Penina has over 15 years of classroom experience in Chicago and four years of classroom experience in Israel. Before joining the faculty at Chicago Jewish Day School, Penina taught Kindergarten and First Grade at the Sol and Tillie Hasson Sephardic Hebrew Day School in Skokie, Illinois, as well as at Temple Judea Mitzpa’s Hebrew School and the Bernard Horwich Jewish Community Center’s Shalom Sunday program. While in Israel, Penina helped to pilot a program for the Early Childhood Division of the Department of Education. This program offered guidance to families with respect to the developmental milestones of early childhood development. Penina graduated from Ben Gurion University with a degree in Early Childhood Development and a teaching certificate from Bnei Brak.