Young Innovators Academy

Our Teachers

Director: Ms. Racquel, MA

Racquel has over 10 years of experience teaching in the classroom, at the Preschool level. She’s taught in both private and public schools. Racquel earned her B.A. in Child & Adolescent Development at San Jose Sate University in 2011. She received her M.A. in Human Development, specializing in Leadership in Education and Human Services, from Pacific Oaks College in 2017. Racquel is an advocate for high quality care in the Early Childhood Education field. She is a mother, loves to cook, enjoys being outdoors, and is a fan of all things artsy. Her favorite color is purple, and favorite food is sushi.

Assistant: Ms. Pharrah

Pharrah is an inspiring Child Psychiatrist who happens to also be Ms. Racquel’s sweet niece and Mentee. Pharrah loves children, learning new things, and helping others. She is extremely excited to join the team, as she is looking forward to gaining more experience working with children in a structured environment! Pharrah’s favorite color is baby blue, and favorite food is tacos.

Testimonials

“Ms. Racquel is an amazing teacher! She is so caring and thoughtful. My son fell In-LOVE with her and he still talks about her after he’s graduated from her class. She did so many activities with the kids as well as made them individually feel special and included. If I was having any more children they would definitely be going to her. She is attentive and in-tune to the childrens needs. There were no concerns that my child was not receiving the attention and education that he needed. Thank you again Ms. Racquel for such a wonderful impact on my son. You helped set a great foundation for learning and made it fun!” -Yelp Reviewer 8/10/22

“Ms. Racquel was my daughters preschool teacher for the past two years! Her passion for teaching young children shows tremendously as she caters to every child’s needs, always makes sure every child is included and ensures they have fun while learning! Throughout my daughters two years in her classroom, she always made us feel the most comfortable and welcome. Any family is blessed to cross paths with Ms. Racquel! She is greatly missed and highly recommended!” -Yelp Reviewer 8/10/22

“If you’re looking for a caring, creative and skilled teacher, Ms. Racquel is the one! The children she works with are always raving about ‘their’ Ms. Racquel and the interactive lessons that help them grow their love of learning. Having your child at Young Innovators Academy will be one of the easiest decisions you can make!” -Google Reviewer 8/10/22

“My child never attended Young Innovators Academy but with my experience at another preschool going back to 2017-2019, Ms.Racquel has been nothing but great to my daughter and the other students that she had for those 2 years! She always learned something new and she had great communication with me about my child and she’s just the sweetest! I’ve always seen her passion in teaching and her love for children! I knew my kid was in great hands because she always came home with many nice things to say about Ms.Racquel! I highly recommend! My daughter is older now but she still thinks about her great old friend/teacher! Thank you for everything!” -Yelp Reviewer 8/11/22

“Ms. Racquel is kind and patient. She genuinely loves all of her students and has great impact on the children and families she serves. 100% recommend sending your child to Young Innovators Academy!” -Yelp Reviewer 8/10/22

“Racquel is an amazing teacher! She explores right and left brain activities allowing your child to develop intellectually and creatively. Your child will be well prepared for kindergarten and up in her hands!! Racquel is full of energy with a bubbly personality that can brighten anyone’s day, children love her. She will keep you well informed about your child, providing plenty of updates. I highly recommend sending your child to Young Innovators Academy.” -Google Reviewer 8/12/22

“If I could give this 10/10 stars I would. Ms. Racquel is one of the best hands down amazing teachers. Two of my kids had the privilege to have this saint of a teacher to help them grow and learn. I only wish our youngest would of been able to experience her wonderful teaching skills. My kids still talk about the best teacher they ever had.” -Google Reviewer 8/18/22

“Over the past 17+ years, I have witnessed Racquel’s love for children and passion for people blossom. She has always had a heart for children and seeing them grow and become the best versions of themselves. Children gravitate to her because she is kind, genuine, thoughtful, and loving. Since becoming a mom in 2018, her love and passion has been heartwarmingly displayed in the raising of her son. Coupled with all of her knowledge, wisdom, and zest for life, Young Innovators Academy will no doubt leave a positive mark on Oakland, CA and the Bay Area at large!” -Google Reviewer 8/10/22

“Racquel is a special find! She has a welcoming, warm environment that is spacious and comfortable, without being overwhelming for kids. I’ve know her for over 15+ years and and have heard multiple parents say ‘My child looks forward to going to school every day, and is thoroughly engaged in activities with Ms.Racquel.’ The variety of projects that involve music, a sensory board, science area, etc! She is extremely patient and takes the time to really know each student, so she can help him/her be a successful learner and good classmate!” -Yelp Reviewer 8/18/22

Philosophy

Young Innovators Academy (YIA) is a play-based preschool that follows the Creative Curriculum Framework. Creative Curriculum has four main categories of interest: social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language. When designing YIA, the Director, Ms. Racquel, pulled some strategies from both the Montessori and Reggio Emilia philosophies, as well.

About our program

At our program, children are gently encouraged to try new things as the teachers use developmentally appropriate practices to help students build confidence, learn how to identify and express their emotions, and gain an overall love for learning at an early age. Additionally, children will engage in mindfulness practices each day, participate in kid-friendly cooking projects each week, and complete weekly Spanish lessons. We’ve also partnered up with a professional martial arts instructor who will provide in-house sessions for our Young Innovators.

What sets our preschool apart from others is that, not only do we have years worth of knowledge and experience from working in an actual classroom setting, but the home-based environment at YIA plus the smaller teacher-to-child ratio leaves more room for each child to receive individual attention, lots of love, and special care. We’ve got the best of both worlds here at Young Innovators Academy! :-)

Admissions

Join the Young Innovators Academy community in three easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Young Innovators Academy unique. If we are currently hosting tours, you can request or schedule a tour at the top of this page. If we are not currently hosting tours, you’ll see a “Request Info” button at the top of this page; if you submit your information using this button, we will notify you when we start hosting tours again in the future.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application at www.wonderschool.com/young-innovators-academy-9267/apply – note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.