodHouseSchool!
In her free time,
Wienda enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She manages her
daughters softball team and can often be found on local softball
fields on Saturdays and Sundays cheering them on! She also enjoys Balinese
dancing, the traditional dance of Bali, which allows her to stay close to her
Indonesian roots and keep in contact with good friends in the community!
Both her dancing and softball experience are skills she so generously shares
with the children at EHS!
Wienda believes
strongly in a play based education and the environment that has been created at
EdgewoodHouseSchool.
She finds that when children are allowed to explore and discover through play,
they learn about the world through their constant observation and new
experiences!
