Our Teachers

Our Teachers and Staff

Hilltop is staffed by fully qualified, enthusiastic and caring professionals all of whom have extensive training and background in the field of child development, possess CPR/ First Aid Certification, and are active participants in professional workshops in order to enhance their knowledge, growth and development as teachers guiding young children and their parents.

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Lynette Anderson

Lynette has worked in childcare for over 36 years. She has a passion for helping families become stronger and more effective in communicating with one another. She finds delight and wonder in helping children discover the world around them, as well as embrace the strength that comes from knowing oneself. “There is nothing greater than having the privilege and honor of being a part of a person's first discoveries, a radish that’s been pulled from the ground, a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. This is the beginning of wonder and wisdom.”


She completed her basic and advanced training through UCLA Extension and is a Certified Parenting From the Heart instructor. She has also had training in Brain Gym and Parent Effectiveness Training (PET), attended workshops and lectures in Reggio Emilia, Pistoia, Italy, and Waldorf School pedagogy. She is also CPR/first aid certified. Learning and growing into becoming a better, happier person is a constant passion for her.


Outside of school, Lynette enjoys gardening, more recently into exotic plants, cooking, and preserving foods like ferments, canning, dehydrating, and freeze-drying. She also enjoys working out with Barefoot Movers and spending time with her family.


She has 3 daughters, Ariel, Rochelle and McKenna — all of which attended Hilltop! She has been with her

husband, Bob, for 44 years and now resides in Fountain Valley along with their Great Pyrenees “George” and a Bernese Mountain Dog “Marley.”


She has taught in the Seeds, Sprouts, Blooms, and Blossoms classes here at Hilltop Preschool. “I am excited to be returning in the fall as the director of the school”.

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RyAnn Salisbury

RyAnn Salisbury has been working with children for 18 years, including three years as a preschool teacher and 15 years providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services to children with learning disabilities. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Child Development and Family Life Studies, as well as a master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis.


Through her education and experience, RyAnn has developed a deep understanding of children’s physical, intellectual, and emotional development during the foundational early years. She is passionate about creating an environment where creativity, imagination, and a love for learning can blossom.


RyAnn believes children thrive when they feel seen, heard, and valued. In the classroom, she creates a nurturing environment that encourages autonomy while honoring each child’s individual voice, interests, and needs. She loves watching children’s imaginations and creativity blossom as their unique personalities take shape, and she uses their natural curiosity and interests to build meaningful learning experiences.


Supporting children’s social-emotional development is also an important part of RyAnn’s approach. Through compassionate care, validating children’s experiences, labeling emotions, and modeling regulation, she helps children feel safe communicating their needs, expressing themselves, and building positive relationships with their peers.


Outside of the classroom, RyAnn loves spending time outdoors. Building memories with her 5 year old son and Husband. She hopes every child feels like a valued part of the classroom community and that every family feels they have found their village—a safe place for open conversations, connection, and warm support.

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 Jalene Weigand

After many years as a Preschool Teacher, 30+ years to be precise, Jalene is so grateful to have found Hilltop Preschool, which is a community, based on love, respect, and vast knowledge of Child/Human Development. Jalene has a broad range of experience in the field of Early Childhood Development working with children from the ages of birth through 12 years. She studied ECE/Human Development and received an ECE Leadership Certificate from Cal State Fullerton. Along with ECE Education, she is also a certified Life Coach focusing on Peaceful Parenting and Communication. Jalene has also studied the RIE philosophy (Resources for Infant Educators developed by Magda Gerber) and holds a RIE Certificate and is CPR/first aid certified.


Jalene lives in Anaheim with her husband, Alan. They have been married for 33 years. They do animal rescue in their community, and have 4 residents rescued cats and one sweet dog. They are working on opening a nonprofit “Colony Cat Rescue” to help with their community's feral cat overpopulation.

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Alexa Featherstone

Alexa is excited to enter into another year with our returning families and getting to know all of the new families entering into our community. This will be her 12th year at Hilltop and 10th year teaching. She's had the chance to experience teaching in all of Hilltop's classes. In addition, she taught our parenting class known as Deeper Dives. Her oldest son, Jayden, and second child, Jionni, are Hilltop Alumni. Jayden will be entering his Freshman year in high school, while her second son is entering into 5th grade. Her youngest, Jodee, just graduated our Blossoms class last year and will be entering into his first grade year this year. 



Alexa has taken Early Childhood Development courses at Saddleback College and is CPR/first aid certified. She has also taken Parenting from the Heart with Mrs. Lynette and plans to further all of that knowledge as the years go on. She has had the opportunity to teach in every class here at Hilltop. She's eager to start this year with the Blossoms class and to co-create with her colleagues to unite the community on this path of Hilltop magic.

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Chelsea Hepner

Chelsea has been working with children and families since 2007. She earned her B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development from San Francisco State University and has worked with children in various capacities since then. Chelsea has experience working in elementary-age after-school programs, infant and toddler programs, and other Reggio-inspired preschools. She has volunteered at schools in Cambodia and worked for high school travel abroad programs in Thailand.


Chelsea joined Hilltop first as a working parent and is now starting her fifth year as a classroom teacher. Chelsea is so grateful for HIlltop and deeply connects to the school’s philosophy. She is excited to be a Blossoms teacher this year and to continue learning and growing in this community alongside the other wonderful Hilltop Teachers!


Outside of the classroom, Chelsea enjoys spending time with her family. She has two children, Harper and Storm (both Hilltop Alums). They love beach days, parks, nature centers, bike rides and traveling.

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Evelyn Balestra

Evelyn Balestra is an early childhood educator focused on advocating for children’s right to learn and grow in respectful classroom communities. With her RIE (Resources for Infant Educators) and Reggio Emilia influences, she is dedicated to shifting our cultures view of young children: Acknowledging that all children are capable humans on their unique journey in this world.


She has worked alongside children, families, and college students for the past 19 years in a variety of capacities from facilitator, educator, and mentor. She received her graduate degree in Early Childhood Education from California State University, Long Beach. Evelyn has also studied the work of American schools practicing Reggio Emilia philosophy in Southern California, Oregon and New Mexico.


Most recently, she studied the Swedish adaptation of the Reggio Emilia Philosophy in Stockholm. Evelyn serves on the Board of Orange County Reggio Round Table, where she advocates for elevating the professionalism in the Early Childhood Field and providing educators with knowledge of the Reggio Emilia Practices.

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Thi Thai

Thi Thai holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from California State University, Long Beach, and an Early Childhood Specialized Instruction credential from California State University, Fullerton. She has experience teaching 7th grade Language Arts, kindergarten, and preschool. This will be her 3rd year teaching at Hilltop.


Thi began her journey at Hilltop as a working parent and serving on the board as Vice President and Chair before transitioning into a teacher role, where she has taught in both the Blooms and Sprouts programs. She is excited to continue growing within the Hilltop community and to join the Sprouts and Blossoms classes this year. Thi finds joy in spreading creativity and fostering a lifelong love for learning in children.


Outside of school, Thi enjoys gardening, pottery, and camping with her husband and their two children, Sam and Finley.

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Stephanie Kehoe

This will be Stephanie's eighth year with the Hilltop community. She has been a working parent, Ways & Means chair on the board, a four-year parenting from the heart student ,a teacher and this year has stepped up as an assistant director. Stephanie has her MA degree in teaching from Rider University and has over 20 years experience working with children. Stephanie taught kindergarten and preschool in the public school system but prefers Hilltop's heart centered , play based/Reggio inspired curriculum as the best way young children learn. Stephanie loves connecting with her students and learning their unique interests and love languages.

 

Stephanie lives in Huntington Beach with her husband Jeremy of 14 years, her daughters Harper(9) and Hudson (6) and her dog Callie (13). In her free time Stephanie loves to travel, cook, camp and workout- teaching Pure Barre. She is CPR and first aid certified. Stephanie is very excited to be teaching the Seeds and Sprouts classes this year and to work with all of the wonderful Hilltop teachers and families.

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Bebe Contreras

Bebe is a dedicated educator who has taught at Hilltop since 2024 and previously taught here from 2015 to 2018. In 2011, Bebe discovered Hilltop and brought her eldest child for classes. She fell in love with the Reggio-inspired environment that Hilltop fosters. Bebe became a working parent and eventually a teacher while her youngest daughter went through the Hilltop program. In addition to teaching at Hilltop, Bebe was a Special Education teacher and knows how to engage well with neurodivergent and special-needs children. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University. Additionally, she has completed multiple Parenting from the Heart courses and is CPR-trained. Bebe has diverse experience in

many roles, including being an in-home therapist and a long-term substitute teacher in general education.


It is important to Bebe that the children at Hilltop have a fun childhood full of magic, learning, and exploration, and she does her best to make that possible. She is grateful for our Hilltop community and enjoys working with our teachers and getting to know the Hilltop families.


Outside of teaching, Bebe enjoys spending time with her family, two cats, and her dog. She likes gardening, crafting, and spending time at the beach. One of her favorite places to be is Sweden, visiting her family.

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Lisa Ohki

Lisa is excited to begin her third year as a teacher at Hilltop. Her connection to the school began as a parent, when her twins, Finley and Ophelia, started their Hilltop journey as Seeds. Her years volunteering in the classroom inspired her transition into teaching and gave her a deep appreciation for Hilltop’s child-led, play-based philosophy.


Lisa holds a BA in History of Art from the University of Leeds in the UK and spent a year studying abroad at UC Irvine, where she earned an International Certificate in History of Art. She is currently continuing her education in Early Childhood Education at Orange Coast College.


Creativity and art have always been passions for Lisa, and she now finds inspiration in the many ways children express their ideas and curiosity. She especially values learning alongside the children and following their interests. Before becoming a teacher, Lisa worked in the jewelry industry, designing, making, and selling jewelry. Outside of Hilltop, she loves to travel, spend time outdoors, and enjoy new experiences with her family.

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Charlie Hirsch

Charlie is entering her second year as a teacher at Hilltop. Previously she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Chapman University, a Master’s degree in Chemistry from California State University, Long Beach, and a PhD in Chemistry from UC Irvine. She taught in various capacities throughout her graduate experience where she discovered a passion for teaching. She is currently enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program at OCC and is excited to be back in the classroom. She has taken two years of Parenting from the Heart classes from Lynette and has previously worked in the classroom at Hilltop as a parent. She lives in Huntington Beach with her two children and golden retriever. She enjoys spending time in nature, crochet, watercolor, and skateboarding.