Natural Bridges Children's Center
Sarah Davis- Teacher
Caroline Healy- Teacher
Gillian Carpenter- Site Supervisor/Teacher
Gillian was born and raised in San Francisco, where she attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory. Gillian moved to Santa Cruz to continue her education at Cabrillo College, where she fortuitously unearthed her passion for early childhood education. Gillian has been an educator for thirteen years, six of which, she spent as the director of Cooper Street Preschool (an anti-bias, play-instructed program she founded in Felton). Gillian adopts theories by some of the most beautiful minds in the field of ECE, including Gerber, Maslow, Piaget and Vygotsky. She intentionally weaves their brilliances into her curriculum, practices and methods to ensure each child reaches their individual developmental goals. In addition to providing care for her students, Gillian has been blessed with two exceptional humans to raise and to nurture (Alexander Henry & Stella Josephine), and two sufficiently silly fur babies to snuggle and love (Milo Carlos & Jim Carrey). The Carpenters live happily and rambunctiously in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where they enjoy hiking, cooking and playing competitive Scrabble.
Nicole Fournell- Teacher
Nicole was born and raised in Manhattan Beach, California. She moved to San Francisco in 2016 to attend San Francisco State University and graduated with her BA in English Education with an emphasis in literature in 2020. Nicole moved to Santa Cruz in 2023 and is currently obtaining early childhood education units at Cabrillo College. Prior to joining the team at Natural Bridges, Nicole worked in the toddler program at Mission Montessori in San Francisco for almost 4 years and has substituted in various classrooms at Gateway K-8 School in Santa Cruz. She has also volunteered at non-profit after-school programs for under-resourced students in LAUSD and tutored at various middle and high schools throughout SFUSD. Nicole is grateful for the opportunity to watch children develop new skills, grow, and flourish in a play-based educational environment. She values NBCC’s emphasis on growth mindsets and social-emotional learning methods. She also enjoys working collaboratively with other teachers and learning various teaching philosophies. When she is not working, Nicole enjoys swimming in the ocean, yoga, cooking, backpacking, and traveling.
Administration Team
Sarah Jane Murphy - Teacher
Sarah Jane is in her fourth year with the Honu Room, our youngest learners here at NBCC. She has been working in education for over 4 years and comes from a family of educators. Her experience shows in her gentle understanding of young children and their learning processes. She started by working in after school care and substituting at Gateway Elementary School before joining the NBCC team. Sarah Jane graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in Intensive Psychology. She loves celebrating each child's unique play and learning styles to better support and celebrate their growth. She enjoys creating connections with kids through their individual play and communication. When Sarah Jane is not teaching she is doing art, hiking, journaling, and hanging out with friends.
Jonnie Cardinale - Owner/Founder
Jonnie Cardinale is the owner of Natural Bridges Children’s Center and a 1st grade teacher at Gateway School. She has been educating children in Santa Cruz County for 17 years and has experience that spans both preschool and elementary school settings. Jonnie holds 2 degrees in Early Childhood Education, and a national certification as a handwriting specialist. She additionally holds a micro-credential in the Neuroscience of Growth Mindsets and specializations in reading & literacy, curriculum planning, and educators mindfulness. Jonnie’s passion for children’s learning and social emotional development drives her continued education. She regularly attends educator forums on brain science which deepens her understanding of children's milestones and teacher best practices. It also refines her skills in stimulating children’s executive function and guides her work with families. Jonnie is a fierce advocate for the field of early childhood education and enjoys imparting her knowledge on its importance to children's seamless transition into Kindergarten and future academic success. She has written several articles on this topic and has served on both local and statewide boards. Jonnie has been a part of the Santa Cruz community for over 40 years and lives with her husband Joey and cat Freddie. They have two daughters and enjoy spending time with family and friends and eating good food! Jonnie’s next adventure is writing a children's ‘Learning to Read’ book series.
Courtnay Schmidt - Teacher
Courtnay teaches in our Monarch classroom and has a gift for working with our Pre-K learners. She has a background and education in early childhood development, and has always known she was meant to work with children! She understands and connects with the children giving them the space to explore, communicate and share their curiosities. Her previous experience in facilitating and running 'Art & 'Messy' camps has aided the thoughtful and engaging curriculum she develops in the classroom. She specializes in creating amazing sensory experiences for our students while supporting their growth and development through art and play. The children can always look to Teacher Courtnay for hours of fun and learning! When Courtnay is not teaching, she enjoys backpacking, hanging out with her family, gardening, cooking amazing meals or creating her own art!
Karyn Schmidt - Co-Founder/Director/Teacher/Family Support
Karyn has been in the field of Early Childhood for two decades! She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in the areas of social and emotional development and in the sharing of community and family resources. After receiving her degree in Child Development, she went on to specialize in creating family supported communities to encourage collaborative learning and growth. Through the Child Development Family Support meetings at NBCC, she very much enjoys seeing families share together, building relationships and a community that will last a lifetime! Her certificates include Anti-Bias Education, Families and Diversity, Administration, and Curriculum Planning. Karyn appreciates a plethora of teaching philosophies. The ones that speak to her the most involve the Reggio-Emilia approach, play based learning using the constructivists theory; where it is believed that children learn through doing. Her greatest experience however, comes from raising three children of her own. She loves spending time with her family, gardening, taking hikes, playing and watching basketball, and enjoying the community that they’ve been a part of for generations.
Teaching Team
Charlie Cook - Teacher
My name is Charlie Cook(or Teacher Charlie) and I am excited to have joined the NBCC
family this year! My origin is Ventura, though I am most fortunate to call Santa Cruz my
home of learning, working, experiencing, living, and growing. Outside of my work here
at NBCC, my experience in the field of Early Childhood comes from Santa Barbara,
where I taught at the City College Early Childhood Lab School and at a local Co-op
preschool, Starr King. Moreover, at Santa Barbara City College I received my
associates and credential in Early Childhood and Child development, though in this field
I will never end my learning process. I am zealous in my work as an educator and I
believe in the positive impact of fostering partnership between families and school,
providing children with engaging and aesthetic open-ended experiences, nurturing
children's interests and independence in choice, and encouraging children's social-
emotional growth. Currently, my studies have taken me to double major in Health
Science and Education at UCSC, the Harvard of the west as they say. In my free time I
reserve space for rock climbing, surfing, skiing, hiking, and my ventures in learning to
crochet. Sidenote: I am actively practicing my French braiding skills as it seems to be an
unspoken, yet certainly necessary, prerequisite for working with children. I love working
in this environment with such passionate, intentional, and hardworking teachers and feel
so grateful to continue collaborating with such loving, unique, and joyful families.