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From Germany to Ghana: One Provider’s Journey to Child Care

It started as a way to help her family, but now one provider in Western Washington has turned early childhood education into a career. For more than three decades Carol Morris has been involved in child care, and she is working with the Imagine Institute to help others start their own provider business. She also is planning an educational trip to Ghana. MEET CAROL Carol Morris grew up in the Chicago area and joined the military after High School. While she was

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Boosting Support for Child Care Workers: The Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot

Child care workers are the backbone of our communities, nurturing the youngest among us and helping families maintain a stable work-life balance. However, despite the essential nature of their work, child care workers are often among the lowest-paid professionals in our society. King County is working to change that through the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot. What is the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot? The Pilot is designed to increase the wages of child

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Imagine U at Local Events September 2024

The Imagine Institute’s vision of affordable, high-quality care for every child in Washington State is rooted in community. We aim to build an accessible, strong, and diverse development system that elevates and improves the lives of child care providers and professionals and a huge part of that involves going out into our region and meeting potential providers face-to-face. This September, Imagine U, the Imagine Institute’s relationship-based mentorship program, is attending a couple of events out in the community. Imagine U identifies potential

Read More

Increasing Child Care Access in Whatcom County

The Imagine Institute and Whatcom County Health and Community Services are working together to support working families by increasing access to licensed child care, right in your community. Know someone in Whatcom County who would like to join Imagine U this year and start their own family home child care business? This program takes only 10 months and provides compensation for hands-on learning! About Imagine U Imagine U is a relationship-based mentorship program designed to increase the number of licensed family child

Read More

Growing Up as the Child of a Provider

Imagine Institute’s Devon Allen shares his experience growing up with his mother’s child care at home for Take Your Child to Work Day. The fourth Thursday in April every year is National Take Your Child to Work Day. This year it falls on Thursday, April 25th. With the rise of working from home, a lot of children are getting new insight into what work looks like for their parents. For some of us, though, every day was Take Your Child to Work

Read More

Imagine Spotlight Pierce County: Diego Ramos

The Imagine Institute helps support early learning providers all across Washington State, and like to keep track of the progress these providers are making. This week, we want to introduce you to Diego Ramos, who is helping kids in Pierce County, and helping to start a new trend in helping other providers in his community.   MEET DIEGO Diego lives in Tacoma and has been a licensed family home child care provider for about three years, but his training goes back even

Read More
A young woman with brown hair stands on a beach

Imagine Spotlight: Alexis Wynne

This week, we are excited to highlight Alexis Wynne, who runs a family home child care business in Auburn, Washington.   MEET ALEXIS Alexis grew up in the child care business. Her mother, Carli Meek, started Little Steps Discovery Zone when Alexis was 7 years old and her sister was a baby. When she was a young teenager, Alexis started volunteering at Little Steps. She took a break after graduating high school, but she soon found her way back to child care.

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Two women, a mother and her adult daughter, sit in a car together

Imagine Spotlight: Carli Meek

This week, we are excited to highlight Carli Meek, the program manager for Imagine U and a longtime child care provider in Auburn, Washington.   MEET CARLI When Carli had her second daughter in 2004, she had just finished dental assistant school. But her plans quickly changed. Her sister also had a newborn, and the two enjoyed staying home with their babies so much, they decided to start a family home child care business. “I was able to stay home with my

Read More
A photo of a home child care space with blue tables and chairs and colorful rugs

Imagine Spotlight: Irma Acosta (in English and en español)

This week, we are thrilled to highlight Irma Acosta, who runs a family home child care business and a child care center in Brewster, Washington.   MEET IRMA Irma Acosta’s years of dedication to child care have made her a leader in her community. She has run her family home child care business, Happy Faces Daycare, for 20 years. In September 2023, she opened Bilingual Child Care Center as well. Her work has helped keep her area from being considered a child

Read More
A child making a pumpkin craft with glue, feathers and pompoms

Imagine Spotlight: Linda Leslie

This week, we are thrilled to spotlight Linda Leslie, owner of Sweet Pea’s Early Learning Place in Yelm, Washington. MEET LINDA Linda is a family child care provider and a state-approved peer Mentor who started her business 23 years ago! Linda grew up in Washington State and has lived in many communities in Western Washington. She worked as a preschool teacher before building her home in Yelm. Linda was seeking child care for her own two children when she decided to make

Read More

From Germany to Ghana: One Provider’s Journey to Child Care

It started as a way to help her family, but now one provider in Western Washington has turned early childhood education into a career. For more than three decades Carol Morris has been involved in child care, and she is working with the Imagine Institute to help others start their own provider business. She also is planning an educational trip to Ghana. MEET CAROL Carol Morris grew up in the Chicago area and joined the military after High School. While she was

Read More

Boosting Support for Child Care Workers: The Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot

Child care workers are the backbone of our communities, nurturing the youngest among us and helping families maintain a stable work-life balance. However, despite the essential nature of their work, child care workers are often among the lowest-paid professionals in our society. King County is working to change that through the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot. What is the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot? The Pilot is designed to increase the wages of child

Read More

Imagine U at Local Events September 2024

The Imagine Institute’s vision of affordable, high-quality care for every child in Washington State is rooted in community. We aim to build an accessible, strong, and diverse development system that elevates and improves the lives of child care providers and professionals and a huge part of that involves going out into our region and meeting potential providers face-to-face. This September, Imagine U, the Imagine Institute’s relationship-based mentorship program, is attending a couple of events out in the community. Imagine U identifies potential

Read More

Increasing Child Care Access in Whatcom County

The Imagine Institute and Whatcom County Health and Community Services are working together to support working families by increasing access to licensed child care, right in your community. Know someone in Whatcom County who would like to join Imagine U this year and start their own family home child care business? This program takes only 10 months and provides compensation for hands-on learning! About Imagine U Imagine U is a relationship-based mentorship program designed to increase the number of licensed family child

Read More

Growing Up as the Child of a Provider

Imagine Institute’s Devon Allen shares his experience growing up with his mother’s child care at home for Take Your Child to Work Day. The fourth Thursday in April every year is National Take Your Child to Work Day. This year it falls on Thursday, April 25th. With the rise of working from home, a lot of children are getting new insight into what work looks like for their parents. For some of us, though, every day was Take Your Child to Work

Read More

Imagine Spotlight Pierce County: Diego Ramos

The Imagine Institute helps support early learning providers all across Washington State, and like to keep track of the progress these providers are making. This week, we want to introduce you to Diego Ramos, who is helping kids in Pierce County, and helping to start a new trend in helping other providers in his community.   MEET DIEGO Diego lives in Tacoma and has been a licensed family home child care provider for about three years, but his training goes back even

Read More
A young woman with brown hair stands on a beach

Imagine Spotlight: Alexis Wynne

This week, we are excited to highlight Alexis Wynne, who runs a family home child care business in Auburn, Washington.   MEET ALEXIS Alexis grew up in the child care business. Her mother, Carli Meek, started Little Steps Discovery Zone when Alexis was 7 years old and her sister was a baby. When she was a young teenager, Alexis started volunteering at Little Steps. She took a break after graduating high school, but she soon found her way back to child care.

Read More
Two women, a mother and her adult daughter, sit in a car together

Imagine Spotlight: Carli Meek

This week, we are excited to highlight Carli Meek, the program manager for Imagine U and a longtime child care provider in Auburn, Washington.   MEET CARLI When Carli had her second daughter in 2004, she had just finished dental assistant school. But her plans quickly changed. Her sister also had a newborn, and the two enjoyed staying home with their babies so much, they decided to start a family home child care business. “I was able to stay home with my

Read More
A photo of a home child care space with blue tables and chairs and colorful rugs

Imagine Spotlight: Irma Acosta (in English and en español)

This week, we are thrilled to highlight Irma Acosta, who runs a family home child care business and a child care center in Brewster, Washington.   MEET IRMA Irma Acosta’s years of dedication to child care have made her a leader in her community. She has run her family home child care business, Happy Faces Daycare, for 20 years. In September 2023, she opened Bilingual Child Care Center as well. Her work has helped keep her area from being considered a child

Read More
A child making a pumpkin craft with glue, feathers and pompoms

Imagine Spotlight: Linda Leslie

This week, we are thrilled to spotlight Linda Leslie, owner of Sweet Pea’s Early Learning Place in Yelm, Washington. MEET LINDA Linda is a family child care provider and a state-approved peer Mentor who started her business 23 years ago! Linda grew up in Washington State and has lived in many communities in Western Washington. She worked as a preschool teacher before building her home in Yelm. Linda was seeking child care for her own two children when she decided to make

Read More