Shanam studied Developmental Neuroscience in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Berkeley, as a Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholar. She studied the effects of stress from social influences on the brain development of children during the first five years of life. After realizing she would have a greater impact working with children directly, she earned her Early Childhood Education credentials and founded Windsor Preschool Academy in 2008.

Shanam serves as an elected council member of the Early Education Planning Council. She is also on the Advisory Council for Leadership Mountain View, a civic leadership program, and was selected to serve on the City of Sunnyvale’s Childcare Staff Advisory Committee. Shanam was named Sunnyvale’s “Outstanding Businessperson of the Year” in 2013. When not in the classroom, she enjoys hiking, listening to podcasts, and cooking. Most of all, she enjoys singing silly songs, cuddling, and having long conversations with her daughter.

Sahil is a credentialed Master Teacher. In addition to his extensive academic study of Early Childhood Education at San Jose State University, he has experience working with children of all ages from infants to school-aged. He uses a hands-on approach to leadership and stays involved in every aspect of the classroom.

Sahil serves as an elected council member of the Early Education Planning Council and is a graduate of Leadership Sunnyvale, a civic leadership program.

He is known amongst staff and the children for his easygoing, playful manner. Sahil is an ardent sports fan and dedicated supporter of the San Francisco 49ers.

Faith is an Early Childhood Education credentialed Master Teacher. She also holds a college degree in Psychology and spent numerous years teaching children with autism before coming to Windsor. As a result, she excels in observing and documenting children’s development.

A long-time trusted Windsor teacher, this is Faith’s tenth year at Windsor! She has worked at all the Windsor facilities.She is passionate about the math curriculum in the classroom and is the technology expert among the teachers. She also creates treasured school yearbooks that chronicle the year’s special memories.

Faith comes from a family of educators. Her mother is an elementary school teacher and her grandparents, both professors, met and fell in love on the UCLA campus. A quieter, more reflective person, she is known for her calming demeanor and tender presence at Windsor. She is also known for her understated sense of humor.

On the weekends (or during her lunch break!), she has her nose in a book. She enjoys attending musical festivals with her husband.

Chris is a credentialed Master Teacher. He founded and ran, as Director, his own preschool for five years before coming to Windsor. Chris holds a degree in Education with a focus in cross-cultural approaches and early intervention. With certifications as a Behavior Intervention Case Manager, Special Needs Inclusion Coach, Reflective Practice Facilitator, and certificates in trauma services, language development, and assessment, Chris is noted as our walking library. He has served on the review panel for the inclusion policy of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, review panel for the Desired Results Developmental Profile, and is a contributing author for the adaptation materials used at the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

This is Chris’ eighth year at Windsor. He was one of the founding teachers when the Mountain View campus opened and has worked at all the Windsor facilities. 

Aside from education accolades, Chris is a professional dancer and recognized gourmet cook and pastry artist; he shares these passions with the children, along with exposing them to Spanish. Chris also enjoys free verse writing and is well trained in martial arts.

Simanti has served as Preschool Director and is a Master-level teacher. She also started and ran her own school-age program. A wealth of knowledge, she has years of experience working under many different educational philosophies. This is Simanti’s eleventh year at Windsor. She was one of the founding teachers when the Mountain View campus opened and has worked at all the Windsor facilities. 

Along with her Early Childhood Education credentials, Simanti holds a Master’s degree in English Literature, making her the literacy expert on staff. She is a lover of languages and exposes the children to Hindi, as well as quality children’s literature from around the world. She is passionate about preparing children for life after Windsor and is also the kindergarten readiness expert on staff. 

She can often be found toasting spices and lugging vegetables to school from her husband’s enormous garden—cooking is a true labor of love for Simanti, one the teachers and students benefit from. Firm but fun, she adds an exuberant and extroverted energy to the school!

Outside school, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters (one in college and the other who recently graduated), her inspiration for entering the education field. She also loves making her own jewelry.

Phuong is a Director-qualified Master Teacher with a college degree in Early Childhood Education from San Jose State University. She has experience working in infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms. She has worked in various settings, from lab schools to family childcare to private preschool. She also has taught at a model school serving the Bay Area’s most underserved families. 

This is Ms. Phuong’s seventh year at Windsor. She has worked at all the Windsor facilities.

Full of school spirit, Phuong is our resident cheerleader, as she both composes and teaches the children Windsor chants and cheers, complete with tiny pom-poms! Phuong shows a talent for the creative aspects of education by leading process-oriented art. She is fluent in Vietnamese, a skill she bring to the classroom. Phuong shares a fun, vibrant style and models the positive interactions our school takes such pride in. 

A bookworm, Phuong collects books for her personal library. She also loves to dance!

Vicky holds a Master’s degree in Human Development with an emphasis in Early Childhood Leadership and is a Director-qualified Master Teacher. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Associates in Early Childhood Education. She has worked in various settings, from corporate preschools to family childcare to lab schools, with infants all the way to school-age children. She was one of the founding teachers when the Mountain View campus opened and has worked at all the Windsor facilities. This is Vicky’s sixth year at Windsor. 

Coming from a mixed Chinese-Vietnamese family, Vicky shares her home language Vietnamese, which is a unique mix of Chinese and French, with the children. She enjoys translating nursery rhymes that are known to the children into Vietnamese as an opportunity for them to experience connection across languages and cultures.

When not at Windsor, Vicky spends her time playing sports. She swims, runs, and plays soccer, badminton and football. Chasing after her young son also keeps her active!

Rebecca holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Development with an emphasis in Early Childhood Leadership. She is a Director-qualified Master Teacher and also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development. This is Rebecca’s fifth year at Windsor. 

She has nearly 30 years experience teaching infants thru school-aged children and after-school programs and has taught in Reggio Emilia, Head Start, and Montessori centers. She has a hands-on approach working with toddlers and enjoys seeing them develop their unique personalities. She also has a specialty in creating multicultural and diversity experiences with children and their families. 

Rebecca is a passionate storyteller and involves children in her stories as much as possible. She brings knowledge, experience, and an unbridled enthusiasm to the field of education in order to further children’s developmental milestones and mentor newer teachers.

When not with students, she enjoys spending time with her teenage daughter and creating new recipes for slime and play-doh. She’s also an avid reader and bakes delicious treats!

Gaz has over seven years of experience as classroom support staff working with three through six year-old children as well as toddlers and pre-teens/teens. This is Gaz’s fifth year at Windsor.

Gaz is a creative force at Windsor. He teaches mindfulness, meditation and conscious communication through music, yoga, puppeteering and art. He has made a habit of inspiring and mentoring young artists. He has done this both in the classroom and at creative dramatics camps. In that capacity, he has held workshops for the campers to learn set design and construction as well as backstage assistance.

Gaz is furthering his education in Early Childhood Development and Digital Arts and Animation. He also holds a diploma in Art/Design/Media earned in the United Kingdom.

Outside of work, you’ll find Gaz practicing the piano and keeping up with the classic artform of puppetry.

Ai is a credentialed Master Teacher who has spent numerous years working with infants thru school-age children, including children with special needs. Along with Early Childhood Education credentials, Ai holds a degree in Political Science from Santa Clara University.

A Bay Area native, she grew up in a family of educators (her mother was a preschool teacher too!). She has a creative streak (playwright, film critic, theater) and is fluent in Vietnamese, talents she brings to the classroom. This is Ai’s fifth year at Windsor.

Outside school, Ai can be found playing pretend with her three young children or trying a new ethnic restaurant with her husband. She has a black belt in Taekwondo and blue belt in Shodokan Karate. She is known for her calm, patient demeanor.

Gurjit holds a degree in Education with an Early Childhood Education focus from UC Santa Cruz. She also holds a Master’s degree in English Literature–she is an ardent lover of books and passionate about early literacy. Her experience has been primarily as a preschool teacher, working in academic and play-based preschools, as well as for the Santa Clara Unified School District. She has also taught fourth grade as an English and Social Studies teacher. She is fluent in Hindi and conversational Punjabi. This is Gurjit’s fifth year at Windsor.

Outside school, Gurjit volunteers for Project Cornerstone, which aims to promote caring school climates and build social and emotional skills that lay the foundation for life success in children. She has two children of her own, a high schooler and middle schooler.

Tara has over 20 years of preschool teaching experience and holds a Master Teacher credential. She has worked in Montessori, STEM, play-based, and academic-oriented schools. She has led infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms. Tara has also worked with school-age children from kindergarten to third grade.

Tara grew up participating in choir and loves to sing, a passion she brings to the classroom! Outside Windsor, she can be found hiking and on day trips with her two children. She also enjoys meditation and running to recharge.

A seasoned educator, Milena has been teaching for over 34 years. She has a Master Teacher credential and degree in Early Childhood Education. Her experience is vast and diverse: She has worked under Reggio Emilia, Montessori, play-based, and academic philosophies. Milena has worked at various types of schools including parent cooperative, non-profit, corporate, and serving Veterans Affairs staff. She has worked extensively with children with special needs. She has led classrooms of all ages, from infants to second graders. This is Milena’s fourth year at Windsor.

Fluent in Spanish, Milena has deep training in Bilingual Education from Kean University in New Jersey. To improve her skills as a bilingual teacher, she also traveled to Spain to study at Cantabria University. Milena can often be found in the classroom singing songs and reading stories in Spanish. In addition to the cognitive benefits associated with learning a new language, she believes language exposure helps children develop a respect for different people and cultures.

Outside of Windsor, Milena spends her time with her grandchildren, who live just down the street from her. She recharges through yoga, tai-chi, and meditation. She also loves to take her dog Carlos for long walks.

Teacher Brandon is so committed that he left his job as a software engineer at a local tech company to pursue his true passion, education. Brandon holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from UC San Diego as well as a “Master Teacher” credential in Early Childhood Education. He has worked with different age groups, from toddlers to middle schoolers. Every Friday after work, he also helps run his church’s children’s program. This is Brandon’s fourth year at Windsor.

Given his STEM background, exposure to data structures in the Blocks Area is common in his classroom. Brandon is also a trained pianist and violinist––he can often be found playing the piano as the children sing their hearts out with him.

In his spare time, Brandon relaxes by playing board games with friends. He also enjoys baking and sharing desserts.

Details coming soon…

Details coming soon…

Nani, the grandmother of our Director, has extended her role into becoming the grandmother to every student and staff member at Windsor Academy. A lovely example of generational and familial style of support, Nani exemplifies the comforts and benefits of the interactions between our elder and youngest generations. Every student who attends or even visits Windsor receives the smile, warmth, and love that only a grandma can give.

With many children whose grandparents are often on the other side of the country or world, Nani is a special member of our school who we treasure and who graduates remember fondly for years after leaving Windsor.