Meet the Carousel Team

Maria has worked in early childhood education and school settings for more than 38 years. She started working with children in 1972 in a Kindergarten class, and in 1974 she opened a Family Home Child Care program. In 1979, Maria opened her first center-based infant and preschool program in the Westchester area. She founded Carousel Preschool and has served as the Executive Director since that time. During this time, Maria has developed and managed multiple programs focused on providing high quality care and education to all students. Under her leadership, Carousel Schools and programs has expanded its scope of services, providing care and services not only to typically-developing children, but also to children, adolescents and adults with special needs or disabilities. Infants and toddlers with special needs or disabilities are enrolled in the Early Intervention program. These children work alongside their typically-developing peers in an inclusive and supportive environment from birth through five years old (through kindergarten). Carousel School has an elementary school and high school for children with special needs and disabilities for ages 3 through 22 years. Carousel School also has a satellite After School program and Adult Day programs.

Maria earned her B.A. from Antioch University and her M.S. in Special Education from National University, and her professional affiliations include:

• Sunrise Venice Rotary Club
• Westchester LAX Chamber of Commerce
• Neighborhood Council of Westchester Playa Del Rey
• Westchester LAX Educational Affairs Committee
• Governmental Affairs Committee Member for Developmental Disabilities Board Area
• Local Interagency Coordinating Area Board Member for South Central Los Angeles Regional Center
• Local Interagency Coordinating Area Board Member for Westside Regional Center – Treasurer
• Council on Perinatal Substance Abuse of Los Angeles
• California Association for the Education of Young Children
• Westside Cities Coordinating Council
• National Association of Women Business Owners
• Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce

Gina Prato is a licensed Occupational Therapist (OT) with more than 15 years of experience working with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school aged children, and adults of varying skill levels, including those who have special needs and disabilities. Gina started her career at Carousel School as a preschool teacher in the inclusion-based classrooms, and also as a speech therapy aid.At Carousel School, some of Gina’s current responsibilities include directing the Early Intervention Program and Adult Program, interviewing and training staff, conducting clinical meetings, and helping to ensure a high quality and individualized therapeutic environment. Some of Gina’s experiences in providing training to direct support staff include ongoing; staff meetings, interdisciplinary team meetings, in-services, and staff evaluations. Meeting and in-service topics conducted by Gina range from appropriate communication skills with clients and their families, to adapting service delivery to meet all of the needs of the consumers. She also conducts evaluations and assessments, and provides occupational therapy services. Gina works with the Carousel School education and clinical staff along with regional center and school district staff to transition consumers in and out of Carousel’s various programs. Gina earned her BS in Speech Pathology, with a minor in Audiology from Loma Linda University, and an MA in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California (USC). In addition, she has also completed a comprehensive program in Sensory Integration and has obtained a certificate that allows her to administer and interpret the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT). Some of her clinical experiences include completing an internship at Rancho Physical Therapy’s Hand Clinic and the Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Joe has worked in the electrical engineering industry for more than 20 years, and he has worked with Carousel School since 2006 as the Technology Systems Manager. In this role, he provides day-to-day technical support for Carousel School. This support includes computer network administration, IP telephones, and general support for the facilities’ systems such as the fire and security alarm, HVAC, and electrical systems. Joe has a B.S. in Electronic Engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. He has a California State Electrical Engineering license, and an Assistive Technology Specialist certificate from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Nelson earned his BA in Public Accounting from the National Institute of El Salvador. In Aug 2014, he started working at Carousel School. He worked in maintenance and helped out in the classrooms as an aide. By 2015, Nelson helped in the transportation department as a substitute driver. He was then assigned to drive an am/pm route. In 2022 he was promoted to Transportation Director.

Jessica Estrada earned her Bachelor's in Sociology from the University of California, Riverside. Jessica earned her M.S. in ABA from National University. Before Carousel, Jessica worked in a Community-Based Vocational Training Program for adults with special needs. She started to work at Carousel on October 2016 as a Behavior Aide. From 2017 to 2020, Jessica worked as a Behavior Supervisor Assistant position at Carousel. For the SY 2020-2021, Jessica worked as a Special Education teacher. She is currently working as a Case Manager at Carousel. As a Case Manager, she assists with Teaching Art, Translating IEPs, Welligent, FBA Reports, and Administrative tasks.

Hi, my name is Jazmin Munoz. I am an Office Assistant at Carousel. I started as a Behavioral Aide and unexpectedly made my way up into the Carousel NPS office. My responsibilities at Carousel include but are not limited to administering medications, serving school lunches, and a backup Behavioral Aide. I am eager to be a part of the Carousel team and be a part of Carousel's future endeavors!

Marie earned Bachelor in Elementary Education major in Mathematics from Cebu Normal University, Philippines in 2004. Upon graduating, she immediately taught Math in elementary level for 3 wonderful years. She also then continued to advance her education and finished 9 semester units towards Master of Arts in Education. She also completed post-baccalaureate program in Special Education in 2007 before pursuing a teaching career in United States. She had 4 years teaching experience in preschool before joining Carousel School in 2015. She started as an Early Intervention teacher which later on became a preschool teacher at the Airport campus.

Marie takes great pride of being a teacher. With her hard work and organization skills, she was given the opportunity to take on a management position in October 2016. Now as the Director of Human Resources, she will continue to enhance and maintain the company’s human resources by planning, implementing, and evaluating employee relations and human resources policies, programs, and practices.

Mary Grace earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Cebu Normal University, worked as a NICU nurse in Chong Hua Hospital for a few years then finished her Doctor in Dental Medicine from Southwestern University in the Philippines.
She joined Carousel NPS in 2017 as a behavioral aide. In October 2020 started working as an office assistant at the Carousel Preschool.
As the preschool's office assistant, she coordinates with the Site Director, Teachers, and other staff. She assists with general administrative tasks, daily operations, and other tasks. Some of her responsibilities include keeping and updating files/records and communicating with parents/caregivers.

Mr. Edsel was a former Salesian of Don Bosco.  He spent 17 years at the seminary while studying and teaching. He has a Clear Level 2 Education Specialist Moderate to Severe Disabilities Credentials. Since 1992, Mr. Edsel has been teaching to different age groups of students from elementary, middle school, high school, college and in varied subjects like English, Science, Religious Education, and Special Education at Don Bosco Missionary Seminary and University of San Carlos. On April 2008, Mr. Edsel has joined Carousel School as a Special Education Teacher.  He received the Teacher Eddy Awards as Teacher of the Year (S.Y. 2013-2014) from the LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce.

Since 1998, John has been serving students with special abilities. He was awarded his bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University in 2001 where he was a member of the Oxford Scholars Society.  After working in the business sector for several years, John earned a Master’s Degree in Special Education in 2012 from Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. Upon completing his Master’s, John began his teaching career working with students with emotional disabilities at Chamberlain International School. There he encountered great success assisting students in achieving meaningful academic, social, and vocational accomplishments. After returning to California, John began working for Carousel School in 2014. Currently, John teaches a transition aged classroom essential life skills, community awareness, and necessary independent living skills.

I am delighted to introduce myself as your scholar's teacher for the upcoming academic year. My name is Ms. Bridget Munoz, and I am honored to be a part of the Carousel School community. My journey here began in 2018 when I joined as an aide, and in 2021, I transitioned into the role of a teacher. Many of your children may already be familiar with me as I had the pleasure of working with them during my time as an aide. For those I have yet to meet, I look forward to building a strong connection with your child, ensuring they feel at ease in my classroom, and helping them adapt to their new daily routines.

Allow me to share a bit about my background. I was born and raised in the city of Los Angeles, California. My educational path led me to El Camino College, where I earned my Associate's degree in Psychology. Subsequently, I transferred to California State University Northridge, where I obtained a Bachelor's degree in Psychology.

I am eager to embark on this academic journey with your child, fostering their growth, curiosity, and learning in the year ahead. Together, as a supportive educational community, we will create a positive and enriching environment for your scholar.

I have over ten years of experience working in special education. I earned a BA in communication disorders and a Master of Science in Special Education. In 2021, I received the Teacher Eddy Award. In my spare time, I enjoy playing music, reading philosophy,  and traveling.

I started my education at Brigham Young University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. I then completed a Master’s Degree in Ballet, then graduated. I also earned the degree “Teaching the Gifted and Talented” from Utah.
I attended Loyola Marymount University in 1994 for two years and graduated with a Master’s degree (or Pupil Personnel Credential) in School Counseling. A year later, I began teaching at Carousel School in December 1997. I returned to Loyola Marymount to study Special Education and finished my degree in 2005. I then completed an online course in teaching Autism and finished my 6th degree. I currently work at Carousel as a Counselor and Substitute Special Education Teacher.
I have been at Carousel now for 25 years and love it!

Paul Chico earned his degree in Programming Engineering in 1999. Paul started working as a Behavior Aide at Carousel School in 2004. He was promoted to a Lead Teacher Position in 2022. This year (2024), he has been promoted as the PE Coach and continues to help as a Lead teacher in the classroom. He is excited and thankful for his new position at Carousel School. He has a fun and exciting list of activities and lessons planned for the students.