Stephanie Raleigh
Owner / Director
Stephanie Raleigh, M.A. is a Child Development Specialist who has worked with children for the past 15 years. She obtained a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education from California State University, Northridge. In addition, she earned her Bachelor ‘s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development Summa Cum Laude – also from California State University, Northridge. After a fulfilling career in publishing in Germany, Stephanie moved to Cape Town, South Africa where she became involved in a charitable organization helping families and children – setting up preschools and daycare centers for abandoned children and helping women establishing an income source through arts and crafts. This ignited a passion for young children and their families and led to the opening of her own preschool in Los Angeles, CA in 2012. Since then, Stephanie continuously strives to improve the field of Early Childhood Education and has become an advocate for young children. Stephanie and her husband moved to Tennessee in December of last year to be closer to their family. Now she is opening a preschool in beautiful Spring Hill. Stephanie is an outdoor enthusiast and dog lover, spending most of her weekends hiking, cycling, rock climbing or fly fishing.
Stephanie Raleigh
Owner / Director
Stephanie Raleigh, M.A. is a Child Development Specialist who has worked with children for the past two decades. She obtained a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education from California State University, Northridge. In addition, she earned her Bachelor ‘s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development Summa Cum Laude – also from California State University, Northridge. After a fulfilling career in publishing in Germany, Stephanie moved to Cape Town, South Africa where she became involved in a charitable organization helping families and children – setting up preschools and daycare centers for abandoned children and helping women establishing an income source through arts and crafts. This ignited a passion for young children and their families and led to the opening of her own preschool in Los Angeles, CA in 2012. Since then, Stephanie continuously strives to improve the field of Early Childhood Education and has become an advocate for young children. Stephanie and her husband moved to Tennessee in 2020 to be closer to their family. In 2021, she opened lilac – little learning academy in beautiful Spring Hill. Stephanie is an outdoor enthusiast and dog lover, spending most of her weekends hiking, cycling, and rock climbing.
Isis Diaz
Isis Diaz
Shalom Shasa Chifwalo
Shalom Shasa Chifwalo
Mariana Castenada
Mariana Castenada
Isis Diaz
Assistant Director
My name is Isis Diaz, and I was born and raised in Honduras, Central America. I have been teaching young children for over 16 years, first in my hometown in Honduras, and later in Dallas, Texas. I have worked with children of all ages, but my favorite level is preschool children, due to their endless curiosity and pure excitement about learning. Their brains are incredibly flexible and open to absorb languages and new information so quickly. Teaching and caring for children is my true passion. I am very excited to be on this beautiful journey with lilac – little learning academy, and to have the opportunity to teach the language I grew up with to children and families here in Spring Hill, TN.
Shalom Shasa Chifwalo
Teacher
My name is Shalom Shasa Chifwalo. My twin sister and I moved to the United States from Zambia in 2023. Growing up, I developed a passion for taking care of young children, nurturing young minds, and teaching. My journey in early childhood education began at Primrose School of Brentwood, where I worked for over a year. After that, I transferred to Primrose in Franklin, where I also worked for about a year before joining lilac – little learning academy. I enjoy gaining knowledge in all aspects of working in childcare. I specialized in working with infants and toddlers, but also enjoy teaching preschoolers. Children’s love of learning and my passion of creating a loving, fun, supportive, and safe environment for children has been a blessing for me. Currently, I deepen my knowledge in the field of special education by taking classes at Columbia State University. Children inspire me daily; my goal is to create meaningful but challenging environment in the classroom to optimize children’s educational experiences and to nurture strong relationships between children and teachers. It’s such a pleasure taking care of your children and seeing them grow into wonderful human beings.
Mariana Castenada
Spanish Teacher
My name is Mariana. I am happy to be your teacher at this stage of your life and to accompany you as you grow safe, happy, and confident. To tell you a little about myself, I was born in Colombia, my native language is Spanish, and I have been in Spring Hill for six years. I love this diminutive, quiet place. I am currently a nursing student, and my goal is to be a pediatrician because of my love for children; for this reason, my job allows me to be close to them, which is the best learning experience. I hope to share many adventures with you, get to know you, and have the best time.
