About Munchkinland…

We are a place for learning, creativity, inspiration, love, kindness, growth, and fun!!!

We were also selected for the 2018 San Francisco Award in the Preschool & Daycare category, and awarded being the Best! 

The San Francisco Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the San Francisco area. Recognition is given to those that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value. The San Francisco Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Each year, companies are identified that are believed to have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the San Francisco area a great place to live, work, and play.

Munchkinland is honored to be a Winner in the Preschool & Daycare category!!!

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Some of the things your children will be exposed to are...

CURRICULUM, TEACHING, & CLASSES

At Munchkinland we use an eclectic child-centered approach to teach our Munchkins. First and foremost we follow our core belief which is Safety, Learning and Fun! Lot’s of Fun! For our teaching portion we draw from Kumon, Montessori, Direct Teaching Method, Cooperative Teaching Method, Inquiry-based learning, Imagination, Outdoors, Play, etc…- we make every opportunity to create a teaching moment. Children have structured classes daily- aside from their learning through play, and absorbing on going teaching moments :) Overall teaching consists of Language & Literacy, Social-Emotional, Creative Expression, Mathematics, Wellness, etc…

Munchkinland helps your child get ready for school. The educational program and daily activities focus on developing or improving the following skills for school: Literacy, Math, Fine and Gross Motor, Visual Perception, Problem Solving, Social and Communication, Ability to Deal Constructively with emotions, Self-help skills, etc... All while we "play."

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Meet the Director/Collegues/Teachers/Helpers/ Staff/ and occasional Volunteers 

Mrs. Alice

Mrs. Alice has wanted to be a Preschool Director since the age of 12- very much inspired by her Best Friends Mom, who was running a preschool at the time - All the babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, were just so sweet and darling to her, she wanted to create Munchkinland- because “there is no place like home” for the Munchkins- a second home :) Throughout her journey through school, she found herself in the role of a big sister, a peer counselor, a conflict manager, a tutor, and a babysitter since the age of 10 :) She has a younger sister- 9.5 years difference. The idea of helping kiddos, parents, families, and people in general very much appealed to her, hence she perused a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, following a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, and getting State Licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Alice worked with the geriatric population- developing tolerance and incredible patience- which comes in handy with her Munchkins. While she maintains a small private practice helping individuals and families- she very much looks forward to her days filled with laughter, silliness, and learning at Munchkinland :) She is a Mom of an amazing boy and a super girl :)

Miss Marina



Miss Marina; a true professional who has an immeasurable heart, filled with love for Munchkins :) Her Mom ran a preschool for 60 years, and she was at her side, learning how to interact with preschool kiddos of mixed ages, how to teach them, interrelate with them in a caring and loving manner. She has her Bachelor's degree in early childhood education from her home town of Tbilisi, Georgia. She also has a Bachelor of Music– and has a tremendous passion for music, plays the piano, which the kiddos love dancing and singing to. Miss Marina worked in a Montessori Preschool for 8 years in San Francisco, before joining Munchkinland in 2015. She loves kids, animals, especially cute puppies, and beautiful Music. The Munchkins of Munchkinland love to do dramatic play, and enjoy Miss Marina’s storytelling and theatre reenactments. The kids love Miss Marina. They always have. Some children have been known to threaten parents by saying, “I want to go live with Miss Marina!” Fair warning, we apologize ahead of time :) She won’t take them. She has a beautiful son and a gorgeous daughter of her own, and she is a grandmother of five amazing grandchildren. “Together with my colleagues –  we do everything as a team of amazing and creative teachers, I am committed to providing your family with a loving and developmentally sound foundation for a lifetime of learning.”

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Miss Elena



Miss Elena has a ton, and then some more, and a little wee bit more experience- working with kiddos from all walks of life. She mostly enjoys working with kids ages 1- 5 years old, because it’s the time for so much rapid growth and evolvement that you can see daily changes. Working with children reminds her of how amazing and exciting the world is. She loves seeing things from their eyes and their point of view. It makes her a happier and more positive person in the day-to-day life. Children also encourage her to use her imagination and find new creative ways to do things, especially while adding some pixie dust for true magic! She has a son and daughter, and two grandaughters. Working with kids is fun, and always exciting, heartwarming, and pure! It amazes her to see how every child learns and grows differently. “Kids keep me young at heart and I love that not one day at work is the same. I get to see children's development and learning firsthand- as children grow and flourish under our Munchkinland care.”

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Miss Nila



Miss Nila, a warm and loving sweet giving “Mama Bear” She is a Mom of a High Schooler- Lowell High School and after working at Munchkiland was inspired to have another baby of her own- a baby boy (DOB 2/2020) She received her Paralegal Associate Degree. But soon after having her first, fell in love with Motherhood. She was a stay at home Mom, and then a very active parent in a co-op nursery school, which her 1st born attended. She has taken a variety of parent education classes to learn about patterns of child development and techniques for effectively raising children. She is energetic, strong, loving, and playful. She has been with M-Land since 2016. Her super power is connecting with kids :) Miss Nila is often COVERED in toddlers. This may be contagious :) There are rumors that Miss Nila came from the Wonder Woman island… Sometimes we think it’s true :) “I strive to create and maintain an environment where your child(ren) can grow and thrive, while exploring the world around them. Thank you for sharing your precious children with us!”

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Miss Tanya



Miss Tanya joined Munchkinland in 2020. She has two grown children. One of them recently got married, and looks forward to having kids one day soon. She feels fortunate and blessed to be part of an amazing school that has a nurturing, loving environment where children can learn and experience new challenges that will help build their confidence while they play. She looks forward to continuing to have a positive impact on the children's growth and to new discoveries with an amazing team of teachers.  

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Miss Lottie (Substitute)



Miss Lottie grew up in a family of artists, which meant that every notepad at home was covered in doodles, every restaurant's paper tablecover became a gallery of crayon sketches, and a guitar was almost always being played. When she moved to San Francisco in 2015, Lottie studied filmmaking at college. She’s always felt that children have really wonderful and unique ways of looking at the world and centered most of her film projects around the subject of kids and their imaginations. She also got to create ads for organizations that put on musical performances for first-graders, and another that teaches kids how to grow gardens. She has worked at Four Winds summer camp in Washington, where she was a cabin leader and taught arts-&-crafts classes…She loves seeing what creative projects kids come up with! Nowadays, Lottie spends most of her free time playing guitar/writing songs, painting, drawing, cooking, and exploring any nearby nature she can find. She’s super smiley and is delighted by the originality and wonder-filled minds and hearts of children!

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Mrs. Nita (on call/substitute teacher)

I'm Nita Arios, recently retired teacher who taught at Lafayette Elementary School for 24 years. After retirement, I realized I missed the children and was lucky to land a teaching position at Munchkinland. I love the Richmond community, (I live 2 blocks from the Preschool) I’m energized and excited by the students and appreciate teaching with the Munchkinland staff.

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Miss Anna (Past Teacher- moved out of the US during the Covid Era to help with her siblings)

Miss Anna; a warm and fuzzy, sweet and funny, loving young lady, full of hugs to give, and stories to read, and arts and crafts to lead. She is the oldest sibling of 4. Her sisters are 9 and 11, and her brother is 3 years old, she is also very close with her niece who is 1.5- as one can imaging her parents very much relied on her help with the kiddos- this is where she learned patience, love, and care. She has volunteered in orphanages and worked with kiddos who have learning health opportunities. She aspires to be an author one day writing children’s books. Her hobbies and commitments include 4 years of team swimming, ultimately becoming the Captain, and 6 years of boxing. She has 3 dogs and 3 cats, and 1 ginormous heart! She is strong but oh so gentle with the Munchkins!  "I fall in love with kids, they are just too amazing not to!"

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We often provide opportunities for volunteers to join Munchkinland- people aspiring to work with children are very welcome to volunteer. (Future Teachers, Pediatricians, Speech Pathologists, etc…) All employees, volunteers, people having contact with our Munchkins must pass a background check, be CPR certified, and have all the necessary immunizations before being around our Princesses and Princes.

What you need to know...

• In respect to discipline: regardless of any circumstances, no corporal punishment will ever be used to discipline your child. As parents and adults we hear all sorts of stories about having to do with the use of physical punishment on kids. Munchkinland does not condone this behavior at our center, nor do we approve of this as a parental way of restraint. We are mandated reporters and will report this behavior to Child Protective Services (CPS). Learn more here
• How do we teach our Munchkins right from wrong and self-regulating/control? We use a strength based approach (seeing what your child is good at and encouraging with that; his or her strengths), positive reinforcement, compliments; we catch your child being good and praise that behavior
• This works much better-- besides, Munchkins love to get verbal rewards along with other positive reinforcement- stickers, high fives, stamps, being the leader for the day, etc. 
  

Each day is filled with Lots of M’s-  Meaning, Music, Masterpieces, Mangoes, Movement, Majesties, Mashed Potatoes, Markers, Maches, Magnificent Messes, & Motivation!

Lots of L’s- Love, Learning, Laughter, Language, Logistics, Light, Letters, Lullabies, Lettuce leaves, Life, Leadership & Lentils.

An Abundance of A’s- Addition, Alphabet, Adorableness, Apples, Acceptance, Art, Activities, Accountability, Adventures, Achievements, Acknowledgements, Aladdin’s & Ariel’s.

... You get the picture :)

Other things that fill our day include lots of dancing, singing, components of kids' Zumba, gymnastics, yoga, theater, and much more. We're always preparations for our next big thing: a holiday, birthday or project.

 Warmly, Mrs. Alice