Staff

Amy Stanley is our Silverman Preschool Director. Amy took on the role of Director in 2014, but joined the teaching staff here at Silverman in 2010. Amy received her Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts from Towson University in Baltimore, and earned her Early Childhood Certification through Grossmont College and Cerro Coso College. Amy was born in San Diego, and moved to the East Coast as a child in 1989. She returned to San Diego in 2006 with her husband, and they welcomed their twins in 2009. Amy is thrilled to lead a team of such talented and nurturing teachers, and enjoys getting to know all of the children and their families as well!

Sydney Schwartz joined our team in the summer of 2020 as the Preschool Administrative Assistant. She grew up in La Mesa and after beginning her Bachelor’s in Business, found her passion for child development while working in a preschool. Sydney is currently attending Point Loma Nazarene University to complete her Bachelor’s in Child Development. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time outside!  Sydney is very excited to join the Silverman team and we are equally happy to have her with us.

Amanda Shelton joined the Silverman staff in January of 2016. She had been a Silverman parent for a few years before she took on the role of Preschool Secretary, volunteering for a variety of different events and activities. Amanda attended the University of Washington where she met her husband Geoff. They moved to San Diego, where Geoff grew up, in 2002. They have a son and a daughter. In her free time she enjoys travelling and spending time exploring San Diego. Amanda is a tremendous asset to our staff and we are so grateful for all that she does!

Ali Smith joined our staff in the summer of 2017. She has over 17 years of experience working with children between the ages of 0 – 12 years old and she studied Child Development at Palomar and Miramar colleges. Ali was born and raised in San Diego, and she is married with two boys of her own. During her free time she enjoys the outdoors; traveling, camping, and spending time with her family.

Alyssa Ward joined our staff in 2017.  She is a licensed cosmetologist, and she is almost done obtaining her Bachelors in Organizational Leadership. Along with her many passions, is teaching and helping children. She is continuing her education in Child Development with the goal to be a certified Preschool teacher.  She believes that children are the future and that you can achieve anything in life as long as you are passionate, confident, and set your mind toward it.

Katie Edwards joined our staff in the fall of 2018. She was born and raised in Sweetwater, Texas. Then she attended college at Oklahoma State University and graduated with a Bachelor in General Studies with an Emphasis in Human Development and Family Science. After graduation she worked at a Non-Profit Preschool in a two year old classroom, so she is thrilled to be working with the infant/toddler age group and can’t wait to bring her Texas charm and educational background to help the children and families grow.

Brooke Stidman joined our staff in the Fall of 2020. She was born and raised in San Diego, and attended college in Austin, Texas where she studied child development.  She plans to continue taking courses to become a behavioral specialist.  In her free time, she loves being outdoors exploring new things.  She loves spending time at the lake with her family, and having dance parties with her daughter.

Maley Kun joined our staff in the spring of 2017. She graduated from Herbert Hoover High School and went on to San Diego City College to study early childhood education. She has many years of experience working with children of all ages, and even spent some time doing an internship at Rosa Parks Elementary working with children with disabilities. The past seven years has been spent working with infants, and she simply adores the babies. She is the youngest of eight children and is a proud auntie to 14 nephews and nieces. Her hobbies are reading, hiking, cooking and exploring the outdoors, and most recently she has started planning her wedding.

Darren York joined the Silverman staff in 2015.  He started as an Aide in the 2 year old and toddler classes, ultimately completing all of his courses to become a fully qualified Preschool teacher.  Darren originally studied engineering at Grossmont College and San Diego State University, before following his heart into the world of early childhood. Darren enjoys comics and photography, and spends a lot of his free time with his wife, 2 year old son, and 6 year old daughter at Disneyland.

Erin Vanderhyde joined the Silverman staff in 2020.  She has lived in Sunny San Diego since the age of 4. Erin graduated from SDSU with a Bachelors in Theatre Performance and also earned 2 associates from Grossmont College in Music and Humanities. She has worked with children since late 2017 as a Musical Theatre Teacher and Private Voice Teacher. When not teaching, Erin performs around San Diego professionally as a singer and actor. She is very excited to have joined the Silverman staff!

Evelyn Andrade joined our staff in the summer of 2019.  She is the youngest of 5 siblings, and an aunt to 12 nieces and nephews! She has always loved working with children. In high school she joined an internship called “teaching and learning”, where she supported a group of children to engage in activities and learning opportunities. She has received some college units and is looking to expand her education in child development. She is also a certified make-up artist. She loves to spend her free time relaxing with family and friends. She believes children are smart, creative and inspirational!  

Giselle Negrete joined our staff in the summer of 2020.  She was born and raised in San Diego, and is the middle child with an older brother and a younger sister.  Giselle has been around children her whole life, and knew at a very young age that teaching was her passion.  She loves travelling with her husband, and baking and creating new treats.  Giselle has her associates degree from Southwestern College and she is currently enrolled at PLNU to earn her bachelors degree.

Hanna Garner joined our team in the summer of 2018. She attended Pierce College for the majority of her early childhood education and continued through Saddleback College. She has worked with children, ages 2 – 6, for the past eight years. She recently received her Associate Teachers Permit through the Department of Education. She loves being in the classroom and watching the children learn new skills and apply that knowledge in their lives! It is her goal as a teacher to make a positive impact on future generations. She is married to Jonathan, and they have two children named Ava and Gavin. They relocated from Ventura County to San Diego in the spring of 2018 and they are really enjoying their new home.

Jennifer Davidson joined our staff in 2020.  She was born in Mexico and grew up in Arizona. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelors in Psychology, before moving across the country to South Carolina to be with her extended family. She started working at a daycare and fell in love with infants. She says she is a kid at heart and she loves seeing the growth in infants, and being a part of their experience. Her family relocated to San Diego,  and she is excited to be in this beautiful city with amazing weather!  In her spare time she likes spending time with family, reading, traveling and going to Disney as much as possible!  She is excited to be back in a preschool setting and working with infants again.

Jillian Wilson joined our staff in 2020.  She is currently finishing her bachelors in child development at PLNU.  She plans to teach second grade in the future.  Early childhood education and teaching have grown into a passion for her.  Jillian loves to cook, spend time with her family, and work on home decor projects.

Larisa Borukhov has been a member of our staff since 1993.  Larisa was born in Uzbekistan, and moved to San Diego in 1991, with her husband and two daughters. Larisa studied in Russia, earning a degree from the School of Arts and Music, as well as her degree in Early Childhood from the Pedagogical Institute. Larisa studied singing and music as her specialty while living in Russia, and spent 10 years teaching music to preschool age children. Larisa incorporates music and singing into her classroom every day, and she has left an imprint on every child she has taught. Larisa loves spending time with her daughters, her husband, and her two grandsons.

Lauren Oglevee joined our staff in 2020. She has her Masters in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. She holds an early childhood certification from Saddleback college and a bachelor’s in Jewish Studies from San Diego State University. Lauren has years of experience teaching at the preschool level. She has recently relocated to San Diego and in her free time she rides her horse, Zandreau. Lauren loves to combine her passion for teaching with her love of the Jewish community.

Madigan Briggs joined our staff in 2020. She was born and raised in San Diego, and attended college at the University of California Santa Barbara. Earning her degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences, she found a passion for working with children and hopes to attend graduate school for Speech Pathology. In her free time she loves surfing, practicing yoga, painting, and staying active outdoors!

Maria Linda Bueno-Strong joined our team in 2020.  She has 4 adult children, as well as 4 grandchildren.  Linda has her AA in Early childhood development and psychology, as well as behavioral science.  Linda is a current student at Point Loma Nazarene College where she is studying to earn her BA in Child Development.  She also has a background in Massage therapy, and she still works in this field part time when she is not at the Preschool.

Melina Huerta joined our staff in 2020.  She studied child development at Southwestern college, and she loves working with children and seeing them grow and gain new skills. In her free time she enjoys hiking and spending time at the beach with family and friends. She is a type 1 Diabetic, so you might see her with some cool looking stickers on her body.

Rosie Torreblanca joined our staff in the summer of 2020. She is originally from San Diego but she moved to Mexico City when she was 11 years old.  She majored in History, but after moving back to San Diego in 1993 discovered her love for working with children.  She had her own day care for many years and then went back to school to pursue an Associate’s Degree in Child Development from Southwestern College.  She is married to her high school sweetheart for 36 years and they have 2 married children.  In her free time she loves cooking, knitting, reading, and playing with her Shih-Tzu.  She also enjoys traveling with her family.

Savannah Chavarria joined our staff in the summer of 2019. She has lived in east county her entire life. She attended El Capitan High School, but graduated from Ramona High School. She loves spending time with  family and friends, and has always loved working with children.  During her free time, she loves babysitting for her cousins, or just hanging out with friends. 

Savannah Drover joined our Preschool in 2018. She was born in San Diego, California, graduated from Steele Canyon High School in 2016, and currently attends Grossmont College where she is majoring in Child Development. She has always had a passion for young children and she hopes to one day be a Child Behavioral Specialist. She adores the children in her classroom and she loves to be part of their early learning.

Vanessa Zukas Rowley joined our team in 2019.  She currently attends Grossmont College, with a focus in child development.  Her greatest passion is working with children, and she loves experiences all of the age groups as a floater.  In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, enjoying our beautiful city.