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 20 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. 

Refiloe ‘Fifi’ Mofokeng

Facilitator

Meet ECM’s latest addition, Refiloe ‘Fifi’ Mofokeng. Refiloe has been working with children most of her life, from after school care, from volunteering in orphanages, nannying to recently providing one on one support as a school shadow. Originally from South Africa, she brings a rich cultural perspective and a deep passion for supporting young children and their families.with over a decade of experience working closely with children, including neurodivergent kids, she believes that connection, curiosity, and play are at the heart of healthy development. Refiloe has a bachelors degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University. She hopes to attend graduate school in the near future with the goal of becoming a child and adolescent therapist. She is passionate about fostering emotional intelligence, resilience, and confidence in children through compassionate and developmentally informed care.

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.