Balandra is the Executive Director at Parent Services Project. Prior to joining PSP, Balandra was the Director of Operations at A Home Away from Homelessness, a program of Bay Area Community Resources that provides academic support and enrichment opportunities to homeless and formerly homeless youth. Balandra worked for many years in partnership with San Rafael City Schools, Marin Community Foundation and First 5 Marin to coordinate San Rafael School Linked Services and the Canal School Readiness Initiative. Balandra was born and raised in the Bay Area and spends most of her free time with her family. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is passionate about social justice issues including educational equity and immigration reform. bfregoso@parentservices.org
Rosa brings more than a decade of experience in family advocacy and community leadership. For 12 years, she was the Family Center Coordinator and Advocate at San Pedro Elementary School, one of two elementary schools serving the Canal neighborhood. In this role, she oversaw comprehensive parent engagement and support services, including school-based counseling, family advocacy, and parent education programs designed to strengthen student and family success.
In addition, Rosa led the SRCS Summer Bridge Program for eight summers, helping prepare kindergarten-bound students and their families for a successful transition into school.
From December 2023 to December 2025, Rosa served as Outreach, Volunteer, and Senior Manager at A Home Away from Homelessness, where she led community engagement efforts to support academic success for youth experiencing housing insecurity in San Francisco.
Born and raised in Mexico, Rosa holds an Associate degree in Accounting from CBTIS Mexico. In 2021, she was honored with the Above Self Award by the Evening Rotary Club of San Rafael in recognition of her outstanding service and dedication to the community.
Natalie worked at the Center for Domestic Peace for six years as a shelter and hotline advocate, supporting families and individuals experiencing intimate partner violence by connecting them with critical services and resources. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies from Sonoma State University and has lived in Marin County and the East Bay her entire life. Natalie is passionate about prevention, early childhood education, and strengthening families through community-based support. In her free time, she enjoys taking long walks and discovering great food.
Ivette Villarreal is our Early Literacy Coordinator. She advocates for children’s rights and early childhood education nationally and internationally. She was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, then moved to Columbia, South Carolina where became a parent and lived there for a little over two decades. In 2010, she visited the San Francisco Bay area with her family, and found it remarkably enchanting. In 2021, she arrived to the West Coast to serve as a Community Family Liaison with Kentfield School District, Marin County, CA.
Language arts (oral, visual, written) and multimedia platforms are her passions. She enjoys building programs in partnership and in bilingual settings, and has had great opportunities to serve in government and non-profit organizations in her native country and in the U.S., among them: Venezuelan Foundation of Children’s and Youth Literature, Caracas Contemporary Museum of Arts, Radio Nacional de Venezuela; S.C. ETV, and S.C. Richland County First Steps/Early Head Start.
As an independent producer and in collaboration with South Carolina State Library, created BibliObservatory, a multimedia/podcast project that promoted cultural appreciation, diversity and inclusion through storytelling.
Kerry Bacho joins the PSP team as our Raising a Reader Program Manager and coordinates the Marin Raising A Reader program. Prior to PSP, Kerry worked for eight years as a Family Advocate with the Novato School Readiness Program and Novato Youth Center, working with 0-5 year olds and their families, preparing them to be ready to start school. Kerry’s experience also includes five years of service work in the Sierra Madres in Chihuahua, Mexico with Tarahumara Indian children – nurturing them, assisting the dentists and pediatricians, and collaborating with the local Rotarian Clubs. Kerry has a passion for working with children and inspiring them to want to learn and to be successful. Kerry is bilingual in English and Spanish. She received her Associates in Arts degree from Santa Rosa Junior College and is working on her Bachelor’s degree in Chicano Latino Studies at Sonoma State University. kbacho@parentservices.org
Perla de los Santos is originally from Mexico and has been living in California for thirty-five years. She has been working with pre-school children and parents from diverse cultures for over twenty-eight years. Perla has experience working with dual language learners and children with challenging behavior and special needs. She loves working with children and getting them ready for kindergarten. Perla believes that parent participation is vital for children to succeed in school and in the school of life.
pdelossantos@parentservices.org