Dorothy Stewart, holds an Ed.D. from University of California, Berkeley, with a specialization in Early Education. She is President and Founder of Old Firehouse School. She was a part-time lecturer at Sonoma State University for more than 10 years. She has taught preschool, community college and at the University level. She is a current or past member of many professional and charitable organizations in the field of early childhood education.

Bob Buhl holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley and MBA from St. Marys College. He was an electrical engineer with the Navy and then for the last 13 years with the Coast Guard. He currently is in charge of the organization responsible for installing electronic equipment all over the western United States and the Pacific on ships, boats and shore units. On weekends, he is the CFO and the builder/designer/handyman and innovator at Old Firehouse School.

Dr. Dorothy Stewart and husband, Bob Buhl, founders of Old Firehouse School, opened the Lafayette school in 1996. This was a lifetime dream. Old Firehouse School (OFS) has accomplished much in its first 10 years. Recently we won the Bay Area Parent Readers Choice award as the Best Preschool in the East Bay. Old Firehouse is renowned throughout California and hosts approximately 300 educators a year who have traveled from as far away as Guatemala to study its facilities and methods. In the Fall of 2004 OFS opened its second school in Mill Valley, California. It too is receiving accolades from the parents.

OFS is in much demand by parents, with long waiting lists in most of its classrooms in both schools. Currently approximately 100 families are enrolled in the two schools. With the exception of the children moving on to kindergarten, 95% of year 2005 families are returning to the schools. Old Firehouse is nationally known for its Staff Stability Plan which is partly responsible for its extremely low staff turnover. This year we lost only one teacher who decided to pursue a career in elementary education.