Back Yard

Lara Gabato

Back Yard Teacher-Director

I've been at CCC for 16+ years and an early childhood educator for over 23 years. So much of my learning comes from working with the children in my care and the brilliant team of teachers and caregivers that I am lucky to work with.

I started my career working at a Montessori school in El Cerrito while taking evening classes at Contra Costa College and Merritt College to obtain my Early Childhood Education credits. Energized by learning about the different philosophies and programs, I soon became the Teacher-Director of a mixed age play-based school in Berkeley. In 2005, I married my wonderful partner, Randy, and three years later our daughter, August, was born (in January). I became the Back Yard Teacher-Director at CCC fall of 2008 and have been here ever since! 

I enjoy the magical ages of four and five and find that there is a developmental turn when children are discovering who they are and what interests them. My philosophy for learning is that each child is unique and each child learns in a different way. Children thrive when they are supported, inspired, and listened to by their grown ups and peers. I believe in hands-on experiences, learning collaboratively, and learning through play.

In the backyard program, we offer a variety of activities that will foster the love of learning while building confidence, empathy, and social-emotional skills. Art, science, music and movement, sign language, gardening, storytelling, cooking/baking, conflict resolution/community building, emphasis on anti-bias/emergent/project-based curriculum, off site field trips such and nature walks are all part of the Back Yard adventure!

In my personal life, you will find me spending time with my family where we enjoy going to live music shows and hanging out at home with our sweet animals. I love exercising my creative muscles (painting, sewing, yarn art), walks at Point Isabel with our dog Betty White, playing and relaxing in my garden, spending time with my parents, baking and trying out new recipes, soaking in hot tubs, and taking naps! 

I leave you with this quote that sums up Early Childhood for me:

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood” ~Mr. Fred Rogers

Ryan Farrell

Back Yard Teacher

I’ve been a teacher at CCC since 2008. I primarily teach in the Backyard Morning program, but I also teach in the Afternoon program three days a week. 

I grew up in the Bay Area in El Sobrante, got my B.A. in Literature and Philosophy from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, and have been working in various education programs in Berkeley since 2004 including Adventure Playground and the City of Berkeley Special Education program. 

I like to say that I grew up at CCC because I was so young when I started and because CCC was so formative in my development as a grownup. CCC taught me how to be part of a community, to attune to others, and to practice love and giving. Without CCC, I am not the person I am. 

Throughout my childhood, I experienced the gamut of educational philosophies and environments including home daycares, urban public schools, highly academic private schools, Waldorf schools, suburban public schools, and rigorous sports programs. None of them felt like they were quite right for me, and none of them felt like they did right by the children in their care. The dearth of nurturing and developmentally appropriate spaces is partly what led me down the path of becoming an educator. So, when I walked through the gates of CCC, I was taken aback to see immediately a space that felt rich, nurturing, and still challenging for children and their families. Even more awe-inspiring was to watch the teachers in action, how they spoke to the children, how they attuned to the children in a way that said, “I see you”. 

My original plan was to make my way through the grades-to start in preschool and slowly move through elementary school, middle school, high school, and then college. However, I soon began to realize that CCC offered me an opportunity to work in a space that supported children, families, and teachers with love, community, and attunement that I would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. Thus, here I am in my seventeenth year, still learning from many of those same teachers who blew me away on my first day and meeting more who have arrived after me but with skills and perspectives that continue to enrich my teaching and my life. 

When I am not at CCC, I love spending time with my family - my wife, Leila, and our two-year-old daughter, Fia. We like to go on adventures of all kinds - road trips, camping trips, and local adventures to the plethora of parks around us. When I get some alone time, you can find me plugging away in our garden, going on runs, or climbing rocks.