Señorita Caru is our Spanish teacher. Born in Venezuela, she was raised until the age of 6 by her force-of-nature grandmother, Manina, while her parents pursued their medical careers abroad. Caru’s immigrant parents were a great influence in her deep appreciation and passion of her Latino roots, which she strives to apply to every aspect of life. Caru brings to PCA her profound belief in the importance of language development at a young age, and the duty taught by her parents to serve and give back to her community. Caru believes in the power of a second language so much that she was inspired to start a Spanish learning group in her home for her daughter Cecilia which began her journey to become a teacher. She graduated from Boston University with a degree in International Relations/Latin American Politics. She also holds a Juris Doctor from The University of the District of Columbia. After graduation from law school, she served as an advocate for Latino families with children with Special Needs. When she moved to Philadelphia, she founded a language services company where she spent 5 years empowering the community through Language Access.  Caru’s myriad of cultural and professional 

Clare Souder recently received her B.S. in Early Childhood Studies and her American Montessori Society Early Childhood teaching credential from Chestnut Hill College. She completed her internship year as a Teacher's Assistant in a Primary Montessori classroom at Lansdale Montessori School, where she also worked the past school year. As an East Tennessee native, she grew up near and around the Smoky Mountains. Her father, a Philadelphia native, teacher, and organic gardener, was in many ways, her first unofficial Montessori guide—showing her how to work with her hands and appreciate the beauty of the natural world. While studying abroad in France, she read a book by Dr. Montessori and couldn't "unsee" the logic and beauty of the method's philosophy. She feels so lucky to have found this avenue of education and hopes to continue growing and working with the children she meets along the way. When she is not teaching, she enjoys cooking for her friends, reading good literature, and urban gardening.

Dale ensures that the school runs well and our students have a beautiful as well as nurturing environment to learn. Dale’s own parents nurtured her cultural and language ties to China after immigrating to Boston when she was 10 years old. She graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. Before she discovered her passion for language education of children, Dale worked for decades in finance and real estate all over the world with multinational corporations including Morgan Stanley and Tishman Speyer and managed over $5 billion of capital for institutional investors worldwide. In her role as a senior finance executive, Dale saw firsthand the value that understanding Chinese culture and language brings to her professional and personal life. In 2014, when her first child was born, Dale combed the Philadelphia area for a place where her own children can receive Mandarin language instruction. Frustrated at the lack of quality programming, she decided to launch Philadelphia Chinese Academy in 2018 with co-founder Peggy Liu.  Dale is pursuing both her Infant Toddler as well as her Early Childhood Montessori certifications. She loves cooking soups, marinades, rubs and sauces!

Grace has a passion for working with children. After Grace completed her bachelor’s degree in music performance in Taiwan, she worked in a music art center in Shanghai, China, as a music teacher with preschool children. She then moved back to Taiwan where Grace continued working with children in an elementary school as a substitute teacher for 4 years. In her years of working with children, Grace noticed that music not only brings joy but also benefits emotion regulation, impulse control, and focusing attention. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in music therapy at Temple University and her AMS Montessori Early Childhood credential. Grace believes that music can enhance learning and support children's overall development. Grace loves traveling, drawing, and cuisine.

Jenny Zhang graduated from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in China, which produces many Chinese music celebrities! Jenny has loved Chinese culture since she was a child. She learned calligraphy, singing, and playing the piano. She can play three musical instruments (piano, guzheng, and zither). Jenny was a professional piano and guzheng teacher in Beijing and Shanghai. She adores working with children. In her spare time, Jenny enjoys cooking, traveling, and listening to music.

Jenny Zhou is a dedicated educator with years of professional experience in Thailand and China. She has a master's degree from Zhejiang University and an AMI diploma from SIMS in Arizona. Prior to discovering Montessori, Jenny worked in business and at the university level for a decade. During her time as a business professional and as she interacted with university students, Jenny realized the significance and value of a robust early childhood education. After receiving her Montessori certification, Jenny has been working as a lead guide in China and Thailand for the past few years. The more she works with children, the more she understands her role as a classroom lead guide. A Montessori guide is not a grown up filling children with information but instead a facilitator who walks with children through the learning process, guiding them toward their intrinsic potential. In her free time, Jenny loves yoga, hiking, reading, and traveling with her family.

Pearl is a Lead Teacher at PCA's Toddler classroom with 8 years of experience. Her journey began in China, where she taught Chinese and English at an international school. Pearl fell in love with Montessori at the Barrie School in Maryland, where she earned her AMS credential for Infants and Toddlers. She is passionate about nurturing children's curiosity, independence, and joy in learning. She is dedicated to guiding toddlers on an amazing life journey. Beyond the classroom, Pearl is an adventurer at heart, exploring the world and picking up hobbies like crafting, singing, and snowboarding. She loves spending quality time with friends and family.

In her role with PCA, Peggy designs our curriculum and leads our teachers on providing engaging as well as age appropriate interactions with our students. Peggy is mom to Amelia. She grew up in China and received a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese Linguistics and Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. She moved to New York with her husband and received her dual Master’s Degree in TESOL and Teaching Chinese a Foreign Language from New York University. Currently, Peggy is pursuing her PhD in Chinese immersion education for children at the University of Pennsylvania. Peggy taught at various Mandarin immersion schools in Boston and New York prior to working on her doctorate degree. As a firm believer of language immersion education, Peggy puts a lot of effort into developing engaging language lessons where students not only learn Mandarin, but also math, science, social studies, arts and music. Peggy loves playing the piano, reading, and spending time with her family. 

Yasmin is an enthusiastic and skilled Chinese language educator with four years of teaching experience in China. After completing her studies at Shanghai Normal University, she pursued a Master's degree in Education in the United Kingdom. She possesses a distinctive combination of hands-on teaching expertise and theoretical understanding. She demonstrates an exceptional ability to identify students' strengths and inspire them to achieve their maximum potential, resulting in notable advancements in language proficiency.  Her unwavering belief is reflected in her educational approach, which aims to empower children to embrace their authentic selves. Beyond her instructional role, Yasmin holds a deep affinity for Chinese classical culture. As a former participant in a traditional Chinese culture workshop, she firmly believes that language is intertwined with culture, and she is dedicated to imparting the elegance of Chinese culture through her language instruction. Yasmin loves reading, traveling, cooking and yoga!

Zulay is the Spanish teacher for our Early Childhood classroom. She is a native of Trujillo, Venezuela. Zulay holds a degree in educational management and a doctorate in law. Zulay maintained her own private law practice focused on family law and has been a university professor. In her new season of life, Zulay has chosen to work with young children and is passionate about the Montessori philosophy, which influenced the successful careers of her two adult sons. Zulay moved to Philadelphia in 2017 and enjoys dancing, yoga, cooking and gardening.