Teachers & Staff

Born and raised in the Bay Area town of Union City, Monica graduated Cumlaude from James Logan High School, then attended Ohlone College to study Sign Language and Early Childhood Education. She has been working in the Early Childhood Education field since 2004 when she moved to the central valley and became a Prekindergarten teacher for a 100-year-old preschool. Monica was quickly regarded as a dedicated and well-rounded instructor, so after a move back to her hometown of Union City years later, her next venture leads to becoming the Assistant Director at Kinder-care Learning Center in Fremont. After reaching recognizable milestones within the company and being offered several positions of her choosing, she decided to become the Director at Kindercare Milpitas. Over the last year, she has been highly recognized by the President of Kinder-care, Wei-Ling Chong, and received several accolades such as Highest Enrollment Award in Q3 and Highest Labor Retention in 2018. A monumental moment was her recent recognition at the 50th Anniversary of Kindercare Summit in Florida for receiving the Quality of Leadership Award during the intense, lengthy process of getting the Milpitas Kinder-care Accreditation with NAEYC. Her dedication to running a center that abides by NAEYC’s rules and regulations prove that she can confidently take over the role of Primrose of Willow Glen Center Director.

Monica’s experiences have allowed her to collaborate with a diverse group of people to meet the common goal of developing the whole child and discovering each child’s unique genius. Her philosophy is based on her uncompromising belief that all children can thrive, given a positive learning environment, strong and knowledgeable leadership, a committed and focused educational team, encouraging community, and a supportive family unit. All of which Primrose School possesses. That is why she is eager to join the Primrose family and is looking forward to working closely with the families and staff toward the common goal of raising strong, independent human beings.

During her downtime, Monica enjoys spending time with her partner Tasha as well as her close-knit family by going to the beach, taking road trips, and visiting her son Niles who is a D2 Football coach at Northwestern University in Oklahoma.

Her hobbies include reading mystery novels, watching documentaries, and attending local music festivals.

Hello! My name is Ayah. I have been working with children for over 5 years now. I love the world of child development. I am blessed to have one of the most fun and rewarding jobs out there. I cannot wait to become a part of Primrose and create a thriving learning experience together with you and your family.

I can’t wait to learn more about you and your family.

Name: Ayah Shanawany

Hometown: Kissimmee, FL

Child care experience: 3 years working with 2 year old age group and potty training, 2 years working with infants

Education Background: AA in Child Development & BA in Communication Studies

Favorite food: Sushi

Favorite weekend activity: Watching scary movies with my husband

Favorite children’s book: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Primrose character I most relate to: My favorite character is Oggy the Book Worm! He encourage children t read as much as they can. There is always a new adventure waiting in a book.

What I’m most excited about this school year: I’m excited to watch all my students grow and develop throughout the school year.

I started my Early Childhood Education journey in 2006 when I moved to San Francisco and attended City College of San Francisco. I was sort of lost, taking general education courses and I stumbled upon a child developmental class that really kept my interest. From that class on, I continued to take more child developmental courses, started my first teaching career that year, and eventually got my teaching certification in Early Childhood Development. I’ve always loved being around children, I wanted to change my cousin’s diapers when I was 5 years old!  When I was 9 years old, I filled out what I wanted to be when I grow up a questionnaire and sealed it shut, and opened it 11 years later. Coincidently enough, it said “Teacher” and I knew that I was going in the direction I was meant for. I then worked for Little Flowers Montessori as a Teacher for a long time, but I reached a plateau, expressed that I wanted more responsibility and growth in my career, and luckily, was given the chance to become a Director and was proven to be a great asset and with them for 5 years. Since then I have also been a previous Director at Bright Horizons. Seeing and experiencing children’s development is a fulfilling thing.

I took a small break from childcare and when I found Primrose, it was evident that I missed being around children so much. They make my day and warms up my heart with each waving child and hug. As a Leadership at Primrose, I’m happy to experience such hard-working teachers and teamwork to continue to keep the children safe, while having fun along with child development and education. I am blessed to be a part of the Primrose School of Cupertino and hopefully grow with this wonderful company.

Some fun facts about me are that I love to travel, go hiking, have nature adventures, enjoy eating UBE anything, and go to the spa of course for some relaxation.

Hi, I am Ms. Andrea! I am very excited to be joining the Primrose community! I have been working with children for almost 5 years now mainly in after-school and summer camp settings. I can not wait to bring some of the fun things I have learned to Primrose and our classrooms. I was born and raised here in San Jose and have always known I wanted to be a teacher. Being able to teach and enrich the lives of students in my hometown is a dream come true! I attended San Jose State University and completed my bachelor’s degree in Child and Adolescent Development. In my spare time, I love spending time with my family, friends, and my dog, Meeko! I also enjoy trying new foods and exploring our city and its beautiful state. I am looking forward to meeting all of my students and families and can’t wait for all of the fun we’ll have while learning and growing together at Primrose!

Name: Andrea

Hometown: San Jose

Child care experience: 5 years

Education Background: B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development from San Jose State University

Favorite Food: Burritos Favorite

Weekend Activity: Taking my dog Meeko to the park and spending time with my family and friends.

Favorite Children’s Book: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon & The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Primrose character I most relate to Megy the Pig. Like Megy, I think taking care of and appreciating our beautiful planet is very important!

What I’m most excited about this school year: I am most excited to meet my students and to watch them learn and grow.

Hi, my name is Elaine, and I’m excited to be part of the Primrose community! I was born and raised in San Jose, CA, and always had the passion to travel. I’ve also had a passion to work and help children achieve their best potential. I graduated from De Anza College with an A.S. in Early Childhood Education and recently received a Community Health Worker certification from Mercy College of Health Sciences. I usually spend my free time with my family, catching up with friends, exploring with my partner, and being at home with my cats, BonBon and Luna. I’m definitely looking forward to meeting all of the families and students here at Primrose!

Name: Elaine Roselle

Hometown: San Jose, CA

Child care experience: 10 years+

Education history: A.S. in Early Childhood Education from De Anza College / Community Health Worker certification from Mercy College of Health Sciences

Favorite food: Pizza / Mexican and Filipino food

Favorite weekend activity: Watching movies and spending time with my cats

Favorite children’s book: The Giving Tree

Primrose character I most relate to: Katie the Cat

Hello, my name is Kelly Shea.

I grew up in the beautiful Bay Area, near Santa Cruz, CA, where the ocean and mountains have always held a special place in my heart. When I’m not working in a preschool, you can find me walking on the beach or hiking in the mountains.

I studied Early Childhood Education and began working in preschools in my early 20s—and I’ve never looked back! When it was time to raise my family, I settled in Willow Glen, where I lived for nearly 30 years. I feel so fortunate to have built a strong community here, one that I still maintain today. Willow Glen will always hold a special place in my heart.

After teaching primarily Pre-K throughout my career, I’m thrilled to now be a part of the incredible team here at Primrose. In my role, I offer additional support to both parents and children whenever needed. We at Primrose are here to ensure that your family has the best experience possible, and we want you to know that we are always available for any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

I truly enjoy meeting and working with young families. I hope that my years of experience in early childhood education and raising my own family can be helpful to you. It would be my honor to support you in any way I can.

Hi, I’m Cynthia!
I have been working at Primrose for 6 years now. What I enjoy the most about working with children is being able to see their growth throughout the years.
I can’t wait to learn more about you and your family 🙂
Hometown: San Jose, CA.
Educational background: Certified MA & in Early Childhood Education
Favorite food: Tacos
Favorite weekend activity: Spending time with family and going to the beach.
Favorite children’s book: You Are My I Love You By Maryann Cusimano. I absolutely love this book! I read it to my kids every day.
Primrose character I most relate to: OG the Bookworm- teaching children to care for others and make the world a better place!

Hi, I’m Ms. Danielle!
I’m excited to introduce myself and share a little about my background.

I was born and raised in San Jose, California, and from a young age, I knew I wanted to become a teacher. My passion for working with children began early—babysitting my younger cousins, volunteering in classrooms at my former elementary school, and even coaching girls’ softball for two seasons.

I’ve been teaching preschoolers for the past seven years. I began with pre-kindergarten for three years, then moved on to teaching three-year-olds for another three. Before joining Primrose, I worked with a mix of two-year-olds and young three’s. I truly enjoy helping children learn, grow, and have fun along the way!

Outside of the classroom, I love spending time with my family and friends, watching movies, attending concerts, traveling, and, of course, grabbing a good cup of coffee.

I’m thrilled to be part of the Primrose team and can’t wait to get to know all of you!

Name: Danielle
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Child Care Experience: 7 years of preschool teaching experience
Education Background: A.A. in Early Childhood Education; currently attending San Jose State to further my studies
Favorite Food: Sushi and tacos
Favorite Weekend Activity: Spending time with family and friends
Favorite Children’s Book: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Primrose Character I Relate to Most: Molly
What I’m Most Excited About This School Year: Getting to know all the children and their families!

Hello Primrose Families!

I have been cooking since I was 16 years old in Nebraska. My wife and I moved here from Missouri and have lived in the Midwest for most of my life until this past year. Working with children, I was a foster parent and took care of my nieces and nephews and I enjoyed being with them a lot. I like to prepare nutritional varieties of food and for 27 years I’ve worked in various cafes, pizzerias, and steakhouses. What I enjoy most about cooking is seeing the smiling faces and meeting new people in the places I have cooked in.

I can’t wait to learn more about you and your family.

Hometown: Fremont, NE

Child care experience: 4 years

Education Background: 27 years of Food Service

Favorite food: Pancit

Favorite weekend activity: Hikes

Favorite children’s book: My Book of Bible Stories

Primrose character I most relate to: Megy the pig

What I’m most excited about this school year: To start cooking in the kitchen for the children and meeting all of the families at Primrose!