Staff

Our qualified and dedicated teachers are at the core of the program. The school employs two full-time preschool teachers and three part-time teachers, as well as two teacher's aides. All are native or fully bilingual German speakers and are also fluent in English. Every teacher/teacher's aid has extensive credentials in early childhood education. A high teacher-child ratio (1:6) ensures that each child gets the attention s/he needs. The monthly staff meetings and yearly staff training inspire new ideas and resources for the program. Each staff member brings special skills to the table, contributing with their unique rich life and work experience.

BAKS is administered by the director under the guidance of a volunteer board of directors made up of five parents.

 

Sybille Cohen
(director)

Sybille grew up in Hamburg, Germany and moved to the Bay Area in 2001. Sybille was trained in child development in Germany, has taught children from infants to preschool age and has taken many ECE classes over years. Before she was part of the BAKS staff in 2007, she taught and supervised a toddler and kindergarten program in Novato for 7 years. Sybille became director in 2009 and lives in Marin with her husband David.

 

 

 

Sarah Schneider
(head teacher)

Sarah moved to California from Landsberg, Germany and began working at BAKS in November 2008. She was trained in child development in Germany and she has been teaching for several years. During her studies she did many internships and worked with children of different age levels as well as with children with special needs. Sarah's education and professional experience are equivalent to the requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in education with a major in early childhood education.

 

 

 

Caroline Robinson
(teacher)

Caroline has been with BAKS since November 2006. She grew up in the Bay Area but spent many summers and a few years in Switzerland with cousins and family, both visiting and working. She attended San Francisco State University and majored in Art Education with a minor in Child Development. She has worked with children for 20 years in various preschools, taking breaks to go to the Peace Corps in Niger, Africa, and to start her own family. Caroline lives with her husband and her three children in El Cerrito.

 

 

Marietta Gelfort
(teacher and instructor of the Speech Melody Formation class)

Marietta began working at BAKS in 2008 and has been a speech therapist since 2001. She completed her education at the School of Speech Therapy at the University Hospital of Saarland in 2001. She worked at an interdisciplinary office of therapy for 2.5 years and after that at a private office of speech therapy for another 4.5 years. During her work as a speech therapist she practiced various therapy concepts in the field of language development for children, the integration of musical aspects were an integral part of this therapy. Additionally, she managed workshops for bands and a vocal ensemble. Since October, 2008 she has taught the speech melody formation class at BAKS and also worked as a substitute teacher.

Annamaria Torok
(teacher)

Annamaria was born in Hungary and lived in Germany for five years before moving to California in 1988, along with her husband and three children. When her youngest daughter started preschool, Annamaria began a new career as a preschool teacher, earning a degree in preschool education at the Contra Costa Community College. For seven years, she was director of BAKS, helping the growth by obtaining a license for 30 children (from formerly 15). She now works as a teacher for two mornings per week.

Beatrix Lehmann
(teacher's aide)

Beatrix joined the BAKS staff in 2005 as a teacher's aide. In her native Austria she worked frequently as a camp counselor while attending the University of Economics. She also enjoys volunteering in the classroom of her older child. Beatrix has two children, and lives with her family in Berkeley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heidi Gabriel Meyer
(teacher's aide)

Heidi is a native of Germany who has lived in Berkeley for the past 25 years. She has been with BAKS since the spring of 2005. She has had a varied professional career, including HVAC engineering and accounting. She has always enjoyed being with and caring for children, which she often did in Germany. She has been a teacher's aide at another local preschool for several years before joining BAKS.