our team

Rebecca Walsh

Founder and Director

Rebecca Walsh founded Early Childhood Matters after becoming a parent for the first time in 2009 and realizing firsthand how wonderful and humbling-the work of parenting actually was. Rebecca has over twenty years’ experience in early childhood education, a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development (2002) and a Master’s of Arts degree in Religion and Psychology (2006). She loves to share with parents any wisdom and experience she has gained from working as a director, lead teacher, supervisor, parent educator, and teacher mentor in the field of Early Child Development. She also loves to share with parents how to have compassion on themselves during the less-than-graceful parenting moments. She is humbled and inspired to accompany parents on this equally rewarding and challenging journey of parenting.

In 2002, Rebecca co-founded an English as a Second Language preschool in the Czech Republic (Sunny Canadian), developing curriculum, parent-teacher handbooks, and establishing policies and procedures. After returning to the United States, she redesigned the MAS program (Mentoring for Academic Success), a Berkeley-based tutoring program for at-risk youth, and inaugurated monthly parent meetings on a range of topics. After completing her master’s degree, Rebecca took a job as a director of a Head Start preschool in a homeless shelter in San Mateo, and then as a lead teacher, supervisor and art studio teacher at Pacific Primary School, a preschool located in San Francisco.  Since founding Early Childhood Matters in 2010, Rebecca has traveled around the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond (from New Orleans, LA to Melbourne, Australia) working with parents and teachers of young children to help them better understand and support them on their journey to nourish the minds and spirits of tomorrow’s world. 

Rebecca has three young children who challenge her, humble her, and every day deepen her understanding of children and the importance of the parent-child relationship. 

Kellam Eanes

Director of Marketing and Customer Relations

Kellam Eanes has worked in children's media for over thirteen years. She holds degrees in Journalism and Mass Communication and Communications Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Project Management Certification from UC Berkeley. She became passionate about Early Childhood Matters after taking multiple classes and benefiting immensely from working with Rebecca in San Francisco. She is an active volunteer at an experiential learning/adventure school and is constantly on the path of learning all she can about early childhood education, play-based learning, and immersive nature play. She is the mother to two very curly children, and now lives the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

Alexis buckley

Facilitator

Alexis has spent her whole life working with children and families, from after school programs and nannying to being a lead teacher and parent educator in a variety of preschools in the Bay Area since 2005. Alexis graduated in 2009 with her masters degree in Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood from San Francisco State University. Since 2010 Alexis has taught at The Little School; teaching pre-k, young toddlers and more recently organizing parent education events. Alexis grew up in Santa Cruz, California and moved to San Francisco in 1999. She believes that children learn through exploration, age appropriate challenges, and loving guidance from caring adults. Holding their hands through the process is a sacred challenge gifted to parents and educators. As the mother of two young sons she understands the need for support and inspiration on a deeply personal level. Her children challenge her to find new and creative ways to meet the needs of growing minds and bodies. Each and every day, they deepen her understanding of child development and the strategies that she teaches to parents.

Mahroushka Papazian

Facilitator

A long standing teacher of repute at Pacific Primary (including over 20 years as lead teacher for 2’s and 3’s), Mahroushka brings a unique and practical perspective to early childhood education. Having recently transitioned to a part time teacher and teacher mentor at Pacific Primary, she is excited to bring her wealth of knowledge and experience to the Early Childhood Matters community.

Mahroushka was born abroad and moved to San Francisco as a baby where she has lived most of her life. When planning experiences for the children in her care, Mahroushka likes to reflect on her childhood and days spent at nearby Golden Gate park; climbing, building forts and making potions and perfumes.  Mahroushka understands the benefits of giving young children the opportunity to engage in supervised play in nature that has an element of risk. She believes this is an essential part of early childhood education and can develop a child’s self-confidence, resilience, executive functioning abilities and even risk management skills.

Mahroushka is passionate in planning curriculum that speaks to each child’s individual interests and over the years she has fostered a love in her students  for the arts, literature, and the city of San Francisco. She draws on not just her decades long practical work experience but also her specialization in Early Childhood Education at both Long Beach as well as in San Francisco. She has also attended many trainings, national conferences and taken intensive coursework in Sensory Integration in order to better understand young children’s physical development and sensory needs. 

Mahroushka lives in Glen Park with her husband Gaurav and dog Ziba. She enjoys cooking, gardening and walking Ziba in nearby Glen Canyon, Fort Funston and Thornton beach. 

EVELYN Nichols

Facilitator

Evelyn Nichols has been passionate about improving children’s educational and life outcomes for over 15 years. In her formal studies getting a Bachelor’s degree in Communication (2007) and a Masters of Education degree (2008), Evelyn focused on the power of language and project-based, relationship-based pedagogy to transform student outcomes and mindsets. Evelyn loves to share with parents and fellow childcare providers wisdom and experiences she has gained from working as a director, teacher, mentor, parent educator, and college counselor. 

Evelyn has two young children who challenge her to be present and see the world with new eyes. She is humbled by the relentless work of parenting, and inspired by the courage and intention families she works with as they dare to parent differently then they were raised! She is in awe of the transformative power of parenting and teaching through connection. 

Evelyn spent her early years teaching in elementary schools in San Diego county, and later was Director of Halstrom Academy, an alternative education school specializing in personalize, one-on-one education with a focus on hands-on learning, flexible scheduling, and real world project-based internships. 

After moving to San Francisco and becoming a parent in 2013, Evelyn founded Mighty Bambinis preschool and childcare in her  family’s home. Mighty Bambinis brought together Evelyn’s strengths creating a inspiring playscapes, devising intentional “curriculum,” mentoring teachers and families, and entrepreneurial spirit. Mighty Bambinis, a Reggio and RIE-inspired program, is one of San Francisco’s top 20 preschools and an observation site for RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) students. 

Evelyn is a steadfast life-long learner who never stops taking courses (including every course offered by Early Childhood Matters) to dig deeper, grow, and hone her understanding and practices as a teacher and parent. 

When she is not teaching, you can find her out at the beach or on a hike with her family, decluttering Konmari-style, woodworking and doing yoga. 

Michelle Sousa Akerstein

Facilitator

Michelle Sousa Akerstein has served children and families for twenty five years in an array of capacities from early childhood educator to elementary school principal. Michelle has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Lesley University and a Master's degree in Educational Leadership from the Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) at UC Berkeley. 

Michelle's early days of teaching took place in the greater Boston area. She followed a class of children from infancy through preschool in a daycare setting while earning an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education. She taught in a 1st and 2nd grade Portuguese immersion classroom while receiving her Master's degree. Upon graduation Michelle moved to San Francisco where she began her career in the San Francisco Unified School District. She taught in a 1st grade, was a substitute teacher in grades K-5, looped two classes of students in Kindergarten and First grade and was a PreK-5th grade literacy coach at multiple school sites.  While completing the PLI program at UC Berkeley Michelle started her tenure as an elementary school principal, first at the Tenderloin Community School then at McKinley Elementary School.

Michelle became a mother in 2012. After juggling career and family Michelle left SFUSD in 2015 when her second child was one. She is now a mother of three (8, 6 and 3 yo). After 19 years in San Francisco her family moved to Piedmont, CA in the summer of 2019. Michelle has now navigated both independent and public schools as a parent and most recently has received certification from  Positive Discipline Association. Michelle loves the connection, collaboration and community that parenting brings into our lives and how, together, families can thrive.