Blog

Filter

Imagine Celebrates Pride Month

June 24, 2022

Staff at the Imagine Institute share their thoughts on Pride month. Pride month celebrations are underway, and it’s an annual tradition showcasing individualism and diversity. There are celebrations all over Washington State, as people come out to support those in the LGBTQIA+ community. At the Imagine Institute, we wanted to show our support. Here are some thoughts from members of our staff about what Pride month means to us. What does pride mean to you? “Pride means we get to be and

Imagine Spotlight: Mildred Van Wechel

June 16, 2022

This week, we’re proud to feature Mildred Van Wechel, serving as a child care provider in Western Washington. MEET MILDRED It started as a way to provide for her family, and now Mildred Van Wechel is coming up on 15 years of serving her community. Child care is something she became passionate about, and it’s all thanks to the help from The Imagine Institute. JOURNEY TO CHILD CARE Mildred was born and raised in the Philippines and moved to the United States

A professional portrait of a woman with dark hair and a blue sweater

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Marie Keller

June 2, 2022

This week, we’re proud to feature Marie Keller, Imagine’s Director of Career Pathways. Meet Marie Marie Keller knows how much skill and insight child care providers bring to their profession, because she’s experienced it from so many sides. Marie ran her own child care business for 21 years and worked with a child care union to listen to providers across Washington State. Now, she leads Imagine U, the Imagine Institute’s signature relationship-based mentoring program that has helped nearly 400 people open their

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Allison Jesus

May 26, 2022

This week, we are proud to feature Allison Jesus, who is a Program Assistant with Imagine. Meet Allison She grew up in Western Washington, but her roots as a Pacific Islander have shaped the way Allison Jesus views her community. She decided to focus on child care at an early age and has now found a home at the Imagine Institute. “I was looking for a new job working with youth. So, I stumbled across Imagine and fell in love with their whole mission

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Renata Bryant

May 20, 2022

This week, we are proud to feature Renata Bryant, who is currently the new Community and Advocacy Specialist with Imagine. Meet Renata She has spent most of her life advocating for child care and families, and now Renata is bringing her skills to Imagine in a new position designed to help providers get the help and support they need. Renata Bryant is now the Community and Advocacy Specialist at Imagine and will serve as the voice between lawmakers and early learning providers.

There’s still time to schedule your 50 FREE Substitute Hours Now-June 30

May 13, 2022

You may read this message in: SOMALI | ESPAÑOL — ACCESS YOUR UNION BENEFIT DAYS — **New!** 50 FREE HOURS OF FULLY PAID SUBSTITUTE TIME AVAILABLE NOW! Have you scheduled your hours for this quarter (April 1st through June 30th)? If you haven’t, this is the perfect time to do it! As we near the end of this fiscal year, we want to remind you that you can schedule up to 50 FREE hours of fully paid substitute time through June 30th.

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Sabah Saed

April 26, 2022

This week, we are proud to feature Sabah Saed, who is currently a Child Care Stabilization Grant Technical Assistance Program Lead. Meet Sabah Sabah Saed has been with the Imagine Institute for years, and says she is excited to still be a part of the great work they are doing. Sabah is currently one of the leads for the Child Care Stabilization Grant Technical Assistance Program, but she has had many different roles throughout her time with Imagine, and each step has

Four children peek out from behind a tree in a forest, laughing and playing

Help Kids Appreciate the Planet for Earth Day and Arbor Day

April 22, 2022

April 22 is Earth Day and April 29 is Arbor Day! Signs of spring are popping up everywhere, and kids are eager to get outside and play in the sunshine. Help them appreciate our beautiful planet and celebrate two great holidays with these activities! Science and Sensory Play Go play! Squish mud, run across the grass in a yard or playground, feel the rough bark of tree, listen to the wind and the birds. Kids who experience nature can better learn to

A little girl in a yellow sweater writes in a notebook

Fun Kids’ Activities for National Poetry Month

April 13, 2022

April is National Poetry Month! It’s the perfect time to introduce children to the wonderful worlds of words. If you saw the adorable acrostic poems in our Women’s History Month blog, you know how much fun poetry can be for kids. Here are some more ideas from across the web for teaching kids how to experiment with rhythm and rhyme, learn new forms and fall in love with poetry. For Little Kids Create a Montessori-inspired poetry basket. Print out a copy of

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Cate Bridenstine

April 8, 2022

Imagine’s executive director, Cate Bridenstine, does most of her work behind the scenes. This week, we’re featuring her on the blog to tell the story of why she started working for Imagine and what she envisions for the future of our programs, our industry and our society. Meet Cate When the Imagine Institute began, founding executive director Cate Bridenstine did a little bit of everything — building furniture for the new office and bussing tables at Imagine’s first event, alongside the enormous

Filter

Categories