Meet Our Educators

At Sensory Garden & Play, we’re part of a growing movement to redefine early childhood education—where preschoolers learn about weather, trees, and the natural world not from worksheets, but through direct, hands-on experience. Our educators believe children thrive best when they’re immersed in nature, learning through play, exploration, and real connection with their environment.

  • A couple smiling and posing in a forest setting with bare trees and fallen leaves. The man is wearing a blue T-shirt and a cap, while the woman is wearing a black tank top.

    Chantel Hernandez-Zimmerman

    Founder & Visionary

  • Woman in a forest wearing a turquoise T-shirt and smiling.

    Jennifer Larson

    Nature-Based Educator

  • Three people smiling in a forest with autumn leaves.

    Lauren Coyne

    Nature-Based Educator

  • Woman wearing an orange beanie and black jacket kneeling beside a Bernese Mountain Dog in a forest with autumn leaves on the ground.

    Maria Zieja

    Certified Nature-Based Educator

  • Two people posing outdoors with a small dog; one wears a black t-shirt and the other a hooded jacket. A scenic, wooded landscape is in the background.

    Vanessa Porras

    Nature-Based Educator

  • Person smiling in a wooded outdoor setting.

    Jessica Carmichael

    Nature-Based Educator

  • Young woman smiling in a forest wearing a black t-shirt with colorful design.

    Ms. Jackie

    Description goes here
  • Person smiling outdoors with child in wooded area, wearing a t-shirt with a colorful tree and text "Legacy, Garden, and Play."

    Ms. Liana

    Nature-Based Educator

  • Person wearing glasses and a colorful T-shirt standing outdoors with trees and a body of water in the background.

    Mr. Adam

    Nature-Based Educator

 "If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it."