about us

Leadership

Executive Director

Pauline

♥︎ Hiking + Comedy + Chocolate Almond Ice Cream

Pauline McPeake joined Growing Place in 2004. Her leadership contributes to the exemplary practices Growing Place executes for infants and toddlers and is committed to raising the visibility of the competencies of young children in our community. This is why Pauline participates in professional endeavors such as the Santa Monica Early Childhood Task Force, serves as the President of the Board of Trustees for The Children’s Center at Cal Tech, and Adjunct Faculty at SMC. To gain a deeper understanding of education programs, Pauline has studied the Forest Schools in Denmark, Reggio schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Sweden, China, and throughout the United States. Pauline has led Growing Place in the partnership between the City and SMC to help bring into fruition the Early Childhood Lab School and is proud to share the accomplishment with her fellow directors, teachers, and Board of Directors.

B.S. Child Development from Texas Woman’s University

M.A. Early Childhood and Elementary Education from New York University

Lab School director

Amanda

♥︎ Beach + Family + Nature Walks

Amanda Honda began working in early childhood education after earning her Global Studies degree at UCSB. She’s worked in Montessori and Forest Schools, but became most passionate about the Reggio Emilia and RIE approaches to education. She earned her Master’s Degree through the University of Colorado, studying alongside teachers and faculty at the Boulder Journey School. Amanda believes in fostering positive relationships between children, families, and staff to promote the best possible opportunities for community growth and children’s education.

B.A. Global Studies, Minor in English from University of California, Santa Barbara

M.A. Early Childhood Education from University of Colorado, Boulder

Marine Park Site

director

Cecilia

♥︎ Sustainability + Coffee + Reading Science Fiction

Cecilia Carrillo began teaching in Early Care and Education while attending undergraduate school at UCLA. During this time, she became the co-director of The Mentor Program at UCLA, a program dedicated to advocating for children's academic opportunities in low-income areas, while teaching at the Krieger Center at UCLA. In 2011 she joined the infant classroom at Growing Place Marine Park as the lead teacher, increasing her understanding of bridging the RIE and Reggio Emilia approach theories into our context and practice. She continued to hone her mentoring skills by becoming a mentor teacher in 2012 for the California Early Childhood Mentor Program, guiding early childhood education practicum students and novice teachers in the field, specializing in infants and toddlers.

Cecilia is dedicated to advocating for quality practices with young children, which ultimately benefit the experience for young children, parents, and teachers.

B.A. Sociology from UCLA

Ocean Park director

Losmeiya

♥︎ Cuisine + Golfing + Ridiculous Sitcoms

Losmeiya Huang began her teaching career as an AmeriCorp member where she worked with middle and high schoolers in the Bay Area. Her experiences there convinced her that education was her calling and she began her journey as a classroom teacher for the next eight years, successfully leading teaching teams in private and public school systems to create thriving environments for children ages 3 months through 8 years old. Losmeiya has a passion for early intervention, special education, research-based practices, and language immersion. She was a part of an inclusive classroom at Bank Street College's Family Center and the Stanford Bing Nursery. Losmeiya was a founding faculty member at Avenues: The World School in NYC and Westside Neighborhood School's Reggio Inspired Preschool Program in Playa Vista. Losmeiya has served as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader in the many school settings she's worked at and applies her skill sets and principles in her leadership at Growing Place since 2019.

B.A. Human Biology from Stanford University

M.S. Early Childhood and Special Education from Bank Street College

Director of Pedagogy

Sarah
♥︎ Family + Exploring Nature + Farmers Markets

Sarah Ruben joined Growing Place in 2021 as part of the founding team at the Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School. She brings years of experience in the field of early childhood education, having worked in the classroom and in school leadership across the country. Her first work in early childhood was when she was still a child herself, as an assistant ballet teacher. As she grew, she shifted her teaching from the dance studio to the classroom, focusing on play-based, constructivist, and Reggio-inspired preschools, including Stanford’s Bing Nursery and Zabar Nursery School at JCC Manhattan. Throughout, Sarah has been drawn to early childhood education for its possibilities in discovery and imagination. She is passionate about developing reflective documentation, strengthening constructivist pedagogy, and fostering individual and school-wide growth. Alongside her work in early childhood, she honed her leadership and mentoring skills working with pre-teens, teenagers, and adults at summer camp.

B.A. Cultural and Social Anthropology from Stanford University

M.S. Early Childhood General Education from Bank Street College

Christine Richard has been actively involved in the field of Early Childhood Development for nearly 30 years and is currently adjunct faculty at Santa Monica College in the ECE department. She has worn many hats over her 25 years at GP, including afternoon coordinator, classroom teacher, atelierista, and now pedagogista. Additionally, Christine is a California Mentor teacher and has worked through a grant with First5 Monterey County as a Technical Assistant for nearly 10 years. She is passionate about human development and how educational systems support this process; she has traveled extensively over the years to visit programs to gain a global perspective, as well as conducted lectures around the world to bridge quality pedagogic models and practices.

B.A. Educational Psychology from California State University Northridge

M.A. from California State University Northridge