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Imagine Spotlight: Mildred Van Wechel

June 17, 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

Read More
A woman in glasses snuggles a small baby

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

Read More

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Allison Jesus

May 27, 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

Read More

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Sabah Saed

April 27, 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

Read More

Imagine Spotlight: Gloria Vasquez Hernandez

March 9, 2022

This week and for International Women’s Day, we are proud to feature Imagine U lead mentor and state-approved trainer Gloria Vasquez Hernandez. Meet Gloria When Gloria Vasquez Hernandez decided to open a family child care businesses in Wenatchee, Washington, she knew she could provide a safe and caring space. She knew she could fill a need in her community. But she didn’t know how to become licensed. Gloria found herself frustrated with complex requirements and paperwork. She considered quitting, but pressed on

Read More

Imagine Spotlight: Yasmin

February 18, 2022

We have so many dedicated people working at Imagine and want to share some of their stories. Check out the Imagine Staff Spotlight of Yasmin! Meet Yasmin Yasmin is Imagine’s program assistant for the Child Care Stabilization Grant Technical Assistance Program, helping English, Somali, and Arabic-speaking child care providers apply for critical funding to stabilize their businesses. Yasmin first got involved in the immigrant community as a high schooler in Salt Lake City, by helping kids communicate – translating and figuring out

Read More

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Pauli Owen

July 16, 2021

GET TO KNOW PAULI OWEN Meet Pauli, one of Imagine’s Interim Substitute Pool Directors! Pauli is a rock star who has experience in almost every program at Imagine. As a child care provider herself, Pauli first became involved with Imagine as a licensed provider. She later shared her expertise as an Imagine U mentor, encouraging her interns to become licensed themselves. After almost two years of driving outreach and engagement for the Substitute Pool, Pauli and her colleague, Christopher DeRuvo, recently stepped

Read More

Imagine Spotlight: Tracy Dawson

June 9, 2021

TRACY DAWSON This week, we are proud to feature Imagine Trainer and Imagine U Lead Mentor, Tracy Dawson. Tracy Dawson is an Imagine superstar! According to her colleagues, “she doesn’t realize how magical she is.” Owner of Tracy’s Tikes Day-Care & Preschool, she is a licensed family child care provider in Grays Harbor County who has served children since 2009. As an advocate for all early childhood educators, Tracy has coordinated meetings and events to bring providers together to discuss professional development

Read More

Imagine Spotlight: June Steen

March 23, 2021

This week, we are proud to feature Imagine U Mentor and SEIU 925 member, June Steen. June Steen “We are a powerful group helping create the future of child care,” says June Steen, thinking about her peer group of mentors and the interns she helped graduate at Imagine U. June’s passion for child care and education has been a driving force in her life. June worked for Child Protective Services in Texas and supervised foster care placements in Tennessee. Caring for kids

Read More

Hello 2021

January 12, 2021

With the start of a new year, we’re happy to bring back Imagine’s blog. As we ring in 2021, we’re excited to use this space to share the latest news about our programs and events and to engage in conversations with our community. Bookmark this page and come back to visit often! New to Imagine? We offer professional development opportunities and groundbreaking early care programs and online trainings in English, Spanish, and Somali. Read more about our mission here. Our core programs:

Read More

Imagine Spotlight: Mildred Van Wechel

June 17, 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

Read More
A woman in glasses snuggles a small baby

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

Read More

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Allison Jesus

May 27, 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

Read More

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Sabah Saed

April 27, 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

Read More

Imagine Spotlight: Gloria Vasquez Hernandez

March 9, 2022

This week and for International Women’s Day, we are proud to feature Imagine U lead mentor and state-approved trainer Gloria Vasquez Hernandez. Meet Gloria When Gloria Vasquez Hernandez decided to open a family child care businesses in Wenatchee, Washington, she knew she could provide a safe and caring space. She knew she could fill a need in her community. But she didn’t know how to become licensed. Gloria found herself frustrated with complex requirements and paperwork. She considered quitting, but pressed on

Read More

Imagine Spotlight: Yasmin

February 18, 2022

We have so many dedicated people working at Imagine and want to share some of their stories. Check out the Imagine Staff Spotlight of Yasmin! Meet Yasmin Yasmin is Imagine’s program assistant for the Child Care Stabilization Grant Technical Assistance Program, helping English, Somali, and Arabic-speaking child care providers apply for critical funding to stabilize their businesses. Yasmin first got involved in the immigrant community as a high schooler in Salt Lake City, by helping kids communicate – translating and figuring out

Read More

Imagine Staff Spotlight: Pauli Owen

July 16, 2021

GET TO KNOW PAULI OWEN Meet Pauli, one of Imagine’s Interim Substitute Pool Directors! Pauli is a rock star who has experience in almost every program at Imagine. As a child care provider herself, Pauli first became involved with Imagine as a licensed provider. She later shared her expertise as an Imagine U mentor, encouraging her interns to become licensed themselves. After almost two years of driving outreach and engagement for the Substitute Pool, Pauli and her colleague, Christopher DeRuvo, recently stepped

Read More

Imagine Spotlight: Tracy Dawson

June 9, 2021

TRACY DAWSON This week, we are proud to feature Imagine Trainer and Imagine U Lead Mentor, Tracy Dawson. Tracy Dawson is an Imagine superstar! According to her colleagues, “she doesn’t realize how magical she is.” Owner of Tracy’s Tikes Day-Care & Preschool, she is a licensed family child care provider in Grays Harbor County who has served children since 2009. As an advocate for all early childhood educators, Tracy has coordinated meetings and events to bring providers together to discuss professional development

Read More

Imagine Spotlight: June Steen

March 23, 2021

This week, we are proud to feature Imagine U Mentor and SEIU 925 member, June Steen. June Steen “We are a powerful group helping create the future of child care,” says June Steen, thinking about her peer group of mentors and the interns she helped graduate at Imagine U. June’s passion for child care and education has been a driving force in her life. June worked for Child Protective Services in Texas and supervised foster care placements in Tennessee. Caring for kids

Read More

Hello 2021

January 12, 2021

With the start of a new year, we’re happy to bring back Imagine’s blog. As we ring in 2021, we’re excited to use this space to share the latest news about our programs and events and to engage in conversations with our community. Bookmark this page and come back to visit often! New to Imagine? We offer professional development opportunities and groundbreaking early care programs and online trainings in English, Spanish, and Somali. Read more about our mission here. Our core programs:

Read More

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