Lisa Lesley – Infant/Young Toddlers (Co-Head Teacher)

Lisa graduated from UC Berkeley in 1998 with a B.A. in English and later earned a single subject Teaching Credential in English from Chapman University. She then worked for the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, first as a substitute and then as a 9th grade English teacher at Mt. Diablo High School in Concord (from 2000-2006). Lisa then decided to make a career change and started working as a substitute at DVMS. In August 2007, she was hired on as an Assistant teacher in the half-day 2’s program, and also worked in the Infant and Older Toddler rooms. She had her son Robert in 2008, who became a student at DVMS at 3-months-old and continued through the preschool program. In 2015, Lisa had her daughter Karen, who also joined the DVMS community at 3-months-old and continued through preschool. Lisa earned her Montessori Teaching Certificate through the Montessori Teacher Education Center (San Francisco Bay Area) in 2012, and has been the Head teacher of the Infant/Young Toddler Program ever since.

Christina Sands – Infant/Young Toddlers (Co-Head Teacher)

Christina joined the DVMS family in 2011. In the last decade at DVMS, she has earned both her certificate in Early Childhood Education from DVC as well as her Montessori Infant/Toddler Certificate from the Montessori Training Education Center. In 2014, Christina stepped into the role of Lead Teacher of the Sunflower Class, and in August of 2021 became the Co-Head Teacher of the Sunflower Class. Before DVMS, Christina spent five years as a teacher for children with special needs (specifically, children on the Autism spectrum). Prior to that, she worked as a medical assistant at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. Christina, a Bay Area native who loves living next to the water, currently lives in Pittsburg with her husband Charles and their puppies Chloe & Chey. Christina’s favorite things are to spend quality time with her family and… all things Disney. Christina most enjoys working with infants and young toddlers because she can feel and see her impact on a daily basis. It is both rewarding and a joy for her to know that she is helping to set the foundation of care and guidance that your children will draw upon throughout their years at DVMS and beyond.

Ayesha Jahid – Infant/Young Toddlers (Assistant Teacher)

Ayesha moved to the Bay Area in 1997 with her husband Jamal and daughter Setarah. Prior to that, Ayesha and her family had been living in Paris for a couple of years. Ayesha received her Associate’s degree in Science and Early Childhood Education from DVC in 2015, and shortly thereafter joined DVMS as a substitute teacher. 26 years later, Ayesha has long since been working as an Assistant teacher in the Infant/Young Toddler House.

In her free time, Ayesha loves to travel and spend time with loved ones. She has four children (two sons, two daughters) of her own and has always supported their academic endeavors. She also enjoys listening to music and cooking Afghan food.

Zoe Gwizdak – Infant/Young Toddlers (Assistant Teacher)

Zoe Gwizdak is a Cal State East Bay graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development. Zoe has been working with young children for many years. Before joining the DVMS team in 2021, Zoe was a lead infant/toddler teacher as well as a gymnastics coach and tutor. In her free time she enjoys dance, art, and traveling.

Catherine Fernandez – Infant/Young Toddlers (Assistant Teacher)

Catherine is currently working toward earning her degree in Early Childhood Education. She has always loved working with children because she is able to actually see them learn new things and watch their development happen right in front of her eyes. Catherine enjoys spending time with her family and friends whenever she can, listening to music, and hiking and is so excited for the opportunity to become a part of DVMS!

Victoria Zuniga – Infant/Young Toddlers (Assistant Teacher)

Victoria joined the Sunflower team in the Fall of 2022, after subbing here for a few months. Before coming to DVMS, Victoria was a substitute at another Bay Area school. She loves children and hopes and plans to work with them for the foreseeable future.

In her free time, she enjoys camping, hiking, watching sports, and reading. Victoria also tries to take her three dogs with her on as many outdoor adventures as possible.

Zehava Sciara – Infant/Young Toddlers (Assistant Teacher)

Zehava moved to the Bay Area in 1998 and started working as a preschool teacher. Since then she has had three kids of her own and hundreds of students. Although she loves all ages, her favorite age group to work with is infant/toddler because she loves how they grow and change every day. She got her teaching degree in Early Childhood Education from DVC and Saddleback College. In her free time she enjoys hiking, cooking, hosting, reading and traveling with her kids.