Our Teachers
Teacher Apurva
Teacher Apurva has a degree in Social Work with experience working with children in educational and therapy environments. She has been active in the North Seattle College cooperative preschool system since 2012, first as a parent and now as a teacher.
Apurva’s introduction to the co-op environment started back in early 2012, when her daughter was 18 months old. As they say, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. Not only did the co-op fit in her educational philosophy, it also helped form a community for her and her family. She’s a firm believer of play-based early learning, while involving and building a ‘safe’ community around children. In fact, the local emergency contacts she lists today for her own children at school are the co-op parents who she’s known since 2012.
As she has witnessed with her own kids, preschool is a magical journey. One of her passions is to develop the imagination and create memorable rituals, traditions, and celebrations that honor childhood. As a teacher her goal is to provide a safe, comfortable, stimulating, fun, and educational environment with a structured routine based on age-appropriate lesson plans. She wants children to be active learners and disciplined, creative thinkers; to learn to work hard, make good choices, and be kind. She also believes that children at this age and stage of development are naturally curious and accepting of differences. Being mindful of that, she incorporates age appropriate ‘we’re different, we’re the same’ philosophies. She wants children to love coming to school each day!
She also strives to provide an environment that is consistently secure and inclusive, so children feel comfortable enough to form emotional attachments. Being in a loving and nurturing environment forms these types of attachments. She believes that emotional engagement is the key to all powerful learning, which is why she brings love, laughter, passion, and meaningful projects into her classes.
Maestra María Elena
Maestra María Elena is the Spanish Saturday Multiage Teacher. She is a native speaker from Mexico and has a few years of experience working as a teacher in different learning philosophies, including the Montessori philosophy where she specializes. She also works for the “Jump on Languages” immersion preschool program as a teacher and program coordinator. María Elena enjoys working with a multiage group and observing the developmental stages each child is at while connecting to our families.
Teacher Monica
Teacher Monica (she, her, hers) has been teaching for over 25 years. She first began by teaching folks how to sing, and then she later fell in love with teaching cooperative preschool! She has a Bachelor’s of Music from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, as well as a Master’s in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Roosevelt University. She, along with her two children, participated in cooperative preschool for seven years before becoming a teacher. Monica designs the curriculum and helps manage the classroom activities. Circle time is her specialty. She is very tuned-in with each and every student and allows for class flexibility based on each student’s abilities and energies. Kids love her Huggy-Boo!
Monica also has an amazing YouTube channel filled with a library of infant and toddler songs and stories.
Teacher Beth – Parent Educator
Teacher Beth (she, her, hers) is a full-time faculty member at North Seattle College and has been teaching parent education classes in the co-op preschool system since 2002. She is also a Certified Gottman Educator and Training Specialist for the Bringing Baby Home program and a Certified Childbirth Educator. Beth’s philosophy of parenting is relationship-based, and her goal is to empower parents to stay in connection with their children while weathering the ups and downs of raising a family. She is a mom to two semi-adult children and is currently pouring a lot of attention into raising her cat.
Beth also offers outside consulting and public speaking services, “empowering parents to create strong families”.
Teacher XIMENA – Parent Educator
Ximena is Chilean and has lived in Seattle since 1997. She has 2 adult children. and enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling. She worked as a teacher in Chile for 7 years. Upon arriving in the USA, she completed a Master’s in Education at the University of Washington (M.Ed. 2003) in School Counseling. She has over 25 years of experience in various areas, combining Education, School Counseling, and Mental Health at different educational institutions in the Seattle area, mental health agencies, and government agencies for child protection, covering ages from early childhood to adolescence. As a mother, she began learning about the Positive Discipline program for parents and exploring more about Adlerian Psychology. She has completed multiple programs and certifications in Adlerian Psychology. She is certified by the Positive Discipline Association as a trainer for Parent Education, Positive Discipline in the Classroom (with teachers or educators in general), and Early Childhood, as well as in Positive Discipline in organizations and as an Encouragement Consultant with Lynn Lott. She regularly travels to Chile to conduct workshops and certifications in Positive Discipline.
Currently, she works as a school counselor in Seattle as well as Parent educator at NSC with the Toddler’s class. She volunteers in 2 organizations committed to supporting and developing activities to improve the quality of life for individuals and their communities. She has a strong commitment to social justice work, advocating for equity, dignity, and respect for all people.
Teacher Erin – Parent Educator
Teacher Erin (she, her, hers), MSW, LICSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with more than twenty years of experience working with children and families. She works as a psychotherapist and parent coach in private practice and as a parent educator through North Seattle College’s cooperative preschools. In recent years, she worked as a parent educator at Seattle Central College’s Parent/Child Center and as a facilitator for Listening Mothers groups.
Erin is an active volunteer speaker for PEPS groups and has been a volunteer group facilitator for The Healing Center. She earned her B.A. from Yale University and her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Washington.
Erin has training in Positive Discipline, Promoting First Relationships, Bringing Baby Home, mindfulness and self-compassion, as well as having completed a program in Infant Observation through COR Northwest Family Development Center. She has worked as a resident teacher at University Child Development School, as a Child Placement Specialist at Amara Parenting and Adoption Services, and has done extensive work in the field of children’s grief and loss through Hospice of Seattle and Evergreen Healthcare’s Bereavement Services.
After having her own children, Erin became more interested in the adjustment to parenthood and the challenges and triumphs that parenting presents. She enjoys the process of supporting parents so that they can more fully enjoy the wild ride of parenthood. Erin is the mom of a teen and a tween and lives with her family in Seattle.
Erin also offers outside psychotherapy and public speaking services, “to support individuals and communities in their paths towards greater joy, connection, and meaning.”
Teacher Lea – Parent Educator
Teacher Lea (she/her/hers) has been on the Parent Education faculty at North Seattle College since 2018 and has taught and advised adult students in various subjects, states, and countries since 2001. Since her child was born in 2013, she has focused much more on supporting families and is a Positive Discipline certified parent educator. Her child attended a co-op preschool here in Seattle as well and is currently enjoying dual-immersion elementary school. Lea is passionate about her work with families and looks forward to meeting you and your little ones!
Teacher FRANCES – Parent Educator
Bio coming soon!