LePort Montessori

Before starting at LePort, Ms. Claudia worked in the retail and customer service fields. She has an associate degree in Humanities and Communications from Santa Ana College. While completing her AA degree, Ms. Claudia took several early childhood education courses and developed a passion for working with children. She is continuing her studies, working towards her goal of a bachelor’s degree in Childhood Development. In her spare time, Ms. Claudia enjoys reading books and learning new things, such as American Sign Language.

Ms. Andrea holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education Sciences and an additional Bachelor’s in Psychological Science from the University of California, Irvine. During her time at UC Irvine, she completed her field work as a reading tutor for elementary students in the city of Santa Ana. It was through her hands-on experience and studies on early childhood development and education, that she developed an interest and passion for working with young children. Ms. Andrea was born in Southern California, but later moved to Michoacán, Mexico when she was four years old. She spent most of her childhood in Mexico before returning to the U.S at the age of nine. Ms. Andrea is also fluent in Spanish and is very excited to be a part of Leport and its Spanish immersion program. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, watching movies, and going for a walk in the park.

Ms. Krista Bartolome is an experienced educational administrator, passionate Montessorian, and first and foremost–a parent. Driven by her strong desire to see children and adults reach their fullest potential, she takes pride in providing the best education possible to the families under her care.

In her free time, Ms. Krista enjoys walking around town with her husband, two young children, and dog Annie; immersing herself in a mystery novel; window shopping for her plant collection, and indulging in new local eateries (recommendations always welcome!).

Ms. Jodie Bato was born and raised in Southern California. Her love for children and education set her on the path of Early Childhood Education. After two years of being an assistant teacher in the infant program, Ms. Jodie knew that her passion lies with Montessori and made the decision to take the training at the Montessori Institute of San Diego. There, she earned her AMI Diploma in 2021. Before joining LePort, Ms. Jodie spent time volunteering at the UCI Medical Center in their Child Life Volunteer program where she provided support services for children and their families to ease their feelings of discomfort and fear brought on by hospitalizations. In her spare time, Ms. Jodie enjoys spending time with family and friends and learning new skills.

Ms. Fariba Bavafa has 20 years of background in Agricultural Research. After immigrating to the United States with her family, her love for children inspired her to pursue a certificate of Early Childhood Development from Irvine Valley College. She had a wonderful experience volunteering at IVC’s Child Development Center. She is blessed with this great opportunity to work at LePort Montessori. Ms. Fariba loves to see independence in children, and also loves to work with children in all ages especially infants.

In her free time, Ms. Fariba enjoys meditation, reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband and her two wonderful sons.

Ms. Lisa is a life-long resident of California. She believes strongly in Montessori Philosophy. She has many years experience working with children of all ages. Ms. Lisa started her career at LePort in 2018 as an assistant teacher. After watching the toddlers flourish in their program she decided to become a head teacher. She is now eagerly seeking her Infant/Toddler certification at The Center for Guided Montessori Studies. She is looking forward to guiding children on their journey through the Montessori environment. In her spare time, Ms. Lisa loves spending time with her adult children and running outdoors.

Lilian is a dedicated and passionate native Spanish speaker from Argentina. She is an educator with a profound love for the Montessori method. Having worked in multiple Montessori settings in North Carolina, Lilian wholeheartedly embraces the Montessori philosophy, fostering young minds with care and dedication in a supportive environment. With a genuine commitment to guiding students toward a brighter future, she finds immense joy in being surrounded by children and creating an enriching atmosphere that nurtures their love for learning. Outside of the classroom, Ms. Lilian enjoys exploring various cuisines, reading, tending to her plants, engaging in genealogical research, and spending quality time with her family. Through her passion for the Montessori method and dedication to young learners, she enables students to grow and thrive in a caring and empowering setting.

Ms. Treisa Casteel has worked in education since the early 2000s in various Montessori schools. Her passion has always been with the toddler age. She thinks they are inquisitive- wanting to know why things work the way they do and are always asking questions. Ms Treisa began working in Montessori education at a LePort school back in 2004. After 10 wonderful years supporting classrooms, she received Montessori Assistants to Infancy (0-3 teaching) credentials in 2014 from the Montessori Institute of San Diego. In her free time she enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and going to the movies with her son. She also likes to think of new, engaging activities for her students and create them herself for the class to enjoy.

Ms. Annette’s passion for children inspired her to pursue a career in early childhood education beginning in 2012, shortly after attending Long Beach City College, where she earned Early Childhood Education credits and a Teacher’s Permit. In early 2014, Ms. Annette discovered LePort Montessori in Encinitas, California where she started as an Nido Assistant Teacher. Since then, Ms. Annette has grown to love Montessori education. She earned her AMI Montessori credential for ages 0-3 from The Montessori Institute in Denver, Colorado. She has worked with infants, toddlers, and preschool children since 2012 and as a Montessori Guide since 2018.

Above all, Ms. Annette enjoys developing strong relationships with the children, parents, and staff of LePort. Outside of work, she loves spending quality time with her son, Matteo, her husband, and her pug.

Iumari is originally from Colombia and came to the United States at the age of 12. She is fluent in Spanish, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. She is married and a mother of two college graduates, Ian and Natalie, both of whom attended a Montessori school through eighth grade. When Ian was in Lower Elementary, Iumari taught Spanish lessons in his class and fell in love with the Montessori Method. By the end of his second grade year, she pursued her own Montessori journey and has never been happier. Iumari has taught at both the Lower and Upper Elementary levels, and has many years of experience as a lead teacher. She enjoys a variety of hobbies, including cooking, painting, reading, biking, hiking, making ceramics, and taking weekly trips to the beach.

Ms. Brenda was born in Guatemala and moved to the United States when she was a young child. At an early age, she helped take care of her siblings, and from that time forward she set her sights on a career in early childhood education. Before starting with LePort, Ms. Brenda worked as a nanny for nearly two years. She later enrolled in the child development program at Cerritos College, earning an associate degree in Early Childhood Development. She went on to earn her AMI Montessori Diploma at the Montessori Institute of San Diego in 2018.

Robin was born in New York, but spent the first few years of her life in Europe, where she attended a Montessori School in Amsterdam. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher. In 1996, after graduating from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a minor in Art History, Robin fell in love with Montessori’s educational philosophy. Her first teaching job was in a program that aimed to mainstream deaf and hard of hearing students, so she acquired skills in sign language. She spent three years teaching lower elementary, three years teaching upper elementary, and then discovered her true passion was in working with middle schoolers, teaching all subjects. Robin has really enjoyed working with adolescents since the early 2000s, and one of her favorite things is for students to visit after high school and beyond and share their successes with her. In 2012, Robin appeared on Jeopardy! in the Teacher’s Tournament, and she is always looking for fun new experiences like that one. She spent a summer in the cloud forest of Ecuador, teaching English to the residents of a small village. In her free time, she is an avid reader who loves to travel, cook, and volunteer.

Mrs. Pilar Costello was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She earned her B.S. in Accounting from Ricardo Palma University, and specializations in Management and Finances from ESAN Graduate School of Business. Mrs. Costello worked for over ten years in the business field until she relocated to United States.

Mrs. Costello became interested in the Education field and the Montessori philosophy through a friend who is a Montessori teacher. She earned her Early Childhood Education credits from Saddleback College and joined LePort in 2014. She completed her AMI Montessori Diploma at the Montessori Institute of San Diego in 2019. In her free time, Mrs. Costello enjoys spending time with her husband and her dog.

Ms. Fatima developed an interest in becoming a Montessori teacher while she was in elementary school. In 2004, she received her Casa dei Bambini Montessori Diploma from Montessori Teachers Training Centre in Pakistan. After moving to California, she worked as an assistant preschool teacher in a private faith-based school in Los Angeles for 7 years. During that time, she also earned her Associate of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education from Santa Monica College. Since moving to Orange County in 2018, Fatima has worked at Montessori schools in various roles. Her interests include baking, learning new skills, and attending arts and craft classes. She also loves to travel and spend time with family and friends.

Ms. Ivette De Haro was raised in South Orange County, CA. She attended Saddleback College where she completed her A.A. in Liberal Studies and earned a Certificate in Early Childhood Development. She worked as a nanny for several years and during this time she was exposed to the Montessori method through the children for whom she cared. She started working at LePort Spectrum North as an Assistant Teacher in February of 2013 and began her training at the Montessori Institute of San Diego the following year. She earned her Montessori Diploma in August of 2015 and began working at LePort Spectrum South as a Head Teacher in the Infant Community and became the Head Teacher of the Spanish Immersion Toddler Class in January of 2018. Ms. Ivette’s greatest joy is watching the children explore their environment and learn to speak and understand Spanish fluently during their time in her class. In her free time, Ms. Ivette enjoys spending time with her family and her two dogs.