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About Us
Ms. Ines Camano
I grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina in a large family. My summers were spent camping and hiking in Patagonia, and that’s when my love and connection with nature began. I was fortunate to spend time at my family’s farm riding horses, driving tractors, swimming, fishing in the river, and interacting with a wide variety of farm animals.
In Buenos Aires I earned a teacher’s degree, and afterwards turned my attention to a two-year music therapy intensive program. I moved to Los Angeles 30 years ago, where I earned Waldorf Early Childhood and Foreign Language degrees from the Waldorf Institute of Southern California. More recently, I’ve earned a Nature-based Teacher Certification from the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools.
During my first 10 years in Los Angeles, I was the Spanish Teacher at Highland Hall Waldorf School. At the time I decided to start a family, I turned my attention to teaching Early Childhood and have spent the last 20 wonderful years at Westside Waldorf School.
Growing up in a different country and culture awakened in me the responsibility of bringing to the world the seeds of respect, diversity, inclusion, and equity. Through festivals, circles, and language, together with Jill, we integrate our family differences at our Little Pond program.
Ms. Jill Scissors
As a native of Los Angeles, my love for the outdoors began with spending endless time at the beach and hiking in our local mountains. After completing a Teaching Degree from Santa Monica College and UC Santa Barbara, my twenty-two year journey working with children began with a social skills program for autistic children, ages two years to teens. This wonderful privilege ignited a passion in me for appreciating children with different needs of all ages, cultural diversity, and in diverse settings.
This enduring sense of joy only grew more when I had three children of my own and found Waldorf education. Although my path into Waldorf education began as a parent, I was inspired to obtain a Waldorf Early Childhood and Grades Teaching Credential through the Waldorf Institute of Southern California Los Angeles. Once completing the three- year program, I began working as an Early Childhood Teacher at Westside Waldorf School and enjoyed teaching little ones from ages two years old to six years old for over eight years. And most recently, I completed my third time teaching a Waldorf class of Grade One students.
Taking my classes on weekly nature walks opened my eyes to the many benefits of outdoor play—beyond fostering respect for, and a love of, the natural world. It was then Ines and I sought out a teaching certificate from an accredited Forest Kindergarten Program to explore developmentally appropriate practices for nature-based schools with the goal of supporting nature connection for all children. This long, beautiful journey has led to partnering in creating this beloved program, Little Pond, where we are able to combine the beauty of Waldorf education and Forest Kindergarten philosophies.