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. In 2021 she was certified as an Inside Meditation Facilitator.
She has been teaching infant and toddler programs as well as educational parenting groups for the past 35 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.
Ilka Sternberger is teaching her wonderful philosophy for CAAEYC (California Early Childhood Association) “Playmatters”, and for the teachers at GASA (German American School Association) German School.
Member of WECAN, NACEY, CAAEYC, DONA International.
Petra Lang, Head-Teacher
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.
Katharina Suhm, Yoga Teacher 
Katharina Suhm is a certified Yoga Teacher for children since 2018. She finished her 200-hour yoga teacher certification, for adults, at Loyola Marymount University in 2019, as well a 200-hour certification for an Instinctive Meditation Teacher training and is certified in Reiki modalities.
In her classes she meets the children where they are in their routines. Kathi says “This is where mindfulness, breath and movement come naturally together into mindful movement”. “It is always fun to see them move introducing animals, colors, rhymes and songs.”
She is very happy to teach in German, her native language, here at Tivoli – the preschool her daughter attended when she was little.
Kathi offers regular yoga classes for all ages online (US and EU time schedule friendly!) and in the LA area. Find more information here: www.katyoga.club
Radina Veliova, Music Teacher
Radina Veliova is our music teacher here at Tivoli. She plays a mixture of German sing-along-, movement and seasonal play songs with the children. Her love of teaching music is clearly apparent in the work here at Tivoli and in her vocal studio Vocals-on-Stage. Radina holds an M.S. from the University of Vienna and a Bachelor in Speech Language Pathology, and is an associate teacher and member of IVTOM. She is currently working on her Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology and Voice Therapy.