License #: 493010450
MEET OUR TEAM
Inspired & Passionate
Sarah Welton
Early Childhood
Programs Director
and Mentor Teacher
Sarah has been teaching young children since 2015 and holds her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Sonoma State University. She is currently enrolled in American Jewish University's Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership, where she is working towards her Masters Degree. She started teaching dance to preschool age children in Sacramento before furthering her teaching career in a Reggio-Emilia Inspired and Jewish value based program. During her time there, Sarah held several positions: floating teacher, classroom teacher, and after care lead, before she became the mentor teacher-guiding new staff in teaching young children with the Reggio-Inspired philosophy through Jewish Values. She also served as interim director before leaving in 2022 and opened JCC SoCo Preschool in 2023.
Sarah believes that the teacher's role is to scaffold children's natural curiosities and wonder, allowing the child to develop a love of learning that will impact them throughout their life. She enjoys going on hikes with her fiancé, Michael, and their dog Peanut, as well as working on puzzles!
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"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is." - Yoda
Makayla Smith
Aravot (Willows) & Mentor Teacher
Makayla earned her Associates Teacher Certificate at American River College and has been teaching for nearly 15 years. She is extremely passionate about teaching and thinks that it is the most rewarding job there is. Makayla believes in the value of creating close relationships with both the children in her care, as well as their families. She has a deep love for social emotional work with small children and is very passionate about the Reggio Emilia Approach. She finds that there is value in giving children the freedom to be creative, get messy, experiment with ideas, and have open ended, provoking environments that foster wonder and imagination. She loves to build a connection with Mother Earth and the natural world with children, by bringing natural elements in whenever she can.
Makayla is excited to bring her Jewish background and values into the classroom and share them with the children. L’dor V’dor (From Generation to Generation). When she is not teaching, she spends her time outdoors, exploring national parks with her fiancé Josh and their fur baby Luna.
Natalia Yeager
Alonim (Oaks) Teacher
Natalia has wanted to be a teacher since she was a little girl. She holds a Teacher Certificate from the SRJC as well as a BA in Liberal Arts (Teacher Track) from SSU and has been teaching since 2005.
In addition to education, her favorite thing in life so far is being a mom to her 3 boys. Helping and watching them grow is her greatest joy. She feels that being a mom has strengthened her as a teacher. Motherhood has taught her to go with the flow and remain in the moment with the children in her care.
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Core to her beliefs that she holds dear is the importance of spending time in nature. It’s the most natural place for children to thrive. Her home amongst the redwoods is where she and her family have set down roots in our beautiful county. She looks forward to her time getting to know you and your children as we all grow together.
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Celia Mayo
Etzei Pri (Fruit Trees) Teacher
& After Care
Morah Celia has been an Early Childhood Educator for over 40 years, and involved in Jewish Early Childhood Education for almost 20 years. Along with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, she holds a Graduate Certificate in Jewish Early Childhood Education.
She believes working with young children is Avodah and is delighted in the magic of seeing the world through the eyes of a young child. Along with the joy of working with young children, Celia is an artist, creating mixed media mandalas. And having had the good fortune to spend much of her early years in her grandmother’s kitchen, she also enjoys baking Sephardic dishes.
Ari Tamar-Mattis
Aravot Teacher's Aide
& After Care
Ari grew up in Sonoma County and is currently in school at Santa Rosa Junior College studying child development. He has been providing childcare for Congregation Ner Shalom since 2015, and has experience working with children ages 2 through 12. He enjoys helping kids create, and is always happy to build sandcastles with the kids when they ask.
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Ari loves cats and dogs, and has a vast collection of photographs of pets.
He hopes to someday have 20 cats!
Sophie Flores
Alonim Teacher's Aide
& After Care
Sophie has always been motivated by her desire to make a positive impact in the world. This originally led her down the path of studying International Affairs at Lewis & Clark College. However, after graduating in 2024 and reflecting on her years as a peer educator, Jewish school teaching assistant, and nanny, she realized her calling was within her own community as a teacher.
With this is mind, she has spent the last year working as a preschool teacher and studying Early Childhood Education through Theoria Technical College and Santa Rosa Junior College. She is inspired by children's curiosity, joy, and creative approaches to problem solving.
In her free time, Sophie enjoys crafts such as sewing, beading, and collage. She believes art, dance, and music are vital expressions of our internal worlds. Because of this, she loves to engage with these mediums with children, especially with percussion instruments and her ukulele.
Kate Taylor-Brennan
Etzei Pri Teacher
& After Care
Kate has had a passion for working with young kids for as long as she can remember. After working as a babysitter and a nanny for children with special needs in Alameda County, along with teaching Sunday school at Oakland’s Temple Sinai, she graduated from Berkeley City College with an honors degree in Child & Adolescent Development.
She is now attending SSU, where she is on track to earn a BA in Early Childhood Studies with a focus in community health, along with a minor in Jewish studies. Her ultimate goal is to enter a DOT program to become a pediatric occupational therapist. Kate is passionate about literature, film, music, all things pop culture, and her sweet twin tuxedo kittens named Damien and Roman.
Amanda Burwasser
Substitute Teacher
Morah Amanda has been a preschool teacher and nurturing children ages 2 through 5 for over a decade. She is originally a New York City Native who has lived in northern California for the last 9 years with her husband and their sweet Aussie shepherd, Jolene. She is a graduate at the Pratt Institute, with a BFA in Writing and a certification in Early Childhood Education from UCLA. She is an author, as well as a teacher, and has written a published 6 book children's series titled, "Project Droid", for early readers. She really enjoys thoughtful art and crafts projects with children, making up songs and stories, gardening and just simply playing in nature!
Jordana Green
Substitute Teacher
Morah Jordana has lived in Sebastopol for a little over 4 years. She has worked in a variety of settings for over 30 years with infant through kindergarten children. Jordana holds a Master's Degree in early Childhood Special Education and is an infant massage instructor. She enjoys traveling and learning about various cultures, cooking - especially with young children, volunteering to clean up beaches, replanting native plants, and helping wildlife.
Iris Greenberg-Smith
Substitute Teacher
Iris is enjoying her ninth year as a preschool teacher. She has completed the training requirements for early childhood education, and also holds a bachelors degree in social science and a masters in journalism. Iris is the mother of four daughters. Originally from Israel, she speaks Hebrew fluently, and loves sharing the language and the traditions of Judaism with the children. She has deep respect and affection for the children, and loves being allowed to enter their worlds of play and imagination. In her spare time, Iris enjoys all kind of arts and crafts, as well as travel, music, reading and gardening.
Tali Martoz
Substitute Teacher
Tali is a seasoned Jewish educator with experience in varied educational and community-building settings.
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For the past 30 years she has taught in Israel, Germany, Hong Kong and the United States. She has earned her degree in Early Childhood Education and Art Therapy, and is passionate about fostering an overall interest and love for Judaism, helping establish Jewish identities in our littlest community members.
Tali believes that the rhythms and values of Jewish life and cultural exposure can be woven into the everyday experiences and spaces in a fun and interesting way.
Tali is an accomplished Artist. She also enjoys traveling, playing pickle ball and swimming.
Additional Team Members
Kaiya Shepard
Jewish Resource Specialist
Kaiya has been teaching children for over 20 years, and has been a Jewish educator for the past 15 years. With a background in early childhood education, she has spent her career providing education, resources, and trainings to educators and families. She was a fellow in the JCCA's Sheva Center, traveling to Reggio and Israel to learn about their schools. She believes that all children should have access to high quality education, with social emotional development at the forefront. She also believes that lifelong learning is the key to an educator's successful journey and enjoys sharing professional development opportunities. Her passions are strengthening and supporting families in their learning journeys, mentoring other educators, and building community and belonging through equity, inclusion, and Jewish values.
She is excited to help guide the JCC SoCo preschool and to broaden her roots in the Jewish community. She currently lives in West Oakland and is the parent of an almost 5 year old. In her free time, she enjoys reading in the sun, dancing, and volunteering with organizations providing food security for the unhoused population.
Preschool Advisory Committe
Deborah Burg-Schnirman
JCC SoCo Board President
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Prior: ECE Program Leadership​
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Jacob Bocklemann
JCC SoCo Board Co-Vice President
Preschool Committee Chair
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Sarah Welton, Makayla Smith
& Heather Muntzer
JCC SoCo Staff (see above)
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Carolyn Metz
Fundraising Committee Lead
Prior: Nonprofit Leadership
Des Shapiro
Local Synagogue Board Member
Prior: Jewish Day School Founder
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Elisette Weiss
Local Synagogue Board Member
Nonprofit Operations & Management​​
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Nicole Novach
PJ Library Parent Connector & Educator
Local Synagogue Board Member
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