Hi! My name is Nora Sanchez and I am a former teacher.  I began teaching in the early 90's and discovered that the highlight of the day for my students was when I engaged them in "story time" and in interactive learning lessons. Using my handmade felt pieces made the lessons come alive and opened a whole new fun way of learning for the children.  After noticing the excitement of the children when I pulled out my 3-dimensional felt pieces and getting requests from other teachers to create personalized felt stories for their classes, it dawned upon me that there was a need for teacher training in the area of handmade story-based felt products.  Smiling Faces was born in 1999 to fill that need.

Smiling Faces primarily focuses on training teachers and daycare providers. We help teachers meet the needs of all students. Our workshops vary from making felt stories to improving reading comprehension and math skills.  Teachers enjoy making felt stories while learning how to incorporate them across the curriculum.  In addition to staff development services, Smiling Faces carries felt stories, aprons, and other handy items that make working with young children easier.

The company's name is representative of what you see on students' faces when they engage in fun, exciting, and interactive lessons.You can schedule a workshop for your staff or center by calling our number. You may also experience our workshops via conferences held throughout the state of California.