ALLISON CRAPO, DIRECTOR

I grew up in Idaho on a potato farm, one of five children with a free-range approach to childhood and play. After leaving home for college then law school, I worked as a civil advocate in the Bay Area for youth in the juvenile justice system, part of Juvenile Mental Health Courts, where we provided services and support to youth who had unmet mental health needs.

As new parents, my spouse and I felt lucky to have found Skytown when we were looking for a parent-inclusive preschool. We both loved the opportunity to participate in the classroom and in the Skytown community, and we saw our two daughters thrive as they played their way through Skytown’s emergent curriculum.

I soon learned that I loved working with preschoolers and toddlers more than I loved being a lawyer who worked for children. I went back to school and earned a M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Mills College. While there, I was fortunate to go on a study trip to visit Reggio Emilia schools in Italy, where I saw firsthand the value and impact of community-based schools founded on fundamental respect for children.

During the pandemic, I homeschooled my children, and in the past year, I worked as a Curriculum Development coordinator at Kids’ Collage Preschool in Oakland. Now, I’m returning to my roots at Skytown, where I first found my love of working with young children.

In my free time, I find myself putting off laundry, reading, baking, playing cards, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

Nancy Ankrum, Lead toddler room teacher

As a preschool/toddler teacher for 17 years, I believe that children are more able to absorb the material being taught in an environment that is flexible and adjusts to the needs and interests of the children. By incorporating their interests, they feel a sense of ownership to the curriculum and therefore, are more willing to participate in the activities being presented. 

With many years of experience, I have gained knowledge of the many different temperaments that can be encountered in one classroom and they all must be nurtured and supported in their own unique way. I strive to create a partnership with all my parents to assure that the needs of every child in the program are met. 

In the end, what I hope the children acquire from their preschool experience are: the ability to resolve conflicts, negotiate with others and all of the basic skills that are necessary to move on and have a great experience in kindergarten.

Bex clark, classroom assistant

As a parent of two who had my children during the pandemic, I came to Skytown seeking support. What I found was an amazing community in which my children and I could thrive. I became so inspired by the Skytown philosophy and approach to early childhood education that I decided to pursue becoming a teacher. I am currently working on my ECE credits and appreciate the chance to be in a classroom that I can both teach in and learn from daily.

susan sunsong clark, teacher

I first became interested in and studied child and adolescent development and ECE as a teenager – dreaming of one day starting a small nature-based community school - which I eventually did in an off-grid homesteading community in northern California. Later I worked in a Montessori-inspired pre-6th school. I acquired a BA degree in psychology and taught psychology, human development, and EAL in three progressive residential high schools. I completed an MEd at Antioch University with a Certificate in the Reggio Emilia Approach (REA), and worked in two community schools, one a preschool, and one a forest school for 2-9 year olds. My interest is in working collaboratively with teachers and parents to create and support children in a rich learning environment that invites children to pursue their own learning trajectories, where the adults listen out for the ways the child is making meanings of the world and how they act out these meanings in the world, and where there is an understanding of the imperative to not rob the child of the space for their own ideas to arise, develop, and be tried out in the realms of both hands-on materials and social interactions. In addition to being with children, I also love reading, hiking, and being amazed by nature and the everyday beauty of all kinds of things.

TAHKUS ALLEN, administrator

I have been part of the Skytown community since 2021, where both of my children have attended, played, grown and thrived in the program. I served for many years as an administrator at a college of music in Los Angeles, and I am so happy I have the opportunity to contribute my administrative experience and skills to Skytown. This is a truly special place, doing incredibly important work, and I love being a part of it!

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