Ilka started Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool in 2008. Her vision was to create a platform for German speaking families to sustain their heritage within the next generation by teaching their children the German language and culture in a playful environment. Her passion is to guide and support children and parents in finding and trusting their way in being a family.
Ilka is certified by the Waldorf Institute of Southern California as a Waldorf teacher and has studied early childhood education at Santa Monica college. In addition she is a UCLA certified Lactation Specialist and Dona International certified Postpartum Doula as well as a certified Sports, Gymnastic and Movement Expression Teacher.
She has been teaching infant and toddler programs as well as educational parenting groups for the past 30 years in Europe and the USA and most currently through the YWCA, in Santa Monica.
Ilka has participated in many compassioned- communication and conflict resolution workshops and trainings.
Member of WECAN, NACEY,DONA International.
Petra Lang, Assistant Teacher
Petra was born and raised in Austria. She moved to Los Angeles in December 2013. Having made that big change in her life, she decided to follow her passion to work with children. In 2015, she started to attend Santa Monica College to get her degree in Early Childhood Education. Petra loves nature and believes in the magic of childhood. She likes to sing and tell stories. She believes that as a teacher, it’s important to create an environment in which children can grow into caring and mindful individuals. She is grateful for the opportunity to do just that at Tivoli.
Alexandra Werner, Aid
Alexandra is a dual national, American and Swiss. She has been babysitting and working with children for over 7 years and loves it! After graduating High School in the UK, she worked with underprivileged children in orphanages in Bali, Indonesia. Currently, she is enrolled at London University’s online program in Los Angeles. She loves to play games and enjoys story telling to children and has been told that she is very kind and patient. Alexandra loves working at Tivoli as an aid, she says “It is just the right place for me to be at the time of my live.”
Chrys Massey-Rhodes, In-House Consultant
Chrys Massey- Rhodes is a Child Development Specialist with a professional and philosophical focus in Humanistic Education. She studied Child Development and Psychology at California State University, Northridge and has had the privilege of working in private and public settings, such as Play Mountain Place, The Nurtury Preschool, Hill an’ Dale Preschool and the Los Angeles Unified School District as well as The Foundation for the Junior Blind. Chrys also studied RIE/Resources in Infant Educaring with Magda Gerber and received a certification in Childbirth Education.
Chrys consults and supports our staff and also holds parenting workshops for all Tivoli families, guiding them through the early childhood years.
Steffi Jones, Yoga Teacher
Steffi was born and raised in Germany. In 1995 she graduated from the School of Physiotherapy in Wasserburg, Germany with the degree of a Physiotherapist. In 2002 she became an Osteopath through the International Academy of Osteopathy.
During her first pregnancy Steffi discovered the power of Yoga for herself and started a 200-hour yoga teacher training by Max Strom. She then combined two of her strongest passions, Children and Yoga, and became a yoga teacher in several different settings. Steffi has been at Tivoli since 2010.
Stuart Grant – Music teacher at Tivoli
Stuart has been playing and teaching music/drums for over 25 years. He has taught at schools all over the greater LA area for students ranging from Pre-K – 5th Grade. He also gives private and group lessons to students from ages 4-12. His classroom curriculum is built around singing, ear training, basic music theory and exploring a myriad of musical instruments, with the goal of developing the children’s innate musical ability. They are exposed to classic children’s songs, as well as a number of original children’s songs. He relies on his creative “think outside the box approach” and openness to exploring new teaching methods. His goal as a music teacher is to inspire an appreciation and love for music in young children by providing them with a memorable and positive learning experience. He has been teaching at Tivoli for over 2 years.