Lindsey Widger
co-Director
Lindsey Widger is a passionate early educator who comes from a strong teaching and leadership background that spans a variety of educational settings and philosophies including play-based education, the Reggio Emilia Approach, exceptional needs education, and The Montessori Method. As a highly motivated personality and a strong believer in a play-based, emergent curriculum, Lindsey never stops challenging herself to improve as a teacher and is constantly involved in a large variety of professional development workshops. She has participated in The Hundred Languages of Children, hosted by NAREA and the Washington Collective in Seattle, and regularly attends conferences that span a wide breadth of philosophies related to play, such as The Power of Learning Stories hosted by EDvance San Francisco and The Play Conference in northern California. Currently, Lindsey is advancing her education in Early Childhood Administration remotely at Purdue University.
When Lindsey is not teaching, participating in conferences, or taking neighborhood walks with her bulldog Baloo, she is staying involved with the leading edge of the educational community by attending lectures from leading researchers and authors such as Alfie Kohn and Dan Hodgins. She is frequently networking with other leaders in the local and larger community by observing groundbreaking programs such as the Hilltop Children’s Center in Washington State, in addition to local programs with hopes of building a world-class learning environment for the next generation right here in her backyard.
Lindsey has spent years as a part of the Livermore community pursuing her teaching certifications and education in Early Childhood Development. Having found success as a leader and teacher for multiple great programs locally, Lindsey is finally able to begin the journey of bringing a new program to life with the Olive Branch Preschool.
Lauren Eisenmann
Co-Director
Lauren Eisenmann believes deeply in the power of education. Her passion for education began at the young age of 5 when she met her Kindergarten teacher. Inspired by her teachers, she went on to become an Early Childhood Educator, earning her B.A. in Child Development. During her first few years of classroom instruction, she began to uncover her unique ability and passion for leadership within the field. Lauren pursued an M.S. in Educational Leadership and fine-tuned her school leadership toolkit through certifications on Inclusive Leadership, Managing to Change the World, and Workplace Equity. Concurrently, Lauren began developing her own approach towards education. Merging the ideas of Maria Montessori, Lev Vygostky, Bev Bos, Loris Malaguzzi, Alison Gopnik and many others, Lauren began to define her own philosophy.
Today, Lauren knows that fostering children’s curiosity and innate aptitude for learning is key. Growing a love of learning and a base for learning transcends any specific fact or unit that can be taught. Lauren knows that teaching children to read, write, count, etc., is not about “checking the box,” but moreso about giving children the requisite skills to access life opportunities and all the world has to offer. Lauren seeks to foster environments and instructional approaches that steward each child’s relationship with the world, themselves, their place in their community, and their futures.
Outside of the classroom, Lauren rigorously advocates for underserved communities, commits an abundance of time to her children and family, and loves to be outside. Her goal in life is to leave the world a better place than when she entered it. She looks forward to continuing to learn, grow, and make an impact!
Jasmine Lewis
teacher
Jasmine Lewis is an enthusiastic educator of young children with a particular passion for play-based, emergent curriculum. She began developing her pedagogy at a young age under the guidance of her mother, who is an educator herself. After spending the summers in the classroom with her mom, Jasmine entered the classroom as a preschool teacher for the first time when she was just a senior in highschool. Since then, she has been building her philosophy in her practice with young children, which aligns perfectly with that of OBCS, making her a wonderful addition to our teaching team.
Jasmine finds reward in her work each morning when she is greeted by her students. She feels that the big hugs and little voices are evidence of the positive impact she is making in each of their lives as an educator. With an associates degree in Early Childhood Education, Jasmine is able to channel her inspiration toward her high-quality work with children in a child-led atmosphere. She prides herself in the meaningful relationships she builds with each child, and in her strong ability to provide independent, creative opportunities for children in the classroom.
Outside of the classroom, Jasmine is a creative soul. She spends her time tending to her plants, making blankets for family and friends, or adventuring with her 3 Australian Shepherds, Sheba, Harley, and Dyna.
Sophia Ruiz
Teacher
In her work with young children, Sophia is thoughtful and determined. With a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies, she is a well-rounded educator who has much to bring to the classroom. Her experience in Early Childhood includes childcare settings as well as in-home work as a developmental specialist supporting families and young children with developmental delays and autism.
Sophia’s unique approach to her work with children includes a passionate belief that children learn best through the hands-on experiences they encounter through natural play and exploration. Her points of pride include her ability to facilitate these experiences as well as her disposition to learn from and through the children she works with. She particularly loves to witness the children create bonds and relationships with one another at school.
Hailing recently from Reno, Nevada, she spends much of her time outside of the classroom with her husband and dog exploring their new home in the East Bay!
Michele Montenegro
Teacher
Michele is a loving and intentional caregiver, spending many years as a nanny before beginning her journey in preschool classrooms. For the past two years, she has worked as a preschool teacher and has developed a caring and connected approach to her work with young children, particularly those in the younger age range of 2-3 years old.
Michele’s pedagogy is influenced most heavily by her respect toward children as individuals. She believes strongly that mutual trust, respect, and unconditional love are what allow children to thrive and grow in their most authentic way. She takes pride in her ability to see children’s innate capabilities, and notes that children are often not given the credit they deserve! She has a unique ability to form relationships with children that allow them to carve their own paths and make their own choices, all while experiencing her unwavering support.
Outside of her work with children, Michele can often be found reading. She’s a record-setting bookworm, reading about 25-30 books per month! She also loves to practice the skills she learned in cosmetology school and has recently picked up crocheting for fun!
Sean Widger
Sean has been an integral part of the Olive Branch team since its inception. By day, Sean can often be found working with our children at OBCS, and by evening, he works as a sommelier and the general manager of a delicious, Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant in San Francisco. This passion for food and wine has informed his practice around gardening and farming food, leading Sean to become our primary Olive Branch Garden Teacher. The creation of our school garden is a point of pride for Sean, and our children learn so much from his leadership and connection with nature and the outdoors. With Sean’s help, our children are able to grow their own food at school and learn valuable life lessons around sustainability, nutrition, hard work, and our beautiful planet.
In addition to his passions for nature, food and wine, Sean has an extensive artistic background in music, having performed on tours both local and abroad. He spends most of his spare time either playing music on his clarinet or guitar, or out on the water fishing.