About Us
A Mother’s Love. A Teacher’s Vocation
The story behind Lilita’s Future Leader Kiddos.
The Beginning
It started with Love
“Before Lilita’s was a daycare, it was a feeling…”
When Lily Tejada de Gutierrez became a mother, she stayed at her son’s preschool every day. She cleaned chairs. She swept floors. She did whatever it took to stay close.
Her mentor Leila , a teacher trained in Reggio Emilia, saw something in Lily: a born educator. She offered Lily a job at the same school. That was the beginning.
Then Came Lilita’s:
After the pandemic cuts at SFUSD, Lily’s husband suggested she start a daycare from home. What began as necessity became her greatest work.
"It's the place I would have wanted for my own son. And now, it's here for yours." — Lily Tejada de Gutierrez
Meet the Founder
Meet Lily Tejada de Gutierrez
Founder, Director, and Lead Teacher
Lily is not your average daycare owner. She is a qualified teacher with seven years of experience in some of San Francisco’s best early education programs — and she applies all of that knowledge to the children at Lilita’s.
- Training Background
Zayda Rodriguez Preschool (SFUSD) — 3 years This is one of the top Reggio Emilia-inspired programs in San Francisco. Here, Lily learned the Italian approach that influences Lilita’s today — not just from reading, but from skilled teachers who practiced it daily.
Cesar Chavez Elementary School — 3 years Worked in special education with children who required the most help. Kids with various learning needs. Kids that others had given up on. Lily didn’t give up. She adjusted. She supported. She saw them thrive.
Family Connection Center This is where her path started — first as a parent volunteer, then as a teacher under her mentor Leila, a Reggio-trained educator from China.
Qualifications
- Associate Degree in Early Childhood Development
- Reggio Emilia training at SFUSD
- DRDP-certified evaluator (California state standard)
- Certified in CPR & First Aid
- 7 years of professional teaching experience
Languages
English · Spanish · Basic Portuguese · Basic Chinese
She communicates with every family in the language that feels most comfortable for them
Why She Does This?
Before Lilita’s was a business, it was a calling.
As a young mother, Lily refused to leave her son’s preschool. She stayed every day — cleaning, sweeping, helping however she could — just to be close. That dedication caught the eye of her mentor Leila, who saw what Lily couldn’t yet see: a born educator.
Seven years later, Lily is doing what she was meant to do. Teaching children. Loving them. Watching them become exactly who they are.
Want to See Reggio Emilia in Action?
Come visit us and watch the children at work.