High-Quality Care
Research has shown that children get high-quality care when the caregiver is “attentive to the child’s needs, responsive to her verbal and non-verbal signals and cues, stimulate his curiosity and desire to learn about the world and are emotionally warm, supportive and caring.”
Mrs. Manpreet – Owner/Operator
Raised in Sacramento, CA, Ms Mani grew up in a family that saw growth, both personal and professional, in education. Learning came not only from teachers and professionals but also from colleagues and peers. It was that strong foundation that led Ms Mani to earn a Bachelors in Environmental Economics from UC Berkeley and later an MBA from Drexel University. As of Spring 2018, Ms Mani completed 12 introductory credits of Early Childhood Education Courses.
Ms Mani’s career began in the environmental sciences. She spent 9 years working for the State of California pursing the state’s energy and air quality goals, and later in the private sector ensuring entities knew how to meet and manage their air compliance requirements.
While continuing her work for the environment, Ms Mani met her husband and soon the two welcomed a baby into their family. Wanting to instill a strong foundation of early education and learning in her own daughter, Ms Mani, being the well-prepared mother she is, began to research preschools within the Sacramento area. While doing so, Ms Mani found an extreme need for early education programs in East Sacramento that balanced learning the ABCs with learning how to be strong and kind individuals. She wanted to find a preschool that would not only fulfill the academic needs of her daughter (and now a son too), but also be a place where her children could learn how to be emotionally confident and self-sufficient through play. Soon, Ms Mani began a two-year-long passion project to create and develop Creative Spaces Preschool. A space where children are treated as unique human beings, where children feel secure, autonomous, and competent. And, of course, a space that is committed to being as safe, non-toxic, and environmentally responsible as possible.
Please visit Creative Spaces to learn more!
Photo Cred: Ashlee Gadd Photography
Ms Lizzy – Program Director
Ms. Lizzy has worked in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 10 years. She has her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Child Development from CSU Sacramento as well as her Program Director permit through the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Ms. Lizzy comes from a large family. She is the second oldest of 11 children. Growing up, it was her responsibility to help raise and care for her young siblings. From this experience, it has drawn her towards a career working with young children. She believes in creating a fun, safe, and nurturing environment for children and providing the support they need in their exploration, discoveries, and creations through hands-on experiences. Working in the field of Early Childhood Education has taught her patience, flexibility, and openness to new experiences.
During her free time, Ms. Lizzy enjoys reading, experiment with cooking, and traveling. She moved to Sacramento 10 years ago and was only planning to stay for a couple of years but fell in love with the city and decided to make it her home. Some of her favorite children’s authors are Laura Numeroff, Eric Carle, and Dr. Seuss. Ms. Lizzy is very excited to be part of Creative Spaces Preschool!
Mrs Mayte – Teacher
Miss Mayte graduated from Sacramento State University with a Bachelors Degree in Child Development. During her first year in college, she was undecided on what she wanted to major in. That was until her baby brother was born. She would help care for her brother when she wasn’t in school and took on that role as a caretaker at the age of 18. She loved taking on this responsibility, and watching him grow and learn. From then on she wanted to learn more about child development because she found it fascinating. She began her teaching career substituting for Dixon Unified School District working as a teachers aide, translator and working for an after school program called ASPIRE at different elementary schools located in Dixon. She also interned at Sacramento State’s Children’s Center where she worked with infants and toddlers. Right before graduation she landed a teaching position for preschool age students and has been working specifically with preschoolers ever since. She enjoys being a part of the incredible development preschoolers experience during the ages of 2 through 5. Also, she loves the creative stories that they tell. Miss Mayte has her Site Supervisor permit from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Coming from a Hispanic background, Miss Mayte speaks both English and Spanish fluently. She is the second oldest of her family and has three brothers and sisters. Miss. Mayte looks forward to getting to work with your children and strives to maintain strong communication with your families. She is excited to start this new journey working at Creative Spaces Preschool!
Ms Gloria – Teacher
Ms. Gloria grew up in Santa Barbara and moved to Sacramento in July of 2021. She graduated from Santa Barbara City College with an Associate of Science in Early Childhood Development and a certificate in Infant/Toddler Development. Ms. Gloria always knew that she wanted to be a preschool teacher since the time when she herself was in preschool. Her preschool teacher was the reason she wanted to teach since Gloria saw how much she enjoyed it and made the classroom feel like a second home for her students, which is what she strives for as well. Ms. Gloria plans to go back to school for her Bachelor in Early Childhood Education and English as well. One of her long-term goals is to be an English teacher in South Korea which is why she’ll be getting her Bachelors in English. Ms. Gloria speaks both English and Spanish and is currently learning Korean. She is the oldest child in her family and a first-generation college graduate. During her free time, she enjoys reading, catching up on any shows, exploring, and getting to know Sacramento. Ms. Gloria is looking forward to developing close relationships with the children at Creative Spaces as well as their families. She is excited to be part of Creative Spaces Preschool and continue her journey as a teacher!
Ms Lorena – Teacher
Ms. Lorena grew up in Sacramento, California. She decided to stay in her hometown for college. She graduated from Sacramento State University with her Bachelors Degree in Child Development with a concentration in the Social and Community Setting. Upon first enrolling into college she wasn’t sure what major she wanted to pursue due to her various career interests. She originally had chosen Mathematics as her major, with the dream to become a math teacher. Although she knew she wanted to work as a teacher, it wasn’t until she took a child development class her freshman year that her love for children and an interest in their development was enhanced. Once her nephew was born and she was able to care and experience his development first hand, she knew she wanted to work with young children and partake in their learning. Ms. Lorena considered many options in working with children and exploring the field of recreation working as a Program Lead for an after school program and summer camp. After graduation, she secured a job as a teacher for children ages 4-6 in grades TK and Kinder in Davis, CA. While there, she helped set up a preschool program and found she loved working with preschoolers. She enjoys working with preschool-age students due to their positive outlook on life and their eagerness to learn. She is fluent in both English and Spanish and is working to perfect her French. She is the youngest of five and loves going to visit her extended family in her parents’ hometown in Mexico. Ms. Lorena is a first-generation college student and is excited to pass on her love for learning on to children. She eagerly awaits to meet every child in hopes of building a relationship with each family and is excited about this new stage.
Ms. Jessica – Teacher
Ms. Jessica started her path of working with young children as she was going to school and planning to work with elementary-age students. She began teaching in a preschool classroom and discovered a love and passion for early childhood education. Ms. Jessica strongly believes in a child and teacher-directed approach and providing young children with social skills that they will carry with them throughout their childhood and into adulthood. In 2014 after she decided to further her education and knowledge in early childhood and began taking classes to receive her bachelor’s in Child Development. She has now been working in early childhood for a little over ten years and still loves every second of it. During her spare time, Jessica enjoys spending time with family, reading, cooking, traveling, and being outdoors as much as possible.
Our Teachers
All Creative Spaces teachers meet or exceed California’s childcare state licensing requirements. The preschool teachers have completed required coursework in early childhood education. All of the staff have experience working with young children in a supervised program. In addition, our staff members truly love and understand children, child development, and our learning through exploration-based philosophy.
Learning Facilitators
At Creative Spaces Preschool and Learning Center, children are not taught by a teacher. Instead, the philosophy is that teachers consistently facilitate the child’s learning experience. Teachers at Creative Spaces help children feel secure, appreciated, and interesting. Miss Mani is dedicating her work to ensuring every child at Creative Spaces feels they have earned the trust necessary to initiate their own path for learning through exploration.