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Imagine Spotlight Pierce County: Diego Ramos

April 8, 2024

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

March 15, 2024

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

March 11, 2024

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)

January 26, 2024

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

October 31, 2023

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

Imagine U to Increase Child Care in the SeaTac Area

August 25, 2023

Every child in the SeaTac area deserves high-quality child care. The city’s partnership with the Imagine Institute’s Imagine U program will help train new licensed family child care providers and prepare them to start their own businesses serving SeaTac families. Imagine U is one of The Imagine Institute’s signature programs, pairing experienced and talented licensed child care providers with those interested in becoming licensed. Imagine U graduates have opened 562 new child care businesses statewide since the program started in 2017. Beginning

Read More

Program Spotlight: Shared Services Brings Child Care Providers Together

August 23, 2023

Child care providers across Washington build friendships and find support through the Shared Services Hub! Shared Services is a partnership between The Imagine Institute and the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families. It connects licensed family child care providers and child care center directors to resources and services to help grow their businesses, build bonds with fellow providers, and access free training and expert advice. All licensed family child care providers and independent child care center directors in Washington State

Read More

Pride Month: Recognizing James Baldwin

June 20, 2023

As we continue to celebrate Pride Month, we wanted to take some time to recognize some of the trailblazers who were instrumental in making the pride movement a key part of society. James Baldwin was an author and activist who spent his career talking about sexuality and race relations, to help people understand what pride was all about. Baldwin was born in Harlem and spent most of his childhood in New York. He never knew his biological father, but he was the

Read More
A photo of poet and activist Audre Lorde, a Black woman with short hair wearing glasses and a dark-colored coat

Pride Month: Recognizing Audre Lorde

June 20, 2023

In June, we are highlighting important figures in the LGBTQ literary community in honor of Pride Month. This week, we’ll learn about Black lesbian poet Audre Lorde. Audre Lorde started writing when she was a young teenager, publishing her first poem in Seventeen magazine while she was in high school. Through her art and life, she was known as a powerful poet and activist who resisted sexism and racism and worked for justice and the liberation of women, Black people, lesbians and

Read More
Patsy Mink posing for a photo.

AAPI Heritage Month: Patsy Mink

May 27, 2023

As we continue to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we wanted to highlight Patsy Mink, who was the first Asian American woman elected to Congress and an advocate for women’s rights.     Mink was born on the island of Maui in Hawaii in 1927 and was a third-generation Japanese American. She spent most of her young adult life in Hawaii, and tried to get into medical school before being accepted at the University of Chicago Law School. It was

Read More

Imagine Spotlight Pierce County: Diego Ramos

April 8, 2024

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

March 15, 2024

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

March 11, 2024

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)

January 26, 2024

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

October 31, 2023

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

Imagine U to Increase Child Care in the SeaTac Area

August 25, 2023

Every child in the SeaTac area deserves high-quality child care. The city’s partnership with the Imagine Institute’s Imagine U program will help train new licensed family child care providers and prepare them to start their own businesses serving SeaTac families. Imagine U is one of The Imagine Institute’s signature programs, pairing experienced and talented licensed child care providers with those interested in becoming licensed. Imagine U graduates have opened 562 new child care businesses statewide since the program started in 2017. Beginning

Read More

Program Spotlight: Shared Services Brings Child Care Providers Together

August 23, 2023

Child care providers across Washington build friendships and find support through the Shared Services Hub! Shared Services is a partnership between The Imagine Institute and the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families. It connects licensed family child care providers and child care center directors to resources and services to help grow their businesses, build bonds with fellow providers, and access free training and expert advice. All licensed family child care providers and independent child care center directors in Washington State

Read More

Pride Month: Recognizing James Baldwin

June 20, 2023

As we continue to celebrate Pride Month, we wanted to take some time to recognize some of the trailblazers who were instrumental in making the pride movement a key part of society. James Baldwin was an author and activist who spent his career talking about sexuality and race relations, to help people understand what pride was all about. Baldwin was born in Harlem and spent most of his childhood in New York. He never knew his biological father, but he was the

Read More
A photo of poet and activist Audre Lorde, a Black woman with short hair wearing glasses and a dark-colored coat

Pride Month: Recognizing Audre Lorde

June 20, 2023

In June, we are highlighting important figures in the LGBTQ literary community in honor of Pride Month. This week, we’ll learn about Black lesbian poet Audre Lorde. Audre Lorde started writing when she was a young teenager, publishing her first poem in Seventeen magazine while she was in high school. Through her art and life, she was known as a powerful poet and activist who resisted sexism and racism and worked for justice and the liberation of women, Black people, lesbians and

Read More
Patsy Mink posing for a photo.

AAPI Heritage Month: Patsy Mink

May 27, 2023

As we continue to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we wanted to highlight Patsy Mink, who was the first Asian American woman elected to Congress and an advocate for women’s rights.     Mink was born on the island of Maui in Hawaii in 1927 and was a third-generation Japanese American. She spent most of her young adult life in Hawaii, and tried to get into medical school before being accepted at the University of Chicago Law School. It was

Read More

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