Victoria Luzuriaga Bastidas
Head of School & Developmental Specialist
Victoria (she/her) has always been captivated by the world of childhood—the way young children approach each moment with wonder, creativity, and an unshakable sense of possibility. She believes education at its best should protect this spark, giving children space to explore, connect, and grow into themselves.
Growing up among the rivers and forests of Ecuador, she learned early that childhood is a time for wonder, exploration, and deep connection with the natural world. At wBees, now in her seventh year and fourth as an administrator, Victoria delights in working side-by-side with teachers, children, and families, tending to the social, emotional, developmental, and behavioral landscapes of these formative years. Her vision is to nurture a school community rooted in curiosity, abundance, and belonging, where every child feels seen and every family feels supported.
Her years of experience traverse teaching and researching internationally across various educational environments and schools. At the Center for Research with Infants and Toddlers, she conducts research on how the youngest members of our society make sense of their social worlds and develop their conceptual understanding.
Victoria holds a BFA in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design and a Master’s in Psychology with a focus on Early Childhood Development from The New School for Social Research. She is a certified Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Facilitator, trained in the Child Study Protocol, and holds a certificate in Asset-Based Montessori Education.
When she’s not exploring life’s little wonders with her students or conducting experiments in the lab, you can find Victoria in her home art studio or exploring her neighborhood, Ridgewood.
10 Questions with Victoria!
What is your favorite part of working in early childhood?
Oh, there’s plenty! But my favorite part, by far, is being around little humans who don’t take life so seriously. Being surrounded by their simple joy and excitement for life is so contagious and helps me adjust my perspective, stay playful, and approach life with more ease.
Is there a memory, teacher, or experience from your own education that impacts the way you approach teaching?
My college professor, research advisor, and head of my research lab, Lawrence Hirshfeld, has had an everlasting impact on me in so many ways. Mainly, his courses on childhood, childhood culture, and socialization. The way he views childhood is not as a rehearsal for adulthood, but as a profound period of meaning-making, where children actively construct their own culture, identity, and understanding through play and imagination, which has informed both my work and my research greatly.
What's your favorite part of the wBees day?
I love observing the work cycle and seeing how natural it is for young children to go into flow state. Apart from that, I ADORE mealtimes at wBees. Sitting with the kids, chatting about the different foods we eat, what happened over the weekend, and the stories from home, is such a special moment to connect with them and really listen to what’s going on in their growing minds. Once they get into that conversational stage around age 3+, it’s such a great time to sit, chat, and nourish our bodies.
If you weren't teaching early childhood/pre-school, what other age range would you like to teach?
Most likely university. I come from a family of many university professors and grew up wandering the campuses where my mom and grandfathers taught. I loved my time at uni, I felt like my professors really challenged me to think - think critically - and to stand by my arguments. I have a special space in my heart for academia and would love to have lively discussions about topics I am so deeply fond of.
What's your favorite children's book? Why?
As a young girl, my mom would read me Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon whenever I felt down or needed some extra strength to believe in myself. Looking it over now as an adult, I don’t know if I 100% agree with some of the word choices in the book, but the sentiment and message are SO strong and live on within me.
If you were a classroom material, what would you be and why?
If I were a Montessori material, I’d be Color Box III — endlessly vibrant, teaching that harmony comes not from sameness, but from the gentle transition between differences and here to help you see the full spectrum of possibilities (and maybe even put them in order).
If you could learn anything new right now, what would it be?
I’ve been itching to learn to speak Kichwa (or Quechua), the native indigenous language of Ecuador. I know a few words simply from it being somewhat embedded in Ecuadorian Spanish vernacular, but I’d love to learn the language fully. I’d love to connect more to my land and ancestral roots and learn to speak a language so deeply connected to the Earth and nature. Furthermore, it’s a dying language, so I want to do my part to cultivate and keep my roots alive.
What's a skill, hobby, or passion of yours that you pursue outside of work?
I spend a lot of time working on my artistic practice outside of work. My main focus is on archival work. For the past few years, I’ve been in the process of scanning and archiving my Abuelo’s negatives and slides. It’s culminated in a variety of projects across many different mediums and even resulted in some science-experiments-turned-art-pieces! It’s such a beautiful way to get to know someone deeper through their own artistic work. I’ve also recently gotten into ceramics at Scratch in the neighborhood. I love getting messy and lost in the clay and hypnotized by the wheel. My goal is to one day make my own dining set. As of now, I have a beautiful set of funky cups and mugs and another set of espresso cups.
What's one thing you think adults can learn from young children?
Again, oh so very much. If I had to choose just one thing, it would be candidness, spontaneity, and the art of speaking from the heart. Being with little ones all day reminds me how often we adults get tangled in our own thoughts — weighing, overthinking, filtering before we speak. Children don’t do that. Their words pour out with raw candor, unpolished but deeply true, as if their hearts are speaking directly to the world. That is something I strive for: to peel back the layers of hesitation and self-consciousness, and to speak with the same kind of clarity and honesty that comes so naturally to them. To really speak not just from the mind, but from the heart and the soul.
Where is your favorite place to connect with nature? Why?
Definitely back home in Ecuador! I have some favorite river and waterfall spots there that I’ve been going to my whole life, which are the ideal places to ground down into nature. If you’re ever going to the south of Ecuador, ask me for recommendations!
When I’m here in the city, my husband and I tend to spend entire days at Planting Fields Arboretum. But don’t tell many people! It’s a hidden gem in Long Island that’s so worth the drive. I like to get lost inside the greenhouses and see what new species of plants and flowers they have. They also have gigantic trees that are perfect for sitting and reading under. At this point, I might have walked the whole place, but who knows, it’s so vast and open that there might be some corners I have yet to explore!