Our Trainers - The Imagine Institute

Aan Abukar

Languages: Somali

Aan Abukar is a licensed child care provider in Washington State. Aan received her education and graduated in Somalia. Becoming an early care educator has always been her passion as she enjoyed teaching and working with children. When Aan came to America, she attended college and earned her medical assistant degree. During that time, she worked in hospitals and as a teacher’s assistant in Head Start where she gained valuable experience working with children. After graduation, Aan opened her own in-home child care business. She has been a business owner and child care provider for over 11 years.

Aida Rodriguez

Languages: Spanish and English

Aida Rodriguez currently holds the following volunteer positions: SEIU 925 Northwest Region volunteer/translator, Family Home Childcare; Vice President, Whatcom Association of Providers. 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).

Training philosophy:
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. Recognize the importance of a positive self-image for students, and the role it plays in fostering independence and pride in oneself. Our 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.

Berta Artiga

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.

Bertha Landin

Languages: Spanish

Bertha Landin is a Training Specialist approved by the Department of Early Learning and has been a child care provider since 1998 with her nursery currently at an Early Achievers level 3. Bertha studied early education at Columbia Basin College. She also served as president of the United Providers Association of Tri-Cities, helping providers with technical support and helped them learn the tools necessary to be successful in their daycare centers. Bertha’s coaching philosophy and beliefs are that adults learn best when they are actively involved in their learning process. Furthermore, adults learn best when they use different learning styles, including interactions with other adults and based on their past experiences and knowledge. Bertha’s trainings are practical and culturally relevant and applicable to your profession. She uses learning techniques to support the adult in learning and retaining that knowledge. In an active learning environment, adults have their own learning process and learn by participating and engaging in activities such as role playing, group discussions, and individual work.

Carli Meek

Languages: English

Carli has been a Washington State approved trainer since 2019. She brings with her over 15 years’ experience as a licensed family child care provider, early learning advocate, and a Master’s of Arts degree of Education. Carli has most recently facilitated the Enhancing Quality Early Learning (EQEL) pilot program. 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.

Gloria Vasquez H

Languages: Spanish and English
Gloria Vasquez H is bilingual, born in Oaxaca Mexico, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work in 1985, exercising the profession of Social Work and Starting delivering training for the Mexican community. 1993 Immigrating to Wenatchee, WA, learning the Language. In 2001, Starting 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.
Community training instructor, How to help children in the divorce process. Children / adult survivors of Domestic Violence, Disabilities and emotional problems. Developing leadership in youth and adults in the community to support immigrants of all races, respecting people’s cultures and values. 2015 starting a new profession of Director of Little Dreamers Daycare, My passion for children is to convey the desire to be independent and sound that they will be excellent professionals in the future, and adults to 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, became Certified by the state. 09/2018 State Approve Trainer. 08/2018 Lead of mentors of the Imagine Institute.

Hamdi Hussein

Languages: Somali and English

Hamdi Hussein has an Associate degree in pre-nursing from Columbus State Community College. She is also working on her Associate 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 is CPR and bloodborne pathogens certified. Hamdi opened her daycare in 2012. “I am doing daycare for the kids who need childcare in my area.”

Irma Acosta

Languages: Spanish

Irma Acosta is an in-home daycare provider with 20 years of experience working in the field. She named her daycare Happy Faces Daycare in Brewster, WA. Irma’s first language is Spanish, and her program is bilingual. She also speaks some English and is working on her AA social degree and is in the process of enrolling in a bachelor’s degree. Irma is a mentor and works with the Imagine Institute. Additionally, she helps the new generation of providers and is currently trying to get another Accreditation from NAFCC. Every day, Irma is taking training and educating herself on how adults learn and how to be successful when training with other adults.

Kathy Yasi

Languages: English

Kathy graduated from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in Human Service Administration. She worked for many years in residential and vocational settings with adults with disabilities and traveled and worked in refugee camps teaching English as a second language and American Culture. Upon returning to the Pacific Northwest, Kathy worked as the business manager at a small recording studio until her daughter was born in 1998. She has been a licensed family child care provider since 1999. Kathy’s child care, Adventure Day Care, is a nationally accredited program. Kathy is also active in her union and serves as the Executive Vice President on the SEIU 925’s Executive Board. Kathy believes that adult learners bring a vast wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom. She understands that their lives are full of responsibilities and that they need material they can use immediately. The best way for information to “sink in” is to use it right away. Adult learners modify information and internalize it if it is useful to them. Kathy delivers useful material in an upbeat style. You won’t sleep in her class.