Ivana Bradaric Grubbs
Executive Director

Ivana has been a lifelong educator since 1996. She has taught a variety of subjects in German, English and Croatian from elementary schools to university levels. After completing her PhD coursework in German literature, Ivana purposefully refocused her interest and research to the youngest students of German. She is intrigued by the studies on neurodiversity, and committed to inclusion and special needs integration in schools.

Ivana received her supervisor permit from the Early Childhood Department at City College of San Francisco and has been working as a teacher and director at Kinderhaus since 2017. She is dedicated to serving the Kinderhaus community and developing an open and child-led curriculum based on children’s inherent innovation and creativity.


Steffi Haas
Teacher

Steffi grew up in Bavaria in Germany and completed her training as a state-approved educator in 2014. She worked as a lead teacher for nine years. In June 2023, Steff moved to California to join the Kinderhaus team. She is looking forward to spending time with the families and being able to support the children in learning and playing.


Neele Thönnesen
Teacher

Neele grew up in a small town on the Dutch border in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. 

In 2018, she successfully completed her training as a state-recognized educator at the School of Applied Sciences for Social Pedagogy and has been working at her training institution ever since. In 2020, she took on the position of group leader and deputy leader. 

In August 2024, Neele moved to California to broaden her professional and personal horizons and to further develop herself through new educational experiences. She is looking forward to helping your children grow, discover the world and learn, as well as having a great working relationship with parents.