Natural Bridges Children's Center
Sarah Davis- Teacher
Caroline Healy- Teacher
Gillian Carpenter- Director/Master Teacher
Gillian Carpenter was born and raised in San Francisco, where she attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory. She later moved to Santa Cruz to pursue her education at Cabrillo College, where she discovered her passion for early childhood education. Gillian has worked in the field for thirteen years, including six as the founding owner and director of Cooper Street Preschool—an anti-bias, play-based program in Felton. Drawing inspiration from influential thinkers such as Gerber, Maslow, Piaget, and Vygotsky, Gillian thoughtfully integrates their theories into her curriculum and teaching practices to support each child’s unique developmental journey. Outside the classroom, Gillian is the proud mother of two exceptional children, Alexander Henry and Stella Josephine, as well as two delightfully silly pets, Milo Carlos and Jim Carrey. The Carpenters live in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where they enjoy hiking, cooking, and fiercely competitive games of Scrabble.
Nicole Fournell- Teacher
Nicole was born and raised in Manhattan Beach, California. She moved to San Francisco in 2016 to attend San Francisco State University and graduated with her BA in English Education with an emphasis in literature in 2020. Nicole moved to Santa Cruz in 2023 and is currently obtaining early childhood education units at Cabrillo College. Prior to joining the team at Natural Bridges, Nicole worked in the toddler program at Mission Montessori in San Francisco for almost 4 years and has substituted in various classrooms at Gateway K-8 School in Santa Cruz. She has also volunteered at non-profit after-school programs for under-resourced students in LAUSD and tutored at various middle and high schools throughout SFUSD. Nicole is grateful for the opportunity to watch children develop new skills, grow, and flourish in a play-based educational environment. She values NBCC’s emphasis on growth mindsets and social-emotional learning methods. She also enjoys working collaboratively with other teachers and learning various teaching philosophies. When she is not working, Nicole enjoys swimming in the ocean, yoga, cooking, backpacking, and traveling.
Administration Team
Sarah Jane Murphy - Master Teacher
Sarah Jane is in her fourth year with the Honu Room, our youngest learners here at NBCC. She has been working in education for over 4 years and comes from a family of educators. Her experience shows in her gentle understanding of young children and their learning processes. She started by working in after school care and substituting at Gateway Elementary School before joining the NBCC team. Sarah Jane graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in Intensive Psychology. She loves celebrating each child's unique play and learning styles to better support and celebrate their growth. She enjoys creating connections with kids through their individual play and communication. When Sarah Jane is not teaching she is doing art, hiking, journaling, and hanging out with friends.
Jonnie Cardinale - Owner/Founder
Jonnie Cardinale is the owner and founder of Natural Bridges Children’s Center and is a 1st grade teacher at Gateway School. With over 17 years of experience educating children in Santa Cruz County, Jonnie brings a breadth of perspective that spans both preschool and elementary school settings. She holds two degrees in Early Childhood Education and a national certification as a handwriting specialist. In addition, Jonnie has earned a micro-credential in the Neuroscience of Growth Mindsets and holds specializations in the areas of reading, writing, math, curriculum planning, and educator mindfulness. She has deep passion for children's social-emotional development, and having attended Yales Institute of Social Emotional Learning, considers this a primary foundation to her work with children. Jonnie continuously pursues professional growth and regularly attends educator forums on brain science and children's early learning. Her work with children and families is grounded in developing children's executive function skills, social emotional confidence and fostering the importance of home-school partnerships. A fierce advocate for early childhood education, Jonnie frequently shares her knowledge on the importance of early learning as a foundation for a smooth transition into Kindergarten She has authored several articles on this topic and served on both local and statewide boards dedicated to advancing early education. Jonnie has called Santa Cruz home for over 40 years, where she lives with her husband Joey, their cat Freddie, and two wildly wonderful English Cream Retrievers. Their proudest achievements and greatest humility checks are the raising of their two amazing daughters. As a family, they treasure the simple things in life: time with their doggies, fresh air, good food, and great coffee. Jonnie’s next adventure includes writing a children’s book series and opening a rescue property for doggies in need.
Teaching Team
Charlie Cook - Site Supervisor/Master Teacher
Charlie Cook joined the NBCC family this year. Originally from Ventura, I now feel incredibly fortunate to call Santa Cruz my home for learning, working, living, and growing.
My journey in Early Childhood Education began in Santa Barbara, where I taught at the Santa Barbara City College Early Childhood Lab School and at Starr King, a local cooperative preschool. I earned my Associate's Degree and teaching credential in Early Childhood Education and Child Development at Santa Barbara City College. Though credentialed, I believe learning in this field is lifelong—and I continue to grow every day through my experiences and studies.
Currently, I’m pursuing a double major in Health Science and Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz—affectionately known as “the Harvard of the West.” I'm passionate about fostering strong partnerships between families and schools, creating engaging and open-ended learning experiences, supporting children’s interests and autonomy, and nurturing their social-emotional development.
Outside of the classroom, I enjoy rock climbing, surfing, skiing, hiking, and I’m currently learning to crochet. I’m also refining an essential early childhood skill—French braiding!
I feel honored to work alongside such passionate, intentional, and hardworking educators and am deeply grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the wonderful, unique, and joyful families in our NBCC community.