Our philosophy
Our program is committed to the belief that children build confidence, joy, and independence through respect, love, and a strong sense of self. We focus on the developmental skills by:
- Providing hands on experiences through arts & crafts activities, play dough, music activities, science and cooking, structured playground individual and team exercises, and open play.
- Presenting problem-solving techniques that hone children’s critical thinking skills to build a better self-concept within a positive atmosphere.
Meet our staff
Cheri Ortega founded Ready, Set, Grow in 1996. She has been passionate teaching young children and guiding families for over 20 years.
Alyssa Paddie has been a teacher at Ready, Set, Grow since 2015. All three of her children attended the school and she's served in a variety of different parent jobs.
Cheri Ortega
Founder, Director and Teacher
Cheri Ortega is our Teacher/Director and Founder of Ready, Set, Grow! Preschool. Educated in Early Childhood Studies, Cheri has taught preschoolers since 1991 and attends the annual CCPPNS Convention. She moved to Temecula in 1987 and in 2016 she and her husband, Vince moved back to San Diego County where they grew up. Cheri has two fabulous daughters Mandi and Leah. When not working at this wonderful preschool our Teacher Cheri enjoys hanging out with her family, baking and is a bit of a Pinterest junkie. By embracing the philosophy of developmental Montessori learning, as well as supporting and endorsing the co-op program, Teacher Cheri has made our school the unique and wonderful experience it is.
We love our school!
"Through others we become ourselves." ~Vygotsky
"The goal of education is not to increase the amount of knowledge but to increase the possibilities for a child to discover." ~Piaget
"Play gives children a chance to practice what the are learning." ~ Fred Rogers
Alyssa Paddie
Teacher
Alyssa Paddie is a Teacher/ Board Member at Ready, Set Grow! Preschool. She has studied Early Childhood Education locally as well as attends the annual CCPPNS convention. This is Alyssa’s seventh year at Ready, Set, Grow! She is married with three children and has lived in this area for 30 years. Besides being in the classroom, she enjoys quality time with her family including camping. Time outside is her happy place . She is passionate about studying Child Development. Embracing the idea of the whole child, Alyssa believes the cooperative preschool experience is a unique opportunity for creating a positive foundation for a child’s future.