Mrs. Karen Wilson
Director
Mrs. Karen Wilson believes preschool offers young children the opportunity to play and interact within a group setting and to learn to share, cooperate, and be inspired by each other.  Preschool is a place where a child’s imagination is encouraged to soar or their spirit to be reflective.  Our preschoolers usually get their first exposure to being cared for and accepted in a group away from the safety and security of their own homes.  By offering stimulating – age appropriate atmosphere – Mrs. Wilson feels young children learn through their play to embrace our world and the people in it.

Born in Evanston Illinois, Karen has lived in Riverside since 1984 and has been a member of First United Methodist church since 1988.  She has taught Sunday school, co-directed our Vacation Bible School, taught the Church’s 3rd & 4th graders “Getting to Know Your Bible” classes, and volunteered in her daughters elementary schools.  She has three beautiful daughters and combined, their families have given her 4 fun grandchildren

Karen enjoys cooking, gardening, football, traveling, baseball, & hiking.  She has hiked Lake Tahoe’s Rim Trail, summited Mt. Whitney at 14,496’, & walked 14 days completing the Northern Route of the Pilgrimage to Santiago, Camino Del Norte, in Spain.
Nikki Kern
Office Manager
Nikki Kern was born and raised in Grand Terrace. She went to school in Riverside from
preschool through High School where she graduated from North High School. From there Nikki
went to Brooks Institute of Photography where she received a BA in Commercial Advertising.
She then started working in San Francisco for a number of years at a Model and Artist Agency.
In 2014 she and her husband moved back to Riverside in the hopes to start a family. In 2017
they welcomed Eva James Kern. In late March 2022 Nikki was hired to become the Office
Manager at FUMPS.

Interacting with the children as well as their parents is what Nikki enjoys the most. She has
been welcomed with open arms by the staff and is excited to interact with the families here
and serve them as best as she can.

Outside of work Nikki enjoys watching her daughter take dance classes, exploring new places
with a camera in hand, loves to bake, and enjoys any free time with her daughter Eva and
husband Christopher.
Mrs. Rita Theodorou
Brave Bears
Rita grew up in the Woodcrest neighborhood of Riverside, and is the middle daughter of three sisters. She has been happily married to her husband, Nick for 9 years. They have been blessed with two boys, George (8 years old) and Antony (6 years old). Rita has always been very passionate about working with children. She has known from a young age that she wanted to help children and make a positive impact in their lives. Growing up, she helped take care of her youngest sister, and babysat for other family members as well. Rita attended San Diego State University to study Psychology and Sociology. She has worked with children with Autism as a Behavioral Therapist, and as a Victim/Witness Advocate in the Division of Victim Services at the Riverside District Attorney’s Office. Rita also teaches Sunday school and is the advisor for the children’s youth ministry at her church parish. She has also been a parent volunteer at FUMPS, and continues to volunteer at her children’s elementary school. The Theodorou family has been a part of the FUMPS family since 2016. In the spring of 2018, Rita began substitute teaching at FUMPS. Last year, she was the Assistant Teacher in the Dancing Daisies classroom, and will now begin her first year as the Lead Teacher in the Brave Bears classroom.

Rita feels that a classroom environment should be welcoming, colorful, fun and diverse. She believes that children learn best when they are in a safe, nurturing environment that promotes the freedom of exploration and discovery through play. Creating a curriculum that is meaningful, thoughtful, interactive, developmentally appropriate and inclusive for all children to learn to their full potential is imperative. Rita also believes that it is important to have open communication with parents and family members in order to meet the individual needs of their child’s overall development. She encourages parent participation and collaboration on strategies to promote ongoing positive learning experiences and a love for learning.
Elizabeth Raygoza
Assistant Teacher
Elizabeth Raygoza is a Riverside native.  She worked in Special Education for ten years before becoming a stay-at-home mom.  She has been married for 21 years and has 3 children.  Her oldest is serving in the military, her middle daughter is is high school and her youngest is in Jr.High.  She is involved in church ministry and enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with her family.  She is enjoying her first year at FUMPS. She loves teaching young minds though playful learning.
Mrs. Judi Jack
Friendly Fish
Mrs. Judi Jack believes preschool helps children with being away from their parents, learning to share and to play in groups with other children. She wants her classroom to be a safe, loving and fun environment where children feel comfortable and relaxed and able to learn. Judi has been married to her husband, Mike, for 26 years and has one daughter, Amanda, who was once a ”FUMPS-ter”. Now she is a Senior at Poly High School where she plays on the softball team. She plays travel ball, as well. Growing up in Alta Loma with two brothers, Judi was the “middle” child. She moved to Riverside in 1991 and worked in cardiology for 13 years and volunteered on the board of Riverside’s M.O.M.’s Club (Moms Offering Moms Support) holding the positions of secretary and vice president. She loves to cook and likely holds the Guinness Book record for most cupcakes baked by one person in a single day!
Mrs. Natalie McComb
Assistant Teacher
Natalie McComb was born and raised in San Diego County with her younger brother Jason. She attended San Diego State University where she earned a Bachelor's Degree, as well as an Elementary Teaching Credential. She moved to Riverside right out of college to teach at RUSD. She taught for over ten years before making the decision to stay home with her young children. She has been married to her husband Jim for 26 years and has one daughter, Emma and one son, Ryan. Her favorite hobbies are reading, traveling, and going to Hobby Lobby!
Adrienne Ballantyne
Playful Pups
Mrs. Adrienne Ballantyne is our Playful Pups teacher.  She grew up in Redlands, CA.  When she married Curtis Ballantyne in 2004 she moved to Riverside.  She graduated from Cal State San Bernardino in 2005 with a degree in Criminal Justice.  Shortly after graduation her first child River, was born.  She had three more children named, Addie, Nixon, and Fletcher.  They each attended preschool at FUMPS.  Over the years she has volunteered in her children’s school classrooms.  She has also served in various positions in her church, including: teaching music and Sunday school lessons for children and youth.  She is currently back in school at RCC, taking Early Childhood Education classes.  She believes that, “Play is really the work of childhood (Fred Rogers).”
Selma Vasquez
Assistant Teacher
My name is Selma Vasquez I have 2 children, Krystal (34) and Anthony (33).  Krystal works at Riverside Superior Court, and Anthony is a manager at a restaurant in Texas.  I have 1 granddaughter Isla, my pride and joy.  All of them have attended FUMPS.  I have been married for 42 years to the love of my life.  We love to enjoy our family every opportunity we get.  We also love to travel and go camping.  The door to our home is always open for anyone that wants to visit and have a meal.
Mrs. Lisa Skiver
Little Rascals
Mrs. Lisa Skiver decided right after high school that she wanted to work with young children.  Once she began taking classes at RCC, she knew this was her calling and that the preschool age was her age group.  Lisa has worked at Temple Beth El Preschool for 7 years, UCR Child Development Center for 3 years and then while her two boys Ryan, now graduated from college, and Jacob, now starting college, attended FUMPS, she began subbing for us.   She believes a preschool that is safe, values play, encourages children to be themselves and allows them to experiment with their own creativity is a great introduction into a school setting.  A good preschool sets the foundation for a positive school experience and teaches confidence and respect.  Lisa wants her classroom to be fun and creative.  She enjoys color and her classroom reflects positive energy and excitement.  She encourages parent involvement and nurtures that same enthusiasm in her families. 

This is Mrs. Skiver’s 16th year with FUMPS.  Born in Anaheim, Lisa’s family moved to Riverside where she graduated from La Sierra High School and met her husband Aaron of 25 years.  Her life is filled with home, family, and activities her sons are involved in.
Katie Inman
Assistant Teacher
Katie Inman is starting her 2nd year at FUMPS. Katie is a mom of three amazing boys, 21, 19, and 15 years old. She has been married to Blake for 24 years. A Riverside native Katie went to Castle View Elementary, Gage Middle School, and Poly High School. Then she went to RCC for Early Childhood Studies. Katie worked at Kindercare for 6 years in all the different classes and ended up teaching Kindergarten just before she had her first child. She is now looking forward to another great year in the Little Rascals Class with Mrs. Skiver. Teaching has always been her passion and with two kids in College it seemed like the ideal time to come back to the classroom.
Miss Melissa Erdman
Cute Kittens
Born in Orange County about a mile from Knott’s Berry Farm, Melissa’s family moved to Riverside when she was in first grade.  She has one older sister who lives in Northern California and a niece and nephew whom she likes to visit.  Melissa began her teaching career while still a student a RCC.  She had stopped by their Work Experience Office to fill out job applications and while she was there, First Methodist’s Director, Mrs. Natta Lea Wiffin called looking for an assistant teacher.  Miss Erdman applied and was hired.  Melissa has her Associates degree in Early Childhood Studies.  She believes that childhood should be a journey and not a race. She believes the preschool experience is very important and she works to make it the best experience it can be.
 
These days Melissa opens each morning for Early Drop Off and Closes in the afternoon with Lunch Bunch.  She handles our re-cycling of aluminum cans, plastic, & glass.  Melissa loves cats, travel, gardening, the beach, cooking, and her Cute Kitten Class.  Her favorite pastime, and one that she is expert at is counted cross-stitch. 
Claudia Rodriguez Arce
Assistant Teacher
Claudia was born in Anaheim, CA. and raised in Buena Park. She moved to Riverside when she was ten years old. She attended Loma Visita Middle School and then Notre Vista High School where she graduated in 2018.

After high school she began taking classes at RCC and is still taking courses where she will eventually get her Associates Degree in Education and become a successful teacher- She truly enjoys working with children.

Claudia is one of three siblings – Daniel is her older brother and Evelyn is her younger sister. In her free time Claudia enjoys going to the movies with her boyfriend and exploring Universal Studios with her friends.
Mrs. Lisa Sherman
Lucky Ladybugs
Mrs. Lisa Sherman is our Lucky Ladybug Pre K teacher.  We first met Lisa when her children were preschoolers at FUMPS.  Her son Tyler lives in Roseville, working as an associate at Cole Huber Law Firm. Her daughter Morgan is an RN working at Totally Kids in Loma Linda.

The youngest of three children, Lisa, her brother Michael, and her sister Kathy were born and raised in Eugene, Oregon.  She met her husband Steve (they’ve been married for 37 years) while vacationing in Europe.  Starting her teaching career with FUMPS as our nutrition teacher 18 years ago, Lisa moved to assistant teacher in the Pooh Bears, then to a 4 year old classroom and then started her Lucky Ladybug Pre K class.  She teaches our lesson on Hanukkah & the Festival of Lights.  Believing preschool should provide a positive learning environment, improve a child’s socialization skills and sense of independence, Lisa’s enjoyment of children, her creative nature & easy going spirit are most apparent in her relationship with her own family and make her a pleasure to work with and fun in the classroom.
Kara Snowball
Assistant Teacher
Miss. Kara Snowball was born and raised in Riverside and is the second oldest of 4 children. She graduated from RCC with two Associate degrees in Social and Behavioral Studies, and Administration and Information Systems. Kara previously worked as a Legal Support Specialist to the Riverside City Attorney’s Office and after, she started working as a Nanny. She found that she loves working with kids and recently went back to school and started taking classes to get her Early Childhood Education degree.  

Kara started as a Substitute at FUMPS but, after about a year, was asked to be an Assistant Teacher. She hopes to help create a loving and accepting environment. She wants to foster learning and exploration in her classroom. She is excited to be teaching in the Lucky Ladybugs class and learning from her fellow teachers.
Mrs. Laura Robinson
Playground Supervisor
Mrs. Laura Robinson has lived in Riverside most of her life.  She has been happily married for over 15 years to Joaquin, a Math and Science teacher at a local Middle School.  They have a son, a daughter, and a pup.  Laura is an active member at her Church, she loves to cook, read and camp with her family.
 
Laura found her true calling when she became a preschool teacher.  She believes in play based learning that allows children to explore, socialize, and grow.  She believes that art and music are a key component to the learning process.  She has seen through experience that through play, fine and gross motor skills are developed, critical thinking occurs, and scaffold learning emerges.  Laura believes through play we see our children grow and learn.  She loves to see the magical sparkle in a child’s eyes as they conquer a new feat.  She creates a safe and loving environment for all her students.  Laura encourages cultural understanding and acceptance in her classroom.
Mrs. Nancy Vaughan
Playground Supervisor
Mrs. Vaughan has lived in Riverside since she was 5. She graduated from North High School, San Diego State University & earned her Master of Science Degree from Cal State San Bernardino in Educational Counseling. Married to her husband Jim since 1997 who is Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Poly High. They have 3 children who Nancy feels are all growing too fast: DJ, a graduate from UC Irvine; Kati, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara & Jerry, a junior at Poly High School. Recently added puppy Sir Duke Vaughan to the family.

Nancy has worked in daycare, as a counselor in a Provisional Accelerated Learning Center in San Bernardino & a private High School in Running Springs. All of her 3 children attended preschool which she feels prepared them socially & academically for Kindergarten. When she came to us she had an instant connection with the children & the teachers. Because she does relate well with this age group, has a great sense of humor, lots of energy & enjoys being part of their learning experience, she completes her goal everyday 100%, by making our playground a fun, safe & loving environment for all preschoolers! Mrs. Nancy Vaughan keeps our playground activities exciting & challenging, not to mention creative & organized.
Mrs. Raquel Campbell
Nutrition & Classroom Aide
Mrs. Campbell brought her 4 children, Aidan 17, Tristan 15, Ian 13, & Madeline 10 to FUMPS for 10 straight years.  They have been Bouncing Bunnies, Pooh Bears, Caring Caterpillars, and Sunny Sunflowers.  She was a member of our Preschool Board but only lasted through two meeting before we offered her the Nutrition teacher position.  This is her fourth year with us. 

A true Riverside native, her background is in law.  Raquel has worked as an investigative assistant & legal secretary, but prefers the warmth and fun of preschool to criminal law! She volunteers at Sandals Church in their Children’s Ministry and at Pachappa Elementary School.  Married to husband Greg for 19 years, they enjoy RV camping, movies, and spending time with family and friends.  Raquel is lovingly called “Mrs. Snacks” by the preschoolers!