Executive Director
Mrs. DeLong’s journey at Kids Connection started in 2012 when she took on the role of Managing Director and when her son started in the Little Explorers program (2’s) at the preschool. Her prior career was as a CPA working primarily with small and medium sized companies helping them to grow, expand, and reach their full potential. Bringing those skills to help improve her family business has turned into her true calling. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Arizona and then did her post-graduate work at Santa Clara University. Every day, she cherishes the ability to create and support an environment that allows the children in her care, including her own, to flourish and receive the best possible education. “Seeing my own children, starting in the preschool, and now into the elementary grow and thrive under the Kids Connection method made me truly appreciate the gift we can provide our children. I am so honored and humbled to be part of such and amazing place.”
Head of School
Mrs. Ganes has over 20 years experience working in private elementary schools and high schools in the Bay Area. She has taught, advised, coached, served as Director of Admissions, Lower School Head and assisted 5th grade families navigate the middle school application process. Mrs. Ganes loves visiting classrooms and engaging with students and teachers. She believes schools should be joyful environments that celebrate childhood and educate the heart as well as the mind. She is passionate about social-emotional learning and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Mrs. Ganes is known for her warm, friendly and professional demeanor.
Mrs. Ganes was born and raised in San Francisco. She graduated with honors from Occidental College in Los Angeles where she played NCAA Division III volleyball and was a student leader on campus. She went on to earn her Master’s in Education with an emphasis in Organization & Leadership from the University of San Francisco. Her Master’s thesis was titled “The Role of a Leader in Creating Community in Schools.” Mrs. Ganes served on the Board of Trustees at Katherine Delmar Burke School for six years. She is proud of her work in the areas of cultural competency, financial assistance, gender inclusion and environmental sustainability. She was elected by her peers to the Bay Area Director of Admissions Board (BADA), a consortium of local elementary school Admission Directors, as Chair of the Policy & Guidance Committee which upheld Best Practices in each school’s admission process.
Mrs. Ganes is thrilled to join the Kids Connection family. She looks forward to supporting teachers and getting to know each student and family.
Preschool Director
Preschool Front Office Manager
Ms. Deepa has been with Kids Connection since 2008. She has worked with children in the classroom as a teacher for 4 years, and now she is at the front desk assisting the director/assistant director and welcoming our families and children into the school. Both of her daughters started in the preschool and then moved onto the elementary. Her eldest graduated in 2015 and her youngest is in 4th grade. They love coming to school, and that itself speaks a lot about the school environment as well as the educators. She is happy to be part of such a reputed and well-rounded school.
Front Office & Projects Coordinator
Ms. Alexis joined Kids Connection in 2022 and currently keeps KC running smoothly as the front office administrator and projects coordinator. Prior to joining KC, she pursued studies in Child Development and spent four years as a preschool teacher where she furthered her passion for early childhood education. She is committed to assisting our KC children, families, and staff in any way possible! When not taking care of the KC community, she enjoys camping, fishing, and spending time with family and friends.
Director of Extended Day and Camps
Director of Extended Day and Camps
A Bay Area native and long time educator, Ms. Jamie is thrilled to be joining the Kids Connection team. Ms. Jamie joins KC after more than 10 years in teaching and leading a variety of educational teams, including Inside the Outdoors, Solano Resource Conservation District, Camp Galileo, and The Tech Interactive. In her spare time, you will find Ms. Jamie enjoying the outdoors with her fiancé and dog, and exploring a new outlet for her creativity. Ms. Jamie has always been drawn to professional opportunities where the work she does creates a lasting and significant impact on the community she serves, and is very excited to bring this passion to the KC community. From leading and managing hands-on, outdoor environmental education field trips to working one on one with students in the classroom, Ms. Jamie strives to help students broaden their horizons through education.
Computers and Technology Manager
Ms. Wood has been a part of the Kids Connection family for over 20 years, as a parent and educator. Her search for a warm family-like school with high academic standards and focus on character development brought her to Kids Connection many years ago. After her child graduated from Kids Connection she stayed on to bring her experience in technology and her love of teaching to the school.
Her degree is in Computer Science and she graduated with honors from UC Berkeley. Since graduating, Ms. Wood’s experience in technology has spanned over twenty-five years in corporate and academic settings. She spent many years as an IT manager at a Fortune 100 company. She also held positions as a consultant, programmer, and trainer at a variety of high tech companies in the Bay Area. In all of her roles throughout her career, her love for teaching has put her in the classroom in some capacity, teaching people of all ages how to use computers.
Ms. Wood considers it an honor to be able to teach your child how to be a responsible and thoughtful digital citizen. Technology is ever changing, and giving your child the solid foundation in how to use computers is a responsibility that she does not take lightly. She strives to bring exciting computer projects to the classroom so that your child will have the tools and thought processes to be successful in the digital world.
Director of Marketing and Business Operations
Ms. Jennings has over 25 years experience in website development, production, and project management. She spent many years as a web engineer in Fortune 100 companies and has also worked with clients in the e-commerce, entertainment, and fitness industries. While she holds a degree in Business Administration from Boston University and an MBA from San Francisco State University, her true passion is helping others to achieve and exceed their personal goals. She loves that Kids Connection embodies excellence not only by providing a high quality academic education but in also teaching students how to become exceptional and thoughtful human beings. She is excited to share how extraordinary Kids Connection is with the digital world. Her daughter graduated from Kids Connection elementary school in 2020.