About Us

ABC Mom Learning Center & Childcare is a dual language (Mandarin & English), STEM, early childhood education and child care program in Irvine, California, with a Four Star National QRIS Rating (Highest Quality). We have enjoyed this honor and distinction twice (2017 & 2019) through a rigorous professional development and assessment process through the Quality Start OC Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS). We are licensed by the California Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division as a Large Family Child Care Home (License Number 304312843). Our Student-Teacher Ratio is one teacher to six students.

We are an emergent curriculum, meaning that our learning adventures are based upon current student interests, experiences, and teacher observation. Developmentally appropriate instruction and differentiated instruction are offered to ensure that all student needs are met. Planning is based upon the California Preschool Learning Foundations, with the goal of supporting families transition into kindergarten. The development of the whole child is valued here, with social emotional development as the foundation.

We offer home learning activities that are sent home on Monday and to be returned on Friday morning. These activities are offered with the purpose of supporting children's learning at home and to help families build the important rhythms and practices to support their children throughout their learning journeys. We are a learning center, so the value is that we all learn together and learn from each other, both children and adults alike. The goal is for all of us to be joyful lifelong learners!

Raissa Lee, Owner & Director

My Story

Mrs. Lee holds a Child Development Site Supervisor Permit from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in International Relations and received her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with a BCLAD (Bilingual Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development) Mandarin Emphasis from California State University, Fullerton in 2002. Mrs. Lee also holds a Masters of Science in Elementary Curriculum & Instruction (with an early education emphasis). She was awarded the 2021 Outstanding Professional of the Year Award by the Orange County Association for the Education of Young Children (OCAEYC). Mrs. Lee has taught in both the Irvine Unified and Newport Mesa Unified School Districts. Mrs. Lee has also served as the Infant, Pre-K, and K Children’s Director at a local church.

Mrs. Lee is Pediatric First Aid and Adult, Child, and Infant CPR Certified, is an active participant of the Orange County Department of Education’s Quality Start OC QRIS Program and Family Child Care Communities of Practice (FCCOP), and also regularly participates in ongoing professional development such as the Early Childhood Science Technology Engineering and Math (ECSTEM) Conference and other professional development programs. She has had the honor of being a Workshop Presenter at the ECSTEM 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022 Conferences, teaching early educators how to engage and teach students using STEM. Mrs. Lee has also served as a Workshop Presenter at the Orange County Early Childhood Collaborative Conference (2018), teaching on the subject of “The Story of Our Names” and how names can be used to teach and engage children’s learning in all domains. In addition, Mrs. Lee has also provided Mandarin translation and live interpretation for the Program of Infant and Toddler Care (PITC).

In addition to teaching a workshop by invitation, at The City of Irvine’s “Super Saturday, a Staff Development Day for Early Care and Education Professionals.” Mrs. Lee is also a Certified Toddler CLASS Observer. Mrs. Lee also currently serves on the Human Development Advisory Committee and Child Development Training Consortium at Irvine Valley College, in addition to being an IVC Mentor Teacher and adjunct Human Development Professor. Mrs. Lee is a also a proud member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Orange County Association for the Education of Young Children (OCAEYC), where she serves as Secretary on the OCAEYC Executive Council.

In addition to teaching, prior to opening up ABC Mom Learning Center & Childcare, Mrs. Lee worked in the finance sector for twelve years, six of which were spent as a Senior Pricing Analyst and full-time working mother of young children. Prior to that, she worked in start-up company ventures for a number of years, resulting in her strong support of small businesses and especially women entrepreneurs.

In addition to teaching, mentoring, and pursuing her graduate degree, Mrs. Lee has also been happily married to her husband for over twenty years. Together, with God’s help and the support of their community, they are committed to nurturing their marriage, loving and serving their community, and most importantly, raising three children together (11th Grade, 8th Grade, and 4th Grade). Mrs. Lee has an understanding of the realities and needs of working parents and possesses a passion for being a positive resource and encouragement for working parents and families.

In addition to her different early educator roles, Mrs. Lee enjoys spending time with her family walking around the lake, going to the movies, drawing, writing, building Gundam models, crocheting, and reading cozy mysteries with hot yummy drinks.

Contact

Please email us for enrollment information or inquiries about our program.