Our teachers
Our teachers are the guideposts for both preschoolers and parents.
Teacher Amy
Co-Director and Teacher, 2's/Young 3's Class
Amy is a Palo Alto native, where she grew up attending Palo Alto schools, including Parents Nursery School in the 1970’s. She has a BA from Middlebury College, an MA in education from Stanford University, a California teaching credential, a California Child Development Site Supervisor Permit, and numerous ECE units. She taught high school for several years, before spending a few years as a full-time mom after her second child was born. Amy, along with her husband Joe, came to PNS as a parent with their oldest child, and she was delighted to join such a wonderful community for both children and parents. She spent seven consecutive years as a parent with her three children, Luke, Anna, and Sarah, who are now grown. She is beginning her seventeenth year as a lead teacher, and she has taught all nursery school ages. She started as a teacher of the 3/4’s class for four years, then spent eleven years leading the 4/5’s pre-k class, and she is excited to be starting her second year teaching the 2/3’s class. Like the other PNS teachers, Amy believes in the value of play-based learning and of the parent co-operative model, and she loves working with children this age. Amy and Joe live in Palo Alto where they are now empty-nesters who enjoy spoiling their dog, Auggie the yellow lab.
Teacher Theresa
Co-Director and Teacher, Mixed Age Class
Theresa was born and raised in Palo Alto. She studied sociology at California State University, Sacramento, and has received her Master Teacher Permit from the State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Theresa is a dyed-in-the-wool Giants fan and a bit of a gadfly. She married “the boy next door” (a PNS alum) and they’ve been together nearly thirty years. They have a son, Jack, who went to PNS as well. Theresa joined PNS as a parent in 2009, but when Jack was promoted to elementary school she didn’t want to leave! She joined the PNS teaching staff as an Assistant Teacher for the mixed age class at the start of the 2011/12 school year because she loves everything about it: the philosophy of the school and the parents who believe in it, the sense of community, the fantastic play space, and the snickerdoodles. This year she is looking forward to returning as lead teacher in the Mixed Age classroom. When she’s not at PNS she can be found biking around town or goofing off with Jack. She enjoys reading, cooking, swimming, photography, and being outside. Theresa believes in parent involvement, play based learning, and paying things forward.
Teacher Hanah
Assistant Teacher
Hanah is originally from Chicago but has been in the Bay Area for over 20 years. After graduating with a BS in the Teaching of Biology, she taught high school science for 5 years before embarking on a 13 year long journey as a participating parent in parent-participation schools (both preschools and K-8) with her 4 children. This was a life changing experience which led her back to the field of education. Her parent-participation experience taught her that children learn so much through play and that strong community and partnerships between schools and families play a powerful role in laying a firm foundation for young children. Hanah has returned to parent-participation now to participate as an Assistant Teacher at PNS and is also pursuing a masters degree in Early Childhood Education. She loves being active, ice cream, gardening, a good cup of tea, movies, early mornings, and snuggles with her two dogs.
Teacher Chris
Assistant Teacher
Chris and his wife moved here from Boston in 2009. They now consider the Bay Area home and a big part of that is their amazing experience at PNS. Chris has two boys who have gone through preschool at PNS. Not only does he work here but he is lucky to say he’s made some great friends and built a wonderful community that his family and he will always be grateful for. He is currently in the process of obtaining his bachelor's degree in education, with the plan of getting his CA teaching credential.
Teacher Courtney
Assistant Teacher
Courtney grew up in Los Altos Hills and attended Palo Alto schools. She went on to receive a BS in Biology from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. Courtney and her husband, Philip, first came to PNS with their older daughter, Claire, in 2018 and fell in love with the philosophy, yard, community, and teachers. She was a parent at PNS for five consecutive years until her younger daughter, Violet, graduated in 2023. Courtney did not want to leave the most magical corner on Earth, so she earned her Early Childhood Education units and began teaching in the Mixed Age class in August 2023. In addition to being a teacher and a mom, Courtney also spends her time tending to the zoo at her house (1 dog, 3 cats, and 1 Guinea pig).
Teacher Kathy
Assistant Teacher
Kathy is our music teacher. She ensures a musical community where students and their families will share and enjoy music together for many years to come. Kathy is originally from Los Angeles and began her professional music career at 15, playing guitar and bouzouki. It was there that she observed the emotional impact music has on people. Kathy studied ethnomusicology at UCLA and earned a degree in classical guitar performance from the SF Conservatory of Music. She received my early childhood music education in a joint class from Music for Minors and Foothill College. She worked for 5 years as a music docent for Music for Minors at Ohlone School in Palo Alto teaching the K-1 classes. She was also a member of People of Note, an organization bringing concerts for children to the Bay Area. Kathy is married to Len, an analog engineer who dabbles in machining and metal art. Her CDs include: “Listen to Your Mama” and “Singing on a Star” with her band Hey Mom!; “Welcome to the Folk Song Cafe” with her band The Good Folk Collective; and “A Time to Sing, A Time to Dance” and “New Songs of Old Athens” – this one, a Grammy semi-finalist for best world music album – with The Plaka Band.
Grandma Virginia
Legacy Teacher
Virginia Debs
(1924-2025)
Virginia was a beloved PNS teacher for over thirty years, starting in 1969. She was the backbone of Parents Nursery School for decades, and after she retired, she still came to visit the school regularly, well into her eighties. She helped and inspired many parents over her years at PNS, who remember her fondly, who credit her for making them better parents, and who remain grateful to her for supporting them and their children. She was a naturally gifted nursery school teacher who simply understood children, and in return, the children adored her. She lived to be 101. On what would have been her 102nd birthday, her family and her PNS family held a celebration of her life at school, where hundreds of people gathered to remember her. On that day, her children Martha and Doug told us that her message to everyone is to keep helping each other. Her spirit lives on at PNS.