School Age

Waddlers

Toddlers

Preschool

Infants

Northwest Center Kids- Greenwood

City of Seattle Child Care Assistance Program

Working Connections (DCYF)

Seattle Preschool Program (SPP)

Education Philosophy

Languages Spoken

Languages Taught in Program

Different Abilities Supported

Wheelchair Accessible

Tribal Provider

Laura joined Northwest Center in 2013 as the director of one of our Early Learning programs and was promoted to her role as Vice President of Education & Therapy services in 2016. With more than 15 years of experience, Laura has worked in a variety of settings including public schools, therapeutic childcare centers, and as an early childhood classroom teacher for more than 10 years.

Chief Mission Officer

Katrina joined Northwest Center in January 2015 and was the Assistant Director, the Director in 2017 at Chinook location.   She is very passionate about the Early Childhood Education field and finds the evolving field very rewarding. Katrina received her BA degree in Psychology from the University of Washington and has over 8 years of experience working in childcare centers as both a teacher and a manager.

Senior Early Learning Director

Lavina has worked in an assortment of positions within Northwest Center gaining knowledge inside and outside of the classroom to support her colleagues, families and program staff. She joined Northwest Center in 2006 as a part-time assistant teacher for our Early Learning program. In 2008, Lavina transitioned to an administrative position of Office Manager. Later in 2012 her role expanded becoming Business Director for the Northwest Center Kids. 

Business Director

Assistant Director

Inclusion Specialist

Snejana was born in Ukraine. She holds her BA in Teaching English and Linguistics from National Karazin University in Kharkiv, Ukraine as well as a MA in Education from Webster University St. Louis, MO. With more than a decade of teaching and administrative experience in various organizations in St. Louis, and Seattle, Snejana draws upon her passion for education to make meaningful and enduring changes that support learning for all students and families. She has been with NWC Kids since 2015. 

Family Support Specialist

I have been a Chef here at Northwest Center Kids since October 2015. I really enjoy cooking for the kids and seeing their smiling faces every day. I was born and raised in Seattle and am a classically trained pastry chef. I have worked at various restaurants and hotels in the Seattle area, I just love cooking and working in new environments. On my time off, I enjoy visiting local farmers markets and spending time with my husband Jake and my cat Abbi.

Chef

Since 2007, Tessa has served in various roles on the Northwest Center Kids team. Over the years, she has continued to develop her skills in teaching, administration, family engagement, and outreach. In collaboration with NWC Kids’ Early Learning, Early Supports, and IMPACT teams, she coordinates a network of engagement opportunities and resources that promote connection, empowerment, and advocacy for families with children of all abilities.

Family Engagement & Outreach Coordinator

Ana Bursch moved to the US in 2012 from South Mexico, where she studied Communication Sciences. She has been working at Northwest Center since 2016 as one of the Lead Infant/ Toddler teachers , she also teaches the Spanish class for infant/toddler classrooms at the Greenwood site. She likes working with kids because she loves the free hugs, the big smiles, seeing how the kids discover the world, and watching them learning to say some words in Spanish.

Lead Infant/ Toddler Teacher

Paige Morris has been an Assistant Teacher  and now is a Lead Infant Toddler Teacher at NWC Greenwood since September 2018! She received a Bachelors in Sociology from Western Washington University in 2018, as well as a certificate in Irish Cultural Heritage from my year abroad in Ireland. She is very passionate about child development and have hopes of becoming a children’s mental health counselor someday. 

Lead Infant/ Toddler Teacher 

Maria Fernandez has worked at Northwest Center since 2016. She enjoys working with children and believes that each child should be valued and treated with respect. She also believes that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure and caring environment to help them grow socially, emotionally, and physically. To establish such atmosphere, Maria believes it is the role of the teacher to guide and nurture the child’s curiosity to direct their learning, and encourage independence.

Lead Pre-K Teacher

Katie Cain is currently working towards a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She enjoys practicing Spanish with the kids, teaching new vocabulary words, creating stories together, telling jokes, and generally being silly with her students! Outside of work, she enjoys reading poetry, going to live music, traveling, and cooking/trying adventurous foods from around the world.


Pre-K Lead Teacher

Levin Westfall is a lead teacher for Northwest Center in the River room. Before working at Northwest Center, Levin worked for childcare institutions on the east coast. His favorite part of working in early learning is the moment when a child is working through something difficult, and has a breakthrough. He also enjoys taking children to Sandel Park. At home, Levin enjoys hiking, swimming, and playing with his pet rats.

Steven Davis, having previously worked as a lead teacher in the River Room is now a Lead Teacher in School Age classroom. He has worked with Seattle Children’s Theater in the past, completed the first Washington State Stackable Teaching Certification, and holds a BFA in theater from Cornish College of the Arts.


School Age Lead Teacher

Assistant Teacher

Ingrid has been an on-call assistant teacher since January 2016. Previously, she assisted and led enrichment activities to improve speech and language acquisition of toddlers at an early-intervention program to enhance their future academic success. She has also taught parenting classes for shelter clients at a Women’s Resource Center in Alaska. She loves being included at Northwest Center and participating in a positive educational start for children of all abilities.  

Misuk Seitz has worked with children since year 2000 at AMI Montessori school, traditional preschools and Korean schools in U.S.A. She also taught elementary and middle school students in Korea for 3 years and holds a BA and a certificate of secondary teaching, as well as an AMI (Associates of Montessori International) assistant teacher certificate. Misuk feels fortunate to have an opportunity to work with infants and young toddlers at NWC Greenwood.  

Laurie started at Northwest Center as a Dishwasher in  .  Now she is assisting the center 

School Aide

Classroom Aide

Northwest Center Kids -Chinook

Reviews from verified enrolled families

Feedback from verified families who toured this program

We believe that children benefit from forming lasting relationships with a stable, nurturing caregiver.  Rather than transition children to a new classroom at age one, our infants and teachers stay together for at least the first two years of life.  Each classroom has two lead teachers who will remain with the class for the duration of their time in the continuity of care model. ​
