Stefanie McKnight
​Owner

Stefanie is the owner of Purple Door Preschool!  She enjoyed teaching preschool age students in her home for seven years  so much that she decided to open Purple Door so she could share her ideas and love with even more children!  Stefanie has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada. She was the former owner of Celebrations!, a children's birthday party and play place. She has worked with youth for over 25 years in many different settings. She was a Youth Counselor on board cruise ships and she worked with children at the Child ​and Family Research Center at the University of Nevada. She was the Leadership and Developmental Coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows and a Site Supervisor for the City of Reno's Summer Discovery programs. She has also been a Nanny, and even a children's Gymnastic Coach. Most importantly, Stefanie is a proud mother of three children, Quinn, Mia and Kai.

Our Teachers

Linda (Gigi) O'Neil
Director

Linda O’Neil, M.S. is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno with a Master’s degree in Human Development and Family studies and Early Childhood Education. She continued her studies at Stanford University and is a 2012 graduate of Nv.LEND. She was the Director of the Infant and Toddler program at the Child and Family Research Center, at UNR for five years. For 22 years, she worked as a Developmental Specialist for the State of Nevada and was a part-time instructor at UNR and TMCC teaching courses in Child Development and Family Studies which included teaching a preschool administration class for fifteen years. She has presented many workshops throughout the state of Nevada, including working with Head Start as a statewide trainer. She has also presented at State and National conferences. She was employed by the Psychological Corporation serving on the team for Bayley re-certification for the preschool child. She has been involved in several grants and is on the UNR faculty with the NvLEND. She also served as one of the chairs on the Newborn Hearing Screening committee for the State of Nevada. Linda served on the Rural Infant and Child Mental Health Consortium, for the State of Nevada. Her interest includes neuro-developmental disorders in the young child and the development of the young child through the preschool years.  ​

Tracy DowD
​Director

I was born in Fairfield, California but moved to Sparks when I was 3 years old, and I've been living here ever since. I am a mother of three beautiful boys ages 19, 12, and 10 and have been happily married for the past 13 years. I've been working with children off and on for the past 20 years, but mainly as a home daycare provider for roughly 7 years. I am very passionate about children and respect there individual needs. I started working at Purple Door in 2016 and I look forward to getting to know your child and your families as I continue to teach at Purple Door.
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Rhonda Lund
​Lead Teacher

I was born and raised in Long Beach, California before moving to Northern California during my junior year of high school. I have been caring for children for more than 20 years and have taken many Early Childhood Education courses from Santa Rosa Junior College and here locally. I was a nanny for 6 years in Marin County, California before becoming a stay at home mom after the birth of my first child. I have 3 children, Kayla (23), Nathan (20), and Joshua (14). I have been married to my husband, Philip for 26 years!  I operated a family childcare business in California and here in Sparks until I decided to join Purple Door!  I feel so blessed and lucky to have been given the opportunity to work at such an amazing school. I love Stef's philosophy of "learning through play" and the passion she has for the children and families of Purple Door. I look forward to coming to work everyday to "play" with the children and guide them through their day and to help them foster a love of learning and discovery. In my spare time I love reading, enjoying the outdoors in this beautiful region and above all, spending time with my family.

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Inas Alkhresat
​Lead Teacher

I am originally from Jordan and moved to the United States in 2010 and have lived in Minnesota and California before moving to Nevada in 2018. I have a bachelors degree in English Literature and I’m a mom of two girls, one of which attends Purple Door. I’ve always had a passion to work with kids and enjoy watching them grow and learn new things everyday!

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Micayla Snell
​Lead Teacher
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I am so excited to be a part of Purple Door Preschool! I was born and raised in Reno, Nevada where I also attended the University of Nevada, Reno. I graduated in 2017 with my degree in Human Development and Family Studies. I grew up babysitting and discovered my passion for early childhood education when I worked at the Child and Family Research Center, Early Head Start, at UNR! I love to be silly and I enjoy watching children explore, discover, and grow from their time at school! I love the outdoors and you can often find me camping or hiking with my two dogs and my soon to be husband! I am looking forward to all the fun, playing, and learning we will be doing at school! 
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Rachel Schlottman
Lead Teacher

​I was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. I am currently a sophomore at Truckee Meadows College pursuing a degree in accounting. I have always enjoyed being around kids and worked as a nanny/babysitter before joining the Purple Door family. I have worked at Purple Door for a year and I absolutely love my job! It is so rewarding for me to watch the kids I work with grow and learn, they teach me so much and fill my days with laughter and fun. 
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Hailey Begbi
​Lead Teacher

I was born in Oregon and moved to Reno in third grade! I’ve been working with children for almost eight years and have been at purple door preschool for four years. If I’m not at work I'm outside hiking, camping or trying to plan a trip to Disneyland! I look forward to working with your children and learning new fun things each day as well as learning about all there unique personalities! 
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Alyssa Pippin
Lead Teacher

Hello! I was born and raised in Reno Nevada. I’m currently a sophomore at the University of Nevada Reno, studying Economics. I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy outdoor activities and photography. I come from a big family, so I’ve always enjoyed hanging out with the little ones. I love coming into to work every day. There is a constant positive energy surrounding Purple Door. I’m excited to start another school year and build relationships with everyone!
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Meka O'Neil
Assistant Teacher

Tameka has been an assistant teacher at Purple Door Preschool from the very begging six years ago! She comes with a lot of experience having worked with young children for over 20 years. She participated in the Rave program as a teacher and was the assistant teacher for Stef’s School House as she is Stef's sister and daughter to Gigi. The children love her at Purple Door and affectionately call her “Auntie Meka”. We are happy to have her once again be a part of Purple Door Staff.
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Anthony Gummert
Assistant Teacher

I was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. I’m a graduate of Reed High School and a freshman at Truckee Meadows Community College, pursuing a degree in English Education. I grew up around young children as my mom ran a home daycare for seven years and I learned so much from watching her interact with the kids. Being at Purple Door has allowed me to not only gain a second family of amazing coworkers, but it lets me see an entire school of children become more creative and shape their own individuality with each passing day. I couldn’t imagine a more rewarding experience.
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Malinda Griffin
Lead Teacher

I consider myself fortunate to be a part of Purple Door Preschool and to have the opportunity to inspire, teach, and grow alongside the youngest of our community. As one of six children, I grew up in a very playful and social environment. I enjoy seeing and helping children develop both socially and relationally. As a young person, I volunteered for and was trained as a mediator for the Kitsap County dispute resolution center. I have always had a strong desire to do something with my life that involved helping others. My biggest passion throughout life has been music, and Music Performance was the degree I initially sought out during college. However, after becoming a mother of two, (currently ages 9 and 6), I have returned to college at University of Nevada to complete my bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Once completed, I will continue my education and complete a Master of Arts in Counseling. Having the opportunity to teach and play with young children, and help instill a passion for learning while I continue my own journey, is an honor and a privilege. 
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Natalie Bagan
Lead Teacher

I am originally from Atascadero CA. I moved to Spanish Springs in 2011 after meeting my husband Daniel, who has worked for Granite Construction here in Reno for the past 17 years. We have been married for 9 years and have two awesome kiddos, Charlie 7 and Quincy will be 3 on Halloween 2021. Quincy will also be joining the Purple door family in August!! Our family loves to camp, take out our side by side, go boating, sports, and most of all race dirt bikes! I have over 20 years experience in every kind of childcare setting. Teacher, Aide, nanny, camp counselor, all ages. My sweet spot is definitely with the "littles" preschool age. I love watching them grow, play, learn, have all the feelings in their own unique way. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to be a teacher at Stef's school. I believe in her "learn through play" approach of teaching, and letting the kids really set the tone for how they will thrive and learn best. I can't wait to be a part of you and your child's journey to growing into school age children and look forward to meeting you all!!
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