Meet the Team

Vanessa has been working with children since her first job as an aid at a private preschool at the age of 16. After graduating from Del Mar High School in 1996, Vanessa got her certificate in Early Childhood Education from West Med and became a fully qualified early childhood educator. She first started working at Growing FootPrints Preschool in September of 1997. In June of 2022, she became the assistant program director of GFP, and in January of 2025, she became the director. Vanessa is back in school, still working on learning more about the field she so deeply cares about. Early Childhood Education.  She is also on the San Jose City College ECE Advisory Committee. Vanessa loves spending time with her family, walking, and learning. She lives in San Jose with her husband and son.