Dr. Vicky Ciocon-Heler Ed.D., graduated with a B.A. in Child Development from Maryknoll College. She arrived for graduate studies at Stanford and along with her Ed.D., she also holds several graduate degrees in the fields of educational administration, learning disabilities, guidance and counseling, multicultural education, and international development education.

To date, she has forty-three years of experience in the field of early childhood education as a teacher and an administrator, and has opened and organized six non-profit children's centers in the area. Lilliput began in 1985 and has been in operation all these years in response to the need for excellent, small group, quality child care. Writing children's books is a hobby she enjoys. So far, she has published two books. Dr. Heler is also a language aficionado. She fluently speaks English, Spanish, Tagalog and two other dialects from the Philippines. She can also speak French and is currently learning Mandarin.

JR is from Switzerland and completed his education with a double masters in Philosophy and English Linguistics from the University of Fribourg. Following graduation, he worked for a number of years as a middle school and high school teacher in his home town, before eventually taking on the position of Director of the Youth National Teams for Swiss Basketball for eight years. JR completed a federal certificate in sport performance and is a FIBA certified basketball coach. He has always had a passion for working with young children and moved to the U.S. to open the preschool with his wife, Jacqueline. He completed his Early Childhood Education courses. JR has published three books and speaks fluent French, English, and German.

Jacqueline is a Palo Alto native and a graduate of Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Psychology. She was an NCAA Division I athlete in volleyball and, following graduation, went to Europe to pursue a professional volleyball career. While in Switzerland she completed an M.A in Counseling Psychology, and an M.S. in Leadership Psychology. She is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. Upon returning to the US, she completed her Early Childhood Education courses and certification. Jacqueline has always enjoyed working with children. She has coached, mentored, and taught children between two and eighteen years of age for over 10 years in both California and Switzerland. She speaks English and French.

Andrea is a Bay Area native and graduated from Foothill College with a degree in Early Childhood Education. Her work with children includes working at a home-based childcare, working as an assistant director and working at one of the childcare centers at Stanford University, where she worked with infants and toddlers up to the age of 2. While at Stanford she worked in the classroom, as well as being the Health and Safety Coordinator for 7 classrooms. She holds certificates of specialization in Early Childhood Education, Inclusion and Children with Special Needs, Infant and Toddler Development and currently working on a Certificate of Achievement in Program Supervision and Mentoring. Andrea is married to Dr. Heler’s son, Jean-Michel, and began working at Lilliput after their first son was born. She speaks English and Spanish.