Teachers

Our professional teachers love learning and pass that love and excitement to the children.
Headshot Leyla Wagner, Teacher and Assistant Director

Leyla Wagner

Director

Ms. Leyla came to CUMC Preschool in 2005. She has a B.A. degree in Liberal Studies from CSULB with a concentration in Child Development. She has worked in early childhood education for 19 years.

Miss Leyla spends most of her time ensuring the safety and security of the children at CUMC Huntington Beach Preschool. She is actively involved in the classroom supporting teachers. She is as an advocate for early childhood education working with Social Services and a variety of regional early childhood development organizations. 

Meet

the wonderful CUMC Preschool teachers.

Denise Lydon

Yellow Room Teacher

Miss Denise has taught all sessions at CUMC Preschool since 1977 and has been in early childhood education for 49 years. She received her Liberal Studies degree from CSULB.

Joanne Berry

Orange Room &
Spanish Teacher

Mrs. Berry has been at CUMC Preschool since 1990 and has been in early childhood education for 33 years. She has a B.A. degree from CSULB.

Robin Majick

Purple Room Teacher

Mrs. Majick has taught at CUMC Preschool since 1992 and has been in early childhood education for 45 years. She has a B.A. in Liberal Studies from CSULB.

Laura Peplowski

Blue Room Teacher

Ms. Laura has been a preschool teacher since 2009. She graduated Cal State Fullerton with a Bachelors Degree in Child & Adolescent Development. She also obtained her preschool teaching certification from Orange Coast College.

Renée Najera

Red Room Teacher

Ms. Renée has been an Early Childhood Teacher since 2005. She studied Early Childhood Education at Orange Coast College and is currently deciding what university to attend to pursue a Bachelor's degree. She has been a teacher at CUMC since 2021.

Heidi Vinatieri

Rainbow Room Teacher

Heidi's passion for children has led her to amazing opportunities of volunteering and directing an annual non-profit Children's event over a span of 20 years. She is currently pursuing her AA in Early Childhood Development at Orange Coast College in preparation for a future opportunity to receive a BA at Long Beach State University.

Lauren Payami

Teacher

Miss Lauren has been teaching in early childhood since 2017 and has a B.S. in Child Development. She has a passion for working with children and is excited to be teaching at CUMC where she attended preschool as a child.

April Compean

Aide

Ms. April has worked at CUMC Preschool since 2000 and in early childhood education for 26 years. She received her A.A degree and Early Childhood Certificate from Orange Coast College.

Theresa Shult

Office Manager

Theresa has been at CUMC Preschool since 2003. She has a Natural Science Degree from Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska.
CUMC

early childhood educators

are fully qualified, very experienced and extremely dedicated to their roles – many have been with us for twenty years or more.

Most classrooms are instructed by a lead teacher and are supported either part-time or full time by a second, equally qualified teacher to maintain our ability to focus on each child’s unique developmental needs. 

Our educators work as a team, ensuring that as your child grows through the CUMC Preschool classrooms, we get to know them on a personal level and we are able to help them develop the skills they need most prior to starting kindergarten.