Our Staff

Candy - Founder - Executive Director

I thought I would include my self as well. I am from California and have been working in the field of education for 30 years. I opened Elan Esprit Preschool (originally known as Candy's school) in 1986. We opened our Santa Clara Campus in 2004. I have done a great deal of study in many areas. Some of them are Early Childhood Education, how to run an organization, marketing, desktop publishing, business, running a lower school, ethics and integrity, how to study, communication skills, writing, how to bring spiritual ideas into fruitition, administration, how to debug a student and how to successfully teach any subject to your children. My hobbies are reading, crafts, indoor plants, photography and coming up with bright new ideas. I have three sons, one grandaughter and one grandson. Brad - cypresssolutions.com, Sean - nutech.com, Joren - Internetsimplicity.net and Webmaster for elanpreschool.com. My dreams for the future are too numerous to cover here, but they all lead to helping thousands of children and parents. We welcome you to our adventure!

Susana - Headmistress, Milpitas school

Hi! My name is Susana Alvernaz and I have been with Elan Esprit since June of 2002. I was born and raised here in the Bay Area. My parents and older brother are also in this area, but much of my family lives on the Azores Islands, Portugal. My favorite thing to do is travel to new places as well as some of my favorite places, such as Disneyland. Some of my other favorite things to do are spend time with friends and family, read, shop and take pictures.I have an Associate Degree in Business as well as my Early Childhood Educa tion requirements and am still continuing my education. I've always wanted to work with children and am lucky to have a job that I love.

Elizabeth - Headmistress, Santa Clara School

My name is Elizabeth Padilla. I have been working for Elan Esprit since July 2003. I moved to the Bay Area when I was 20 years old and love living here. In my free time I love to visit my family and enjoy spending time with my friends. I also enjoy reading a good book while having a cup of tea. I love to travel and of course I love to shop! I plan to be a part of Elan Esprit long term as I love to help and can see that what we do makes such a positive difference in the lives of our students and their families.

Laurie - Parent Consultant, Milpitas and Santa Clara schools

I was born and raised in California. When I was 12 my Mother and Step-Father thought it would be ?fun? to move and live without what I thought were ?life necessities? such as electricity, hot running water and a solid roof over our head. So, we packed up our home in Santa Cruz, CA and moved to Humboldt County, Redwood Valley to be exact. We lived about an hour from civilization. We had kerosene lamps for light, a wood stove for heat and of course for the hot water needed to take a bath. This is where I learned that chicken and beef didn?t come already packaged from a grocery store and that rabbits weren?t just for show at the fair. The farm also inspired me to strive for a less strenuous way to make a living. I am a better person for it. It gave me the ability to create on my own without the interruption of TV and videos. Books were a way to escape the reality of boredom. I have four great children ranging in age from 1 to 20. About two years ago, I married the man of my dreams and the son of the school?s owner, Brad, so I could muscle my way in and take over the business when nobody was looking!! I have been working for Elan Esprit since May 2008 and I love my job and your kids! I used to work in the Tech industry which I loved until I started working here. I spend my free time with family and friends. Someday I will travel the world, but until then I cook and bake, ride roller-coasters, travel locally, shop and if I have a great deal of free time, spark up political conversations with my husband starting with the words?.?what do you think about the blah crisis.? So I keep myself busy both in and out of the office. My long-term goals are simple, I want to watch my kids grow and succeed and help them along the way. I ALWAYS dream Big and figure out the details as I get closer to achieving the dream.

Cynthia - Tot's Teacher, Milpitas School

Hello, my name is Cynthia and I am a toddler teacher at Elan Esprit Preschool. Before becoming a teacher, I worked as a nanny for just over 6 years while also taking classes at San Jose City College. Children have always been a big part of my life. As a nanny, I was very hands-on with the children. As a teacher, I remain very interactive with the children in both teaching and learning from my experiences with them. I enjoy helping children learn and discover new things. In my free time, I enjoy painting, scrap booking, reading, writing and thinking up new and fun activities to share with the children. I look forward to all the new adventures that the children and I will share while we discover and learn new things together!

Tiffany - Tot's eacher, Santa Clara school

Hello, my name is Tiffany Tillinger. I have worked at Elan Esprit since October 2008. I absolutely love my job here at the preschool. I have lived in the bay area my whole life. Previous to working here I worked in another preschool. I enjoy enjoy shopping, going to the beach, swimming and being outdoors. I am also very creative and enjoy doing arts and crafts. I love children and plan to be a teacher at Elan Esprit for a long period of time. Children are the pride and joy of my life!

Kristy - Teacher, Santa Clara School

Hello Parents! My name is Kristy Hartje and I have been lucky enough to join Elan Esprit, assisting and teaching your exceptional children, since June of 2008. I also work & volunteer at the San Jose Animal Care Center four days a week. My favorite activities outside of working at Elan Esprit are: reading, volunteering, and spending time with my family. I have been married for twenty years and have a 15 yr. old son, and I am also the guardian of my nephew, who has lived with us for the past four yrs. I am grateful for all that I have and am very happy working at such an exceptional school as Elan Esprit.

Joy - Substitute Teacher, Art and Music, Milpitas & Santa Clara Schools

Hi! My name is Joy Camaro. I have been working for Elan Since 2004. I started as a teacher's aide in the Tot's class and I loved it! I took my Early Childhood Education classes to become a qualified teacher for the Pre K. I love to do arts & crafts, music, dance, physical skills, and story time with the kids. I like to see and hear them laugh and giggle and when they do, I take pictures of them. I love taking pictures of my kids and I try to take them quickly if I don't have a camera handy, I take them with my cell phone every day.

Diana - Substitute Teacher, Santa Clara Schools

My name is Diana Loayza. I have been working for Elan Esprit since April 2006. I travel back and forth from Peru to the states about two times a year. I am currently enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu School and working to get my Administration degree. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family; especially with my two nephews. I also enjoy spending time with my friends. I find my self many times writing about current events. I love working with pre-schoolers because they can always bring a smile to my face.