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Our Administration Team

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Jonnie Cardinale - Owner & Founder

Jonnie Cardinale is the owner and founder of Natural Bridges Children’s Center. With over 17 years of experience educating children in Santa Cruz County, Jonnie brings a unique perspective that bridges early childhood education and elementary school success.

  • Expertise & Credentials: Holds two degrees in Early Childhood Education and a national certification as a handwriting specialist.
  • Specialized Training: Earned a micro-credential in the Neuroscience of Growth Mindsets and attended the prestigious Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. She specializes in early literacy, math, curriculum planning, and educator mindfulness.
  • Advocacy & Leadership: A fierce advocate for early childhood education, Jonnie frequently speaks on the importance of early learning for a smooth transition into Kindergarten. She has authored several articles on the topic and has served on both local and statewide boards dedicated to advancing early education.

Jonnie’s work with families is grounded in building children’s executive function skills, social-emotional confidence, and fostering strong home-school partnerships.

Behind the Scenes: Jonnie has called Santa Cruz home for over 40 years, where she lives with her husband, two amazing daughters, a cat named Freddie, and two wildly wonderful English Cream Retrievers. She treasures fresh air, great coffee, and is currently working on a children’s book series and planning a dog rescue property.

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Aubrey Raney - Assistant Director

Aubrey Raney is the assistant director and master teacher at Natural Bridges Children’s Center, bringing a wealth of experience to our Santa Cruz preschool community. Holding a bachelor's degree in psychology, Aubrey possesses a specialized skill set focused on the social, behavioral, and cognitive development of young children.

With extensive experience guiding children ages 2 to 11, she is deeply passionate about designing early childhood education environments that support and nurture each child’s unique learning style and behavioral needs.

Expertise, Credentials & Child Development Background:

  • Education: B.A. in Psychology (Emphasis on Child Psychology) - California State University, Chico
  • Specialized Certification: Handwriting Without Tears Certified
  • Advocacy & Leadership: During her university tenure, Aubrey completed a student advocacy internship with Students for Quality Education. In this role, she collaborated with statewide student leaders and presented student success priorities directly to the California State University Board of Trustees.

Aubrey's academic background and advocacy roots fuel her dedication to student success, child counseling principles, and fostering emotional well-being in early education.

Behind the Scenes: Aubrey moved to Santa Cruz, CA when she was 12 years old and is proud to live and work in the community she loves. Outside the classroom, she enjoys soaking up the California sunshine with a good book and exploring local Santa Cruz hiking trails with her loyal dog, Tango. Her deep connection to nature and the local community perfectly aligns with the outdoor and holistic values we cherish at Natural Bridges Children’s Center.

Our Teaching Team

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Zeya Hazelman - Master Teacher

Zeya Hazelman is a master teacher at Natural Bridges Children’s Center. ​

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Emmanuelle Pancaldi - Master Teacher

Emmanuelle Pancaldi is a master teacher at Natural Bridges Children’s Center, offering extensive experience to our Santa Cruz preschoolcommunity. Emmanuelle brings over 30 years of experience caring for young children, starting with a year as an Au Pair for twin infants when she first moved to the US from France, to raising her own daughter as a single mom while working over the past 6 years at several local private preschools. Emmanuelle studied Early Childhood at Cabrillo College from 2020 to 2023 to further deepen her expertise of young children care. Emmanuelle is also a French teacher and tutor, currently working with preschool age children, as well as K-12 children, college students and adults.

Expertise, Credentials & Child Development Background:

  • Education: BA equivalent in Communications and Spanish Language from the Université Francois Rabelais in Tours, France. More recently, Emmanuelle took Early Childhood courses at Cabrillo College, and intends to continue her EC education to further her nurturing skills.

  • Advocacy & Leadership: During her 4 years at the Waldorf Preschool, Emmanuelle had many opportunities to lead classes, which she enjoyed tremendously. Emmanuelle also ran her own home daycare during the Summer months from 2021 to 2025. During this past school year, she led NBCC’s Caterpillar classroom with daily dedication and care, and loved every minute of it.

Behind the Scenes: Emmanuelle has been living in the Santa Cruz Mountains since 2003 and shares her beautiful home in the forest with her beloved daughter and two sweet kittens. Emmanuelle enjoys cooking French and Italian food, loves reading poetry and philosophy books and hiking/birdwatching all over the mountains, as well as camping with friends in remote places in the Sierras every Summer. Emmanuelle studied 7 foreign languages and is currently fluent in 3, and she loves to share her linguistic knowledge with young children. Emmanuelle is passionate about her work with young children and she brings her enthusiasm, patience, kindness and dedication to NBCC on a daily basis.

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Charlie Cook - Master Teacher

Charlie Cook is a master teacher at Natural Bridges Children’s Center. ​