Lisa Anand (she/her) joined the Garden Coop Nursery School community as a parent in 2007. While playing and getting to know all the kids on the yard, her passion for working with young children was born. After her younger son graduated, she earned her certificate in Early Childhood Education from UCLA and became a teacher at The Garden in 2012. She was thrilled to be named Director of the school in 2014, and subsequently completed additional administrative coursework to earn her California Child Development Program Director Permit.
Prior to working at The Garden, Lisa acquired a BA in French from UCLA and spent a year teaching in France after college. She also spent five years at Lanterman Regional Center as the Toy Loan and Play Program Coordinator facilitating play groups, Music Together classes, and special workshops for parents and their children with developmental disabilities. Lisa believes that the preschool years are some of the most amazing and rewarding, but knows they can also be challenging for parents. She is honored to share this journey with the The Garden School families and offer them support and counsel.
Rebecca Espinoza (she/they) is a Los Angeles native and joined The Garden as an Associate Teacher in 2023.
After graduating from Pasadena City College with an AA in Psychology, Rebecca transferred to Cal State Long Beach where she graduated with a BA in Psychology and a passion for conflict resolution. She is currently completing the Early Childhood Education program at UCLA.
Rebecca enjoys cooking, dancing, photography, and crafting of all kinds: from card making to paper flowers and more.
Rebecca strongly believes in The Garden’s non-violent communication approach. She believes that modeling and encouraging children’s natural capacity for curiosity and empathy will give them the tools to develop stronger bonds throughout their lifetime. Rebecca is excited to share her creativity and passion for learning with the Garden community.
Elizabeth “Liz” Franco (she/her) joined The Garden as an Associate Teacher in 2024. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and brings over 15 years of experience working with children. She currently resides in Santa Monica with her husband, Mario and their son, Mateo (born in 2019). Her interest in working with young children was sparked while taking a Child Development course–she knew then that she wanted to pursue a career in the field. She received her BA in Child and Adolescent Development from Cal State University, Northridge in 2013.
Over the years, Liz has worked as a teacher in a day care center, an accountant, a nanny and a family assistant. She loves reading, traveling, dancing, photography, creating art and most of all learning.
She is grateful to have been introduced to The Garden, where children’s individuality is celebrated and given a safe place to thrive. She looks forward to getting to know the children and their families, providing support and nurturing children’s natural curiosity.
Substitute Teachers
Yuliana Parada (she/her) joined The Garden as a parent in the fall of 2013. During the 5 years that she participated as a co-op parent, Yuli shared an array of skills, passions and traditions with the children including Spanish language activities, geological enrichment, African drumming and dancing, capoeira, tortilla and tamale making, planting and harvesting. She has remained connected with and supportive of the Garden community since her own children graduated, even providing childcare at monthly meetings.
Yuli studied geology at Pasadena City College and has a love of nature and the outdoors. She enjoys camping with her family and once hiked Mt. Whitney with a group of fellow Garden School parents.
Homeschooling her two children over the past year renewed Yuli’s interest in education and working with young kids. Having completed her Associate Teacher Permit coursework at UCLA, she decided to return to The Garden in 2021 and we couldn’t be more excited to have her on staff. Yuli brings curiosity, energy, creativity, and fun and is looking forward to getting to know and support the next generation of Garden children and families.
Janae Archuleta (she/her) is a mother of two and joined the Garden Co-op Nursery School as a parent in 2017. Playing and connecting with the kids ignited a passion for this work. At the end of her daughter’s last year, she decided to earn her Associate Teacher Credential through UCLA’s Early Childhood Education program and become a part-time teacher at The Garden in 2020.
Janae was born and raised in New Mexico and studied Communication at University of New Mexico. She moved to Los Angeles in 2012 and shortly thereafter began a career in the Healing Arts, returning to her roots in Curanderismo, (a folk healing tradition of the Southwestern United States, Latin America, and Mexico, amongst other countries). She is a certified Reiki Master, Crystal Healer, Sound Healer, Shamanic Practitioner, and Emotional Freedom Technique practitioner. She also attended Arthur Findlay College in the UK, for Trance Mediumship. She is currently enrolled in a ministry doctoral program studying transpersonal counseling (integrating spiritual experience with modern psychological theory), and is pursuing certification in Trauma Informed Non-Violent Childraising. Needless to say, Janae is continually learning and loves to support people and families in myriad ways. (http://www.moonseed.love/)
Janae is thrilled to continue to be a part of the Garden community as a teacher. She believes the world can be a more peaceful place if we strive to cultivate and nurture our children’s curiosity.
Edlín Reconco (she/her) joined The Garden as a parent in the fall of 2017. After completing her practicum hours at The Garden, she joined the team as a part-time teacher in January of 2017.
Edlín has a BA in Cultural Anthropology and an MA in Teaching from the University of California, Irvine. She also holds a Single-Subject Teaching Credential in Spanish and taught Spanish for six years at a local high school in Koreatown. Edlín decided to take a break from teaching after having her daughter five years ago. Watching her daughter grow during those five years sparked her interest in child development and Edlín decided to go back to school to study Early Childhood Education.
Edlín is excited to share her love of learning with children. Edlín believes that all children are naturally curious about the world and eager to learn. She believes a child’s early learning experiences and relationships will impact a child’s attitude towards learning later in life. She is thrilled to be in a school like The Garden where children are given the opportunity to form strong loving relationships in a safe place that honors their interests and needs.
Cristina Drake (she/her) was born and raised in California. She attended UC Santa Cruz where she studied cultural anthropology and art history. After college she spent some time living in Vancouver, New York, and London, working in the film industry. In 2010 Cristina was married and moved back to California with her husband. Soon after, she began studying early childhood education at UCLA extension and in 2012 started working at The Garden Cooperative Nursery School. She is deeply committed to the philosophy of nonviolent communication and has embraced The Garden School culture. In 2017 Cristina gave birth to her first child, Sonny. She returned to teaching part-time. In 2020, Cristina had her second child, Louisa, who is now a student at the school. Cristina is enjoying continuing her parenting journey at The Garden, and as a substitute teacher as needed.