Teachers & Staff

Dr. Russo is the Head of the School for Every Child Bay Preschool. She holds a Ph.D. in Special and Inclusive Education and a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Russo has dedicated her career to improving the outcomes of young learners in early childhood education.

Dr. Russo is also Vice President and founder of Every Child, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the inclusion of children with diverse learning abilities and autistic children in early childhood education. She is a Certified in the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) and is an ESDM Apprentice Trainer. Her research interests include the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices in community-based child care centers and preschools, with a focus on developing professional development pathways for preschool teachers within inclusive education settings. Dr. Russo lives in the East Bay with her husband and two children. She is fluent in Italian.

Teacher Liberty is the Lead Teacher and Site Supervisor at Every Child Bay Preschool. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and a BA in Cultural Anthropology. She has 32 years of experience in classrooms and diverse school environments. Teacher Liberty was most recently Head of School at Oasis Organic Community School for the past 8 years.

Liberty brings expertise in developing community centered education in ecology, stewardship and social equity to the ECB preschool. Liberty is a Childhood Trauma Specialist with a passion for inclusive education focusing on the outdoor environment in supporting development in neurodiverse children. She feels it is important to continually seek to learn and grow in her understanding of human development. She is the proud mother of two wonderful neurodiverse daughters now 17 & 30 years old. In her spare time she loves heading to the coast for long drives, hikes and picnics with her partner.

Teacher Chainna holds a BA in Child and Adolescent Development (Early Childhood) from San Francisco State University. She has a passion for taking care of children. Chainna prides herself on being an honest, caring, and understanding individual who loves to provide love and support to those in need. Chainna was born and raised in the Bay Area.  In her  personal time she enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, watching TV shows/movies, listening to music, traveling, and sightseeing.

Teacher Rachel holds a BS in Psychology (Minor in Musical Theatre) from Southern Oregon University and before that, studied early childhood development from Diablo Valley Community College. She has always felt called to work with children. She previously helped teach art to children with her mother (an art teacher), served as a preschool volunteer, and most recently worked as an art teacher at a Reggio Emilia-inspired enrichment program in San Francisco. She has received additional training in Reggio Emilia from the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre in Reggio Emilia, Italy where she attended a weeklong conference. Rachel loves bringing Reggio Emilia philosophy into her work at Every Child Bay Preschool. Teacher Rachel was born and raised in the East Bay. In her free time she enjoys ceramics, painting, gardening and spending time with her partner and their cats.

Teacher Andrea holds a BA in Health Science (Minor in Psychology) from California State University, Sacramento. Andrea has been a caregiver as long as she can remember. This began with helping care for extended family members (younger cousins) and it grew to helping my grandparents with their daily routines and taking them to their appointments. Before coming to ECB, Andrea had experience in childcare and as a Registered Behavior Technician for autistic children. She has volunteer experience in hospitals, elementary schools, and international service (Nicaragua) where she helped teach English to children. Working at ECB has reinforced her passion for caring for others- emotionally and physically. Teacher Andrea was born and raised in the Bay Area. 

Ms. Lina serves as school cook. She is the proud mother of two young adult daughters. Lina and her family are originally from Ukraine.