5-Day Kindergarten: Veronica Gunasekara

Kindergarten Chair

Veronica has always focused her life on young children – through family gatherings, babysitting, child development undergraduate work, and as a midwife apprentice. Her intense desire to find an educational method, that accepted children with joy and nurtured their interest in learning, eventually brought her to Waldorf Education, especially after the birth of her first child. Through actively participating in the parent education programs at their school, she felt like she was “home” and maintained that connection while continuing her education and operating a Waldorf-inspired daycare center. She taught Waldorf parent/toddler and Kindergarten programs for six years before relocating here. She has been at Cedar Springs since 2005.

5-Day Kindergarten: Inge Stoll

Inge grew up in Germany, finishing her school years as a goldsmith journeyman. As an au pair, she relocated to the U.S. with a family that eventually became her own. Her incredible love for children led her to operate an in-home daycare for seven years. Later, while working her way up the ladder in a pharmaceutical company, she found that the Waldorf Teacher Training classes combined her experiences in an exciting way. She has been at Cedar Springs since 2006.

3-Day Kindergarten: Christl Michele

Christl Michele was born and raised in Southern California. She is bilingual thanks to her Austrian parents and has traveled extensively. Her love and warmth for the young child has expressed itself throughout her life and has been a live-in nanny, as well as considered the "auntie" in her neighborhood. She felt an instant connection to Cedar Springs when she originally came three years ago via her first Teaching Practicum. Her credentials include a BA from UC Irvine and an Early Childhood Teaching Diploma from Rudolf Steiner College. Her interests include being in either the mountains or a river, creating art, traveling, and baking.

Parent-Child Teacher: Lauren Hickman

College Chair

Lauren is a passionate advocate for young children and their families. She is delighted to re-join the Cedar Springs Faculty as the Morning Glory Teacher. She is the mother of three K-12 Waldorf Graduates, two of which are Cedar Springs Alumni. She holds a M.A. in Education from Touro University, an Early Childhood Teaching Diploma from Rudolf Steiner College, a B.A. in International Relations from U.C. Davis and an A.A .in Chemistry from American River College. An alumna of the Sacramento Waldorf School, she has been a Waldorf Educator for over twenty one years, as a Parent-Infant, Parent-Child, Nursery and Kindergarten Teacher. She directs the Early Childhood Teacher Training Program at Rudolf Steiner College. Lauren is an early childhood mentor and a Licensed Preschool Director. One of Lauren's particular interests is bringing Waldorf education into everyday life, by teaching parenting classes to homeless mothers, working with at risk families and by bringing festivals, puppetry and storytelling to the greater community.