Our Story: A Passion for Education and Community Support

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With over twenty years of experience in the classroom, Rachel Gaunt has dedicated her career to understanding the unique ways in which students learn and thrive. Having navigated the evolving landscape of modern education, Rachel recognized early on that a one-size-fits-all approach often misses the mark for many learners. This realization, sparked by thousands of hours spent mentoring students across diverse academic backgrounds, became the catalyst for co-founding Skill Haven, a platform that prioritizes human connection and tailored instruction above all else.

Beyond the traditional classroom, Rachel has trained and mentored novice teachers and specialized as a learning coach for students with learning differences, experiences that refined her ability to align specific student needs with effective instruction. Today, Rachel’s work with Skill Haven stands as a testament to her belief that the right mentor can transform a student's academic journey, fostering not just better grades, but lifelong confidence in the power of learning.

With over two decades of experience in the childcare industry, Tessa brings a profound understanding of family needs, safety, and community building to Skill Haven here in San Luis Obispo. Her expertise spans every critical facet of care and operations—from placement and recruitment to customer success, Trust & Safety, and management.

Prior to developing Skill Haven, Tessa led corporate back-up childcare initiatives and successfully scaled a leading startup platform. She was instrumental in building a trusted marketplace of over 30,000 vetted providers, facilitating safe, high-volume connections between families and caregivers. A hallmark of this initiative was unlocking stay-at-home mothers as a vital new source of childcare supply, empowering them with a flexible platform to earn an income while providing essential services to their communities.

Tessa applies her extensive background in vetted marketplace operations to foster a supportive, safe, and empowering educational environment for local students and mentors.

Jessica is a dedicated leader whose commitment to educational excellence is deeply personal. As a longtime San Luis Obispo resident and a parent raising her own children in the local school system, Jessica recognized a critical need for trusted, high-quality academic support.

Her mission is anchored in nearly two decades of deep expertise in the education sector. Jessica began her career in the classroom as a teacher before transitioning into educational services and corporate education leadership. She spent years holding strategic roles at major national organizations, including Kaplan, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Fullbloom, gaining extensive experience in pedagogy, curriculum design, and operational excellence.

This diverse background, which spans direct teaching to system-level educational services, informs Skill Haven’s foundation. Driven to bring her professional rigor back to the Central Coast community, Jessica is focused on mobilizing local talent to help students build confidence and achieve next-level academic mastery.