Our Teachers
Teachers’ Mission Statement
We strive to provide opportunities for both adults and children to appreciate various parenting styles, developmental differences and the importance of hands-on guided learning situations. We are committed to recognizing and nurturing successes as they occur in a safe environment that supports emotional, social, physical and intellectual growth for all students. Our mission is to give all students opportunities to learn and grow at their own pace and to appreciate the unique qualities of everyone.
Meet Our Teachers
Our wonderful teachers guide all aspects of the preschool and overall LGPNS community, and are a critical aspect of the school and cooperative experience. Our teachers also meet California Department of Education requirements for an adult education credential.
WENDY ZANARDI
(Terrific Toddlers and Twos & Threes Class)
It is my pleasure to be the Terrific Toddlers and Twos & Threes class teacher. I have been teaching at LGPNS since 2002! I attended California State University, Chico and earned degrees in both Child Development and Liberal Arts. I worked at the on-campus Child Development Center and fell in love with preschoolers. One of the many reasons I love teaching preschool is that it is a foundational year, and often the child’s first exposure to school. I love seeing their social skills develop and watching them fall in love with learning.
It is at Chico State where I met my husband Mark and we have been married over 25 years. Mark and I have two amazing children, Emilia and Joey, who are now both in their twenties. When it came time to choose a preschool for my own children, we chose LGPNS. We loved the idea of parents and teachers working in tandem as well as being able to remain a part of their early education. We created an amazing community of friends at LGPNS that remain today.
My favorite thing about our preschool is the opportunity for both the parents and the children to make lifelong friendships. If I am not in the classroom you can find me outside in my garden with my dogs or in my kitchen cooking!
KATHY WINGO
(Threes & Fours Class)
I have been teaching the Threes & Fours class at LGPNS since 2017, and have been teaching preschoolers since 2007. I love this age as it is full of discoveries, mastering new skills, fostering friendships, developing critical thinking skills and learning to be independent. I enjoy teaching at LGPNS as it involves the whole family – lifetime friendships are formed among the children and the parents. We become one family, one community, and all learn to work together, appreciate differing parenting and learning styles, and welcome all.
I attended San Jose State University and earned a B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development. I also hold an A.S. degree in Early Childhood Education from West Valley College, in addition to an earlier obtained A.S. degree in Park Management, and a Certificate of Proficiency in Early Childhood Education for Special Education, as well as my Site Supervisor Teacher Permit from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. I taught school groups and environmental education camps for 5 years at various parks. I followed with a career in travel as an agent/manager, and then stayed home to raise my two boys and work in our company office.
I am so happy to be back in the preschool environment and thoroughly enjoy working with young children again! My mission as a teacher is to instill in the young child the desire to learn, and to promote the intrinsic motivation to explore, investigate and problem solve. I strongly believe that children learn by doing and making discoveries, and having fun!
I live in the mountains above Los Gatos, have been married over 35 years, and have two boys: Travis and Tanner (an LGPNS alum) who are both in their thirties now. I love to garden, hike, bird watch, kayak, paddleboard, camp, snow shoe, and spend time with family and friends!
CATHERINE GRABINSKI
(Pre-K Class)
Welcome to Los Gatos Parent Nursery School! I have been the Pre-K teacher at LGPNS since 2008. I think the fact that this is the only school I’ve ever stayed for this length of time speaks for itself. It is such an amazing and special place to teach, play, and learn every single day. I originally enrolled as a parent because of the community of parents involved, and I have stayed as a teacher because of that same community.
It actually began for me and my family in 2004 when we enrolled our daughter, Amelia, in Teacher Wendy’s Twos & Threes class, and I stayed on as a teacher when my Amelia moved on to Kindergarten at Daves Avenue. Honestly, the rest is history. I couldn’t ask for a more fun, kind, appreciative and compassionate environment in which to work.
Prior to my time at LGPNS, I earned a B.A. from Santa Clara University in Multidisciplinary Studies and then a teaching credential three years later after working in the nonprofit sector writing grants and running youth programs. I began my teaching career as a third grade teacher at St. Christopher School in 1993, and later moved on to Bracher School in 1998. In that time, I also completed my M.ED in Instructional Leadership from National University.
When our daughter was born, I was fortunate enough to be able to take 6 years off and then once she was off to kindergarten, I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my teaching career focusing on preschoolers. Besides teaching I also enjoy the outdoors very much – gardening, camping, and running, being a few of my go-to activities during my free time.