We are a small team; we know every child's name, favourite material and which days they arrive tired.
fFounder
Ayşe TunçFounder, Children's House guide
Ayşe Tunç
Founder, Children's House guide
Child development graduate from Hacettepe. After ten years as a preschool teacher she trained with AMI 3–6 in Bergamo and opened Çınaraltı in 2019. She is still in the Children's House every morning.
Hacettepe University, Child Development and Education (BSc)
AMI 3–6 Montessori diploma, Bergamo
AMI 0–3 (Assistants to Infancy) diploma
First aid training (current)
Favourite workThe knobbed cylinders — because everything started with them.
Languages: Turkish, English, Italian
cChildren's House
Elif KaracaChildren's House guide
Elif Karaca
Children's House guide
Preschool education graduate from Ege University. She completed AMI 3–6 training in London and has been at Çınaraltı since 2021. She looks after the language area and the book corner.
Ege University, Preschool Education (BA)
AMI 3–6 Montessori diploma, London
First aid training (current)
Favourite workThe moveable alphabet — the sound of the room changes when a child builds their first word.
Languages: Turkish, English
Melek ŞahinChildren's House assistant, garden lead
Melek Şahin
Children's House assistant, garden lead
Child development graduate (associate degree) with Montessori assistant training. The garden, vegetable beds and seasons table are her work; children ask her for the watering cans.
Child Development (associate degree)
Montessori assistant training
First aid training (current)
Favourite workThe seasons table — rebuilt every month with what the garden brings.
Languages: Turkish
nNest
Deniz AralNest guide
Deniz Aral
Nest guide
He studied psychological counselling, then decided to work with babies and toddlers. AMI 0–3 trained, he plans the Nest settling-in weeks separately with each family.
Dokuz Eylül University, Psychological Counselling and Guidance (BA)
AMI 0–3 (Assistants to Infancy) diploma
Infant and child first aid (current)
Favourite workThe push cart — the most loyal companion of first steps.
Languages: Turkish, English
kKitchen
Hatice YıldızCook
Hatice Yıldız
Cook
Twenty years in the kitchen, seven of them cooking for children. She prepares the menu with our dietitian; the lettuce the children harvest goes from her counter to the table.
Food hygiene and safety training (current)
Institutional catering certificate
Favourite workThe child's knife in the kitchen corner — "chopping day" is her favourite.
Languages: Turkish
The best way to meet our guides is to drop by one morning.
