Meet Our Faculty

My name is Stephanie, and I have been with Castles Preschool as the Director since November 2008. I graduated from Chico State in 2006 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science & a Minor in Child Development. In the spring of 2008, I earned my Elementary Teaching Credential after a full year of student teaching, split with grades K, 2, and 4. While attending college, I also worked, gaining initial experience with children at a preschool in my hometown of Paradise, as well as working for The Arc of Butte County. In recent years, 2014 & 2016, I had two baby boys of my own. It has been a blessing to be able to have them attend preschool here at Castles, as I work. Each day I enjoy working at Castles with our dedicated staff—which is more like a second family—to enrich the lives of children in our care.

Hello, my name is Katie, and I have worked in the Child Development field for almost 15 years! I started working with after school children at a large facility in the Bay Area, where I was born and raised. I moved to Chico to attend Chico State, where I graduated with a degree in Child Development and Psychology. Shortly after I graduated, I went to work for the school district, where I worked with children on the autism spectrum. I worked in a specialized classroom for several years. Before I started working with the school district, I started working at Castles, where I started with the school-age kids. Over the years, my role has changed in various ways. I am now at the preschool age, where I love it! I am also beginning to learn administrative duties as well as part of the day at Castles. On the weekends you can and me with my family. I love spending time with my family, especially my niece and nephews, who just moved to Rocklin. If I’m not with my family, you can and me with friends! I love to travel, read, and go to the movies.

Hi, I’m Michelle. I’ve been at Castles Preschool for 16 years. I have 3 daughters, 6 grandchildren, and one on the way in September. I have spent my career at Castles working with babies in the infant room. I am also an assistant supervisor for the classroom. I love working with the babies. I do circle time and art with the older babies. I teach them nursery rhymes, colors, animals, and sounds. I enjoy watching them grow, as they are so precious!

My name is Mouloud and I was born in Tehran, Iran. When I was 25, I moved from Iran to Hamburg, Germany, where I met my husband and had my two children. We moved to the United States in 2002 where I pursued my passion in becoming a teacher and joined Castles in 2003. I am grateful to be surrounded by angels every day when I come to work. In my free time, I enjoy baking for my loved ones and writing stories.

My name is Alma, and I’ve been at Castles since April 2013. I’ve also been working with children since 2009. With a degree in Early Childhood Education, I hope to make a difference in the lives of children who walk through our doors. My favorite goals to accomplish with preschoolers are: building positive relationships, encouraging children to try new things, helping them discover self-identity skills, and creating fun ways to learn the school curriculum. Other things I enjoy during my time are: photography, cooking, and taking care of my loving pets!

Hello everyone, my name is Muyassar, and I am honored to be a member of the great team of Castles Preschool and Daycare since 2013. After graduating from Chico State University with my second Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2011, I was so excited and thankful to have the opportunity to start a new job at Castles, first as an infant care provider and now as a toddler teacher. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a mother of six kids. I was blessed with having twins, age 28, and quadruplets, age 25—“all-natural, no fertility involved!”

​My name is Tiffany Eckhardt and I am so excited to be joining the Castles team once again. I have had the privilege of teaching at Castles for almost 8 years before making the difficult decision to stay at home with my now 8-year-old son, Gavin. I am honored to be given the opportunity to come back and continue my love and passion for teaching. I was born and raised here in Chico and first started working at Castles when I began taking courses at Butte College to become an Elementary School Teacher. I soon realized my love and passion for preschool and switched my courses to Early Childhood Development. Castles has not only been a part of my college journey but has also been a part of my journey, starting my life with my wonderful husband, Matt, and becoming a mom myself. It has become more than just a place of work. Coming back feels like coming home.

Some of the focuses of my teaching consist of the nurtured heart approach, developing a growth mindset, and utilizing the toolbox project. I’m hoping to encourage children to bring greatness to the classroom and others by focusing on certain virtues throughout our day and hopefully creating an environment where we all build each other up and feel loved and appreciated. Although, my main focus is developing a love of learning. My biggest goal will always be to create an environment where your child feels safe, loved, understood, and eager to explore. I want your child to be excited to come to school and, in return, excited to learn and take on new challenges.

Hello, my name is Christine. I have been at Castles since February 2013. Over my time here, I have worked with all ages and in all classrooms. I currently help with transition times in the preschool in the morning and then work my afternoon shifts to do bus routes and the after school program. I have worked with children for many years and raised three children of my own. I love gardening, cleaning, and my cats!

Hi! My name is Liz. This is my first job at a Daycare, and I have been here for 3 years. I took this position at Castles because I enjoy working with children, especially babies. I live with my husband, Wes, out in the country on 40 acres in Bangor. I have two daughters—Jessica, 33, and Becca, 30. I also have two grandsons—Avery, 7 years and August, 3 years. They live in Portland and fill my heart with joy. I am so excited to be here to work with children! One of my favorite moments during the day happens when a child runs up to me, wraps their sweet little arms around my knees, and gives me the best hug ever! This is why I love my job at Castles.

My name is Zermina Khan, and I’m 24 years old. I graduated from Chico State in 2017 with a BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I’m currently working on an Early Childhood Degree. I work with the babies here at Castles and enjoy watching them grow!​

Hello! My name is Zabrina, and I work with the 2-3 year olds. I am currently working towards my child development degree and enjoy both teaching and learning from the children as I continue to grow in my career.

My name is Maria. I was born in Mexico but brought to California at age 11. I have lived most of my life in Colusa County. I am a mother of 5 and a grandmother of 4. I attended and took many classes in Child Development at Butte College before starting at Castles. I worked at another center where I gained a lot of experience with infants and also 3-4-year-olds. I love to read to the children and sing because little ones are like sponges. They absorb everything! I am bilingual in Spanish, so I try to teach them that language

​My name is Ashley and I’ve been working here at Castles since January. I just started working full-time alongside Ms. Heather in the 3-4 year old room, which I enjoy very much. I currently commute to Chico from Orland where I live with my boyfriend and his son. In our free time, we enjoy fishing, camping, and spending time with our families and friends. I am excited to play and learn with all the children here at Castles!

Hi, I’m Jessica, and I love working with children. My favorite part about working at Castles is listening to the stories kids share. I work prepping art and helping with the preschool classrooms.