Meet our team
The caring faces behind Building Kidz of West San Jose
Our team pours heart, training, and lifelong passion into every child who walks through our doors.
Program Advisor
Shelley Gonzales
Shelley has directed several programs, including a college laboratory school, schools at Stanford University, and a parent-cooperative preschool. She has also supervised Head Start and State Preschool programs and was the initiating director of a bilingual Preschool program. The programs all emphasized learning through emergent, STEAM-based curriculum. Shelley believes in inspiring children to be passionate about the process of learning. She believes teaching children through the scientific method helps them to become critical thinkers. Shelley has presented at national and international conferences. She has taught early childhood education at De Anza, Mission, and West Valley colleges at the undergraduate level, and bachelors and masters level courses at Pacific Oaks College.
Owner and Franchisee
Mia Li
Welcome to Building Kidz of West San Jose! My name is Mia and I have been working within the software industry for the past 10 years after I received a M.B.A degree from Troy University. I found my passion for early childhood education after having my three kids. I truly respect early child education since I believe a childs early years are important for his or her future development. It is my passion to have childrens childhood full of warmth, love, magic, and joy, to provide various programs for them to explore and discover their interests on their own, to have an environment nurture their creativity and confidence. I have also been qualified as a childcare center site supervisor by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Director
Eunjin Jeun
Hello Building Kidz families, My name is Jin, and I joined the Building Kidz community at Santa Clara in August 2023, holding a Child Development Program Director Permit from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. My journey began as a Montessori Teacher in Washington State, and I have since taught at various schools in the Bay Area and have most recently served as an Assistant Director at Building Kidz. I earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Inha University in South Korea. After moving to the U.S. in 2006, I discovered my passion for early childhood education through actively volunteering at my childrens school. I believe early childhood education is the foundation for a childs lifelong learning journey and my philosophy is that the early years are crucial in shaping a childs future, fostering curiosity, resilience, and a love for learning.
Join us
Love children? You’ll fit right in.
We’re always looking for warm, dedicated people to grow our West San Jose team. Turn your passion into a career that changes little lives every day.
See center openingsMeet the team in person
Schedule a tour and see the warmth of our West San Jose center for yourself.