MEET OUR PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR
MISS KATHY VANDERHOFF
Hello TPC Preschool Families! It is such a blessing to be part of the Trabuco Presbyterian Church community. It was great experience opening a brand new preschool in November of 2021 with only four students. I can't believe that we are half way our second school year. We are blessed with continued enrollment and amazing teachers. I look forward to getting to know all of our wonderful families. I am excited to see what God has planned for each of them this year!
On a personal note, I began my early childhood career in 1999. I worked as office support and taught 3 and 4 year olds/kindergarten readiness. I continued taking classes until receiving my Early Childhood Education Certificate from Saddleback College. My education continued until I received my B.A. and Teaching Credential from Concordia University in 2006. I worked in elementary for several of years while completing my Masters in Education (M.Ed.) in 2012. I later found my way back to early childhood as a director, a Pre-Kindergarten teacher for 5 years and finally a program director again. I have been married for over thirty years, have two daughters and two grandchildren.
I am so happy to not just have a job but to use my time and talents to answer a call to work with young children and their families.
LEAD TEACHERS
MRS. WALTHER
PRESCHOOL
Dorothy has worked in the field of early childhood education in Saddleback Valley for over 35 years and has always loved working with 3 year-olds. She creates personal relationships with each of her children to give them the best opportunity to succeed and grow in her class. Dorothy’s passion for music, movement activities and crafts is brought into her daily classroom routine to provide a classroom environment where the children feel comfortable and safe to make new friends and let their imaginations run free.
Dorothy has been married to her husband Charlie for 44 years and they have two grown children. When she is not teaching, she is mostly likely dancing to music at home or spending time with her family. Especially with her grandchildren Logan (age 5) and Scarlett (age 2). In her free time, she enjoys going camping with her husband Charlie.
Dorothy is so grateful to be a member of the TPC Preschool staff.
MRS. ESTRADA
BEGINNERS
Heather has worked in the field of child development for 20 years and teaching preschool-aged children for 6 years. She obtained her BS in Human Services with a focus on Social Work. While she loved the aspect of helping others, she realized teaching could give her both worlds of creativity while helping children grow. Heather went back to school to obtain her Early Childhood Units, and has loved teaching ever since!
Heather’s main goal is to make these early learning years safe, comfortable, fun, and creative, so their confidence in school and themselves can grow. Heather and her husband live locally and have 2 children (a tween and a teen). She loves photography, going to the beach, and LOVES visiting the Hawaiian Islands, especially the Kona, Big Island.
Heather is very happy to be teaching your little ones at TPC Preschool!
MRS. CANEDY
PRE-K
Laurie comes to us with over 20 years of teaching experience. She has taught 3, 4, and 5-year old traditional preschool classes as well as art, literature, science, and math enrichment classes for young children. She completed her ECE certificate program and her A.S. degree in human development at Saddleback college.
She loves working with this age group and getting to know each child and their family. Her primary goals are to teach children that preschool is a safe place to be and learning is a fun, life-long experience.
Laurie and her husband, Craig, have lived in Mission Viejo for over 30 years and raised 3 children in the Saddleback Valley. She welcomed her first granddaughter earlier this year and loves spending lots of time with her. She is so grateful to have found this new preschool home.
MRS. VANESSA
BEGINNERS
Vanessa moved from Peru 30 years ago. She graduated from Warren High School in Downey, CA. Vanessa went on to Cerritos College where she received her Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts. In 2022, she received her Associate's Teaching Certificate from Saddleback College. She is now working on her Bachelor’s degree in Child Development.
Vanessa has a passion for working with young children. She is a bilingual teacher. She was a volunteer in a Pre-K classroom at Cielo Vista Elementary and in a Kindergarten classroom at Robinson Elementary School. She worked at Trabuco Mesa Elementary and Robinson Ranch Elementary as a field Supervisor.
ASSOCIATE TEACHERS
MISS TAYLOR
TEACHER ASSISTANT
Miss Taylor joined TPC Preschool a little over a year ago as a teacher assistant. She is such an asset! Taylor was born and raised in Mission Viejo. She started babysitting when she was 13 for a couple of families in her neighborhood. She remembers those being the best of times. Taylor graduated high school in 2017. Shortly after she knew she wanted to continue working with children. In September 2021, she began working as a childcare assistant for a women's ministry church group in Aliso Viejo. She is currently working on an Associate’s degree at Saddleback Community College. Eventually, she would like to pursue a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education.
In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her old pup Sugar and going on road trips with her friends in the summer. We are so happy to have Taylor as part of our TPC Preschool staff.