Board Member Highlight | Rachel Samoff

Rachel Samoff has been a PACCC supporter since she arrived in Palo Alto in 1980. Bringing with her 13 years of experience as an early childhood educator in Michigan, she began her exploration of the Palo Alto early care and education community. After working for four years directing the large child care and education centers at Moffet Field, Rachel joined Syntex in 1984 to establish an early employer sponsored early care and education program at Cubberley in response to the needs of the company’s ever growing number of working women in 1984. She served as the Executive Director of that program, The Children’s Pre-School Center, for the next 29 years. During that time she frequently worked with PACCC through its growth and evolution, sharing the services of a nurse, collaborating on professional development, earning NAEYC Accreditation and other projects. In addition Rachel has spent many years as a Santa Clara County First Five Commissioner and a member of the Palo Alto Advisory Committee on Early Care and Education (PAACECE).

Upon leaving the leadership of CPSC, Rachel joined the PACCC Board in 2013 and has been an active participant on the board since that time. Over the years she has served as board chair and participated in the Ad Hoc Covid and HR Committees, and the standing Board Development Committee.

Early Childhood Care and Education has been Rachel’s life work. She has spent years as a teacher, a parent coordinator, an Executive Director, a coach and an adult educator both in the US and in Africa. This passion began with an attraction to interacting with our youngest children. To this day, Rachel finds joy, inspiration, and positive energy working with young children and their teachers. Currently in addition to her board duties, she volunteers in one of PACCC’s preschool programs two mornings each week.