Meet the Team
Woodland Haven Family
Keri Aoki
Administrator
Keri Slaven Aoki is a Woodland native with deep roots in our community and a desire to contribute to its success and growth. Her passion for child education began in high school when she took an ROP careers with children course and was able to work hands on with children with special needs. She was also a camp counselor for school and church organizations throughout high school. Her love for education continued throughout college where she majored in Animal Biology and minored in Education. Her path in life quickly changed when she became a mother and nearly lost her child to a congenital birth defect at 3 days old. After two years of ups and downs, she began working again and quickly realized how hard it is to leave your entire world in the hands of another person. This experience helped drive her passion and vision to create the nurturing environment that is now Woodland Haven.
Laura Palmerin
Little Crawlers Lead
Meet Laura, the lead teacher in our infant (3-24 month) classroom. She has two daughters: Lorelei Everly(6) & Flora Bloom(4) who are her greatest accomplishments! She enjoys spending quality time with her husband, children, family and friends. Laura is bilingual; she is fluent in Spanish and loves teaching children meaningful words in Español! She loves to work on hand embroidery projects and sewing in her spare time. “If I can think it, I can make it! I really enjoy DIY projects that test my abilities”. Laura dreamt of being a teacher since she was a child and has always had a deep passion for nurturing young minds. She been working in preschool/schools as a teacher for 7+ years. She took ECE college classes while in high school to expand her love and knowledge of helping little minds grow! In her years of experience, she has had the pleasure of working in a certified Montessori classroom for 2+ years and is passionate about Maria Montessori's approach on education which emphasizes independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child's natural psychological, physical, and social development. She has worked with infants, toddlers, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten-6 grade and while she loves all ages, her passion really shines through for infants and toddlers! “I love getting the opportunity to help children explore and learn their role in our world. I enjoy seeing milestones and helping children learn through meaningful play”. This school year, she looks forward to watching your child blossom from infancy into toddlerhood and getting to be a part of your family's tribe!
Ashley Toburen
Director
Meet Ashley Toburen, the Center Director of Woodland Haven. She has her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, with over 18 years of experience in the Preschool setting. She began her journey in education because she had a passion for teaching, and she wanted to make a difference in the lives of our youngest children. She has taught every age group from 6 weeks to 5 years old and has learned something different with each age. Ashley’s all-time favorite children’s book is “Going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Outside of the school setting, her passion is hanging out with her husband, their four dogs and their crew of nieces and nephews. She strives to be an excellent director, teacher, wife and more, and she loves that she can be a part of the Woodland Haven family.
Shelby Berriman
Little Climbers Lead
Meet our Lead Teacher in our toddler (24-36 month) classroom, Mrs. Shelby. She has been working with children since she was 19 years old, which was 18 years ago! Nearly half of her life has been focused on providing quality care and education to young children. She grew up in a home daycare and knew from a very early age that working with children was her future. For many years, she operated a daycare of her own out of her home here in Woodland. She has been married for nearly 13 years and has two children. Her son is 13 and her daughter is 8. She also has a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador named Smokey. “They definitely keep me on my toes!”. Shelby and her family enjoy going to the movies and visiting Disneyland whenever possible. She is looking forward to many more years of wonderful teaching at Woodland Haven!
Kayleigh Stalie
Assistant Director
Meet Kayleigh Stalie, Woodland Haven’s Assistant Director. She has a Bachelor's Degree from CSU Chico in Health Science and Education with a Minor in Health and Wellness. She continued her educational journey by completing courses at Woodland Community College to achieve an Early Childhood Education Achievement Certificate. Kayleigh has worked with the City of Woodland for over 10 years ranging in positions from Water Aerobics Instructor, Swim Instructor to Pool Manager. Returning to Woodland from Chico, she worked at Chase Bank for 8 years as an Operational Specialist and assisting in public outreach. Outside of Haven, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their daughter, searching for their next adventure, and creating memories as a family, growing her green thumb, and caring for their herd of fur and feathered children.
Erika Vasquez
Little Explorers Lead
Meet Ms. Erika, the lead teacher in our preschool (3-4 year) classroom. She has been working with children for 7 years and her passion began at a young age. Her career in Early Childhood Education began in high school by taking careers with children where she had the opportunity to intern at Freeman elementary with a first-grade teacher for two years (this teacher also happened to be Erika’s 1st grade teacher when she was younger). “After high school I took a break to figure out where I wanted to be in life. I knew I always had a passion for teaching but was not ready to commit. I took all my Early Childhood Education courses at Woodland Community College with the plan to see if I wanted to work in childcare. I fell in LOVE with teaching, especially the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching young children”. She previously worked at the Child Development Center at Tafoya Elementary school where she worked with ages 2.5 years old up to 12 years old. “Although I miss my older school aged students, I know I'm exactly where I need to be. I love to see the excitement on children's faces when they see a science experiment, or they begin to recognize their name and numbers”. Ms. Erika is fluent in English and Spanish and enjoys learning new languages. In her free time, she enjoys being with her family and going on walks. She is a a foodie at heart and enjoys traveling. “Being a teacher to young children is amazing and I want to thank you for the opportunity to teach your child”. This year she is looking forward to helping children explore the world around them through nature, art, music, and science!
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Skye Rosselli
Administrative Assistant
Meet Skye Rosselli, Woodland Haven’s Administrative Assistant. Skye began working with children when she was 15 years old as a volunteer at Woodland’s YMCA. She quickly developed a love for working with young children and witnessing their incredible growth throughout the years. She later became a preschool assistant teacher for the YMCA until she had children of her own. While being a stay-at-home mom, she obtained her associate degree in Natural Science and Mathematics. She is currently completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science and completing courses to further her education in Early Childhood Education. Outside of Haven, she enjoys spending time with her two children creating memories and going on adventures!
Hayden Garcia
Little Engineers Lead
Meet Ms. Hayden, the Lead Teacher in our Pre-K (4-5 year old) classroom. She has been teaching this age group for 4 years now and loves the high energy and constant development of this age. “I strive to have a welcoming classroom environment where the children feel well loved and at home to be themselves”. Her favorite part of being a preschool teacher is creating bonds with each and every child and watching them grow into themselves. Hayden has her Bachelor’s degree in English Education from Sacramento State and eventually plans to teach junior high school English. She is looking forward to another incredible year teaching at Woodland Haven Preschool.
