Our Trainers

Languages: Spanish and English

Aida Rodriguez currently holds the following volunteer positions: SEIU 925 Northwest Region volunteer/translator, Family Home Childcare; She currently participates in the following programs: Licensed Bilingual Early Learning Program; Early Achievers Level 3, Creative Curriculum Certified with Teaching Strategies Gold; State Certified Mentor through Imagine Institute; State Approved Trainer. (DCYF).

Her training philosophy is to create a professional relationship promoting the knowledge of personal experience and working together in order to gain skills, self-confidence, and independence while working in the classroom. The result is a relationship creating a developmental learning environment and community-based program in partnership to help support and advocate for everyone’s learning style, working together as a team and providing opportunities for hands-on interaction. She believes in recognizing the importance of a positive self-image for students and the role it plays in fostering independence and pride in oneself. Her focus is to provide a stimulating environment where students learn through interactions and genuine experiences, taking into special consideration that each student is an individual with a diverse background.

Languages: Spanish

Berta Artiga was born and raised in El Salvador and is currently an early child teacher educator. She owns her own business as a home daycare, offering families and children high quality work, respecting their cultures, and working with humility and being positive. Berta uses appropriate strategies according to the children’s ages in order for their learning to be successful.

Berta graduated from Goddard College with a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education in 2020. Currently, she is a WA State Approved Trainer, Certified CPR and First Aid Trainer and Certified Mentor, and Trainer for the Imagine Institute.
Berta is getting her master’s degree in education, with the concentration in adult learning at the Goddard school. For her, education is the basis of personal improvement, to offer the community, families and children a high quality of job.

Languages: Spanish

Bertha Landin has been running her home daycare for 25 years in Pasco, WA. She was born in Jalisco, Mexico. In 2016, she attended CBC College in Pasco, WA and received her certification in Early Childhood Education (CDA). She is at Level 3 of Early Achievers and was President of the United Eastern Washington Childcare Providers Association. Bertha is a state certified mentor through Imagine Institute. She has been a CPR instructor for six years and is an approved Specialist Trainer by the (DCYF).

Bertha Landin’s training philosophy is to create a professional relationship that promotes knowledge and personal experience in the work in order to acquire confidence and independence in the participants. It also includes creating an environment of learning and development of the community-based program that supports and defends different styles of learning. Also, to provide a stimulating environment where participants learn through interactions and their own experiences, with special consideration and respect for the culture of each of the participants.

Languages: English

Carli has been a Washington State-Approved Trainer since 2019. She brings with her over 15 years of experience as a licensed family child care provider, early learning advocate and a Master’s of Arts degree in Education. Carli has most recently facilitated the Enhancing Quality Early Learning (EQEL) Year 1 and 2. She is excited to work with adult learners and passionate about creating relationship-based foundations with each of her participants. Carli will keep you engaged with her active learning style to ensure you leave class feeling uplifted with an abundance of useful information you will be able to implement into your program immediately.

Languages: Spanish and English.

Dora Herrera has been operating her own in-home daycare since 1998 in the Olympia, Washington area. Dora spent her childhood years in El Salvador and in 1994 moved to the Pacific Northwest. Through being a licensed family child care provider with a passion for teaching and caring to kids, Dora has continuously kept learning through various college classes, completing a certificate in Culturally Responsive Early Childhood Education from Antioch University. Through the years, Dora has collaborated with hundreds of families from all kinds of cultures, specifically the Hispanic community, where together as a team are able to care for and enrich the lives of children. One of Dora’s missions has been to help other Child Care Providers maintain their own successful businesses.

Languages: Spanish

Elena Avalos has worked as a licensed family child care provider for 25 years in Quincy, Washington. She specializes in childhood development, with her work centering on identifying age-appropriate curriculum that serves diverse learning styles. Elena earned a certificate in early childhood education, where she studied child observations, learning processes, and how to critically reflect on her own learning and teaching theories. She firmly believes in education as a process for social development as well as educational development. This process gives children a series of skills and values that nurture their intellectual, emotional, and social growth. Elena views education as a tool to impart cultural legacies to new generations and affirms the social development of a child’s life.

Languages: Somali and English

Fartun is on the board of directors for the Imagine Institute and has been caring for kids in her community and through the daycare facility she manages since 2013. This has helped her to understand the cultural value of her community. Fartun earned certificates in early childhood education, business administration, and medical interpretation. Fartun is also a certified CPR, First Aid and Blood Borne Pathogens trainer. Fartun hopes to share her knowledge to those who most need it and support all communities as they work toward their professional goals. She respects all learning styles and always seeks to share her knowledge so that all communities can benefit.

Languages: Spanish and English
Gloria Vasquez H is bilingual, born in Oaxaca, Mexico. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work in 1985, exercising the profession of Social Work and started delivering training for the Mexican community. In 1993 she immigrated to Wenatchee, Washington, learning the language. In 2001, she started a job as a Mental Health Counselor, working with children, families and adults, in government agencies. (Children Home Society, Chelan Douglas behavior health, CVHC Children Department, Sea Mar Medical / Behavioral Specialist / Monroe, and Catholic Family and Child Services / Wenatchee.) Her areas of specialty include community training instructor, how to help children in the divorce process, children / adult survivors of domestic violence, disabilities, and emotional problems. She believes in developing leadership in youth and adults in the community to support immigrants of all races and respecting people’s cultures and values. In 2015 she started a new profession as Director of Little Dreamers Daycare. In 2020, started taking Early Childhood education classes to get the BAS in Early Childhood Education at North Seattle College. Her passion for children is to help them be independent so that they will be excellent professionals in the future. She wants to help adults awaken the desire for improvement and learning, and that all together we help children to live in a happy, safe, and healthy environment. In 2017, with the direction of the Imagine Institute, she became a State-certified by WA state. In 2018 she became a State-Approved Trainer and Lead of mentors of the Imagine Institute.

Languages: Somali and English

Hamdi Hussein has an Associate’s degree in pre-nursing from Columbus State Community College. She is also working on her Associate’s degree of Early Childhood Education. It is her fourth year of being a state-approved mentor. It is also her second year as a specialist training, and she is CPR and bloodborne pathogens certified. Hamdi opened her daycare in 2012. She is doing daycare for the kids who need childcare in her area.