Rita Beransky joined the CCNS community as a parent in 2020, in the thick of the pandemic. Both of her kids have since completed the program, with the youngest graduating in 2026. She will be forever grateful for the lifeline that the CCNS community and teachers gave her as her family juggled life in lockdown with a newborn and 3 year old. Her love of the school and community only grew with every passing year and she supported CCNS in return through her roles as the Database Coordinator, Social Media Coordinator, and now as an alumni serving as Secretary on the Board of Directors. 

Rita has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with a minor in Neuroscience, from UC Davis, and has worked for many years with children in various research coordination roles from UC Davis, to UC San Diego, to Stanford. After attending CCNS, and then Big Trees as a parent for 2+ years, she knew the only place she wanted to be when her children started elementary school was outdoors sharing her love and enthusiasm for nature with other families. And now as a Big Trees teacher, she is interested in the space where the play-based, positive parenting principles of CCNS meet nature exploration, and she strives to inspire and educate families in a co-learning environment. 

Rita was born in Belarus and moved to Irvine, California when she was three years old. She moved to and fell in love with the natural beauty of the Bay Area in 2012. She currently lives in Sunnyvale with her husband and two children, where she enjoys hiking and exploring, slowly and awkwardly learning to shuffle dance, biking with her family, and building up the community around her.