Madison Park Cooperative Preschool

OUR DEVOTED TEACHERS

Connie Brown (Head Teacher) — Connie is excited to be back in the great Northwest and back into the cooperative preschool community. Her last three years have been spent in New Mexico where she taught an inclusion special education preschool class for Rio Rancho Public Schools. Prior to New Mexico, Connie and her family called the Seattle area home. She was involved in cooperative preschool programs for 15 years both as a children's teacher and parent educator for programs affiliated with Bellevue College and Green River Community College. Connie has a BA degree in human development, minoring in early childhood development. She currently holds a New Mexico Early Childhood teaching license.

Connie has three grown children and one granddaughter, all who live in the Seattle area. She loves to explore new restaurants and take in all that Washington has to offer.

Connie is truly committed to cooperative preschools. She values the special kind of family that is actively involved in their child's earliest educational experiences. She believes this dedication from parents and families will ensure a child's overall success and delights in watching each one grow and blossom.

Chrissy Bauer is thrilled to join the Madison Park Coop community as the Tots A and B teacher. Chrissy spent 6 years as a parent in a cooperative preschool with her 3 daughters in the Magnolia neighborhood, where she loved the interaction with her children and gained a wonderful education from the teachers and parent educators. Since then she has been involved in her daughters’ elementary school as the volunteer coordinator, art docent and PTA board member. She is looking forward to working with new families while bringing her creative talents, love of children and passion for education to her classrooms.

Chrissy grew up in Bellevue and graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in psychology with an emphasis in education and art history. Before she began raising her children she was a legal assistant working in the high tech banking and real estate industries. In her spare time she loves reading, running, playing tennis and enjoying time with her family.

OUR SUPPORTIVE PARENT EDUCATORS

Linda Barber has been a parent educator with Madison Park for five years. Her own children and her three grandchildren were all co-op kids. Linda most enjoys working with families, watching the tots and twos develop, and getting to know the many wonderful parents.

Linda received a B.A. in Education from Pacific Lutheran University and a M.Ed. from City University with am emphasis in family counseling. Previously, she spent twelve years with the Raising Healthy Children project at the University of Washington, where she worked with 135 families as their children were growing—all the way through seniors in high school. She currently instructs two SCCC affiliated preschools, Madison Park and Queen Anne.

Melissa Benaroya, MSW, LICSW, Certified Gottman Educator is a licensed clinical social worker with an emphasis in children and family services. She is the co-founder of Mommy Matters Seattle, a workshop series for mothers of toddlers and preschoolers seeking support from peers and professional advice. Melissa is also the founder of Green Lake Moms, a 1700+ member web group dedicated to sharing resources, offering support, and making connections for local area moms. Additionally, Melissa provides consulting services to organizations interested in reaching out to the young mother demographic.

Melissa has a Masters degree in Social Work, is a Credentialed School Counselor and is trained in Positive Discipline. She is also a Certified Gottman Educator offering the Bringing Baby Home Program for families with young children and workshops on Emotion Coaching. Melissa practices as a parenting consultant to groups and individuals by blending her clinical training with her knowledge of child development and discipline.

Melissa lives in Seattle with her husband Russell and two children, Maya (7) and Shane (5). Melissa keeps her sanity with an active lifestyle of running and Crossfit! More information can be found at www.GreenLakeMom.com

Sarina Behar Natkin, MSW, LICSW, is a parent educator and consultant in the Seattle area. She began her career in social services over 15 years ago working in the field of domestic violence. After having her first child, she became passionate about assisting parents in creating healthy families from the start.

Sarina holds a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and completed her Masters degree in Social Work at the University of Washington. She is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, as well as a Certified Gottman Educator and Positive Discipline Parent Educator.

Sarina teaches Bringing Baby Home and Positive Discipline courses, and regularly speaks to schools and groups on a variety of parenting topics. She also works as a parent educator at Madison Park Cooperative Preschool, providing education and support to parents and children in early childhood.

In addition, Sarina provides individual support and consultation to parents and families from pregnancy to through early adolescence. Sarina is a Seattle native and resides in the city with her husband and two daughters. More information can be found at www.SarinaNatkin.com.

Barbara Brodsky, MSW, LICSW, joins us after spending her last twenty years as a Parent Educator at Magnolia Cooperative Preschool, at which she will continue to teach four classes. She also has a private practice in Maple Leaf where she specializes in seeing couples, individuals and parents of young children. A real believer in the co-op model, Barbara's four children each attended co-ops; from Capital Hill to Laurelhurst and even was a parent at Madison Park with her two youngest sons (twins!) Her philosophy is that "being someone's mother or father" is the most important job one could have, and that communication, appreciation and humor helps when things get hard. (Winter in Seattle...or maybe this last Spring and Summer?)

Barbara believes that each child and each family is unique and has always tried to help young parents grow and develop into learning what works best for them and helping them see their strengths. She particularly appreciates helping them do that within the cooperative communities that each preschool defines.

Barbara is anticipating a great year at Madison Park and is looking forward to meeting you all.

“Finding a high-quality preschool for my daughter is extremely important to me. After a friend recommended Madison Park Cooperative Preschool, I observed a class one morning. I immediately felt a sense of comfort throughout the room, from the fun-loving teachers to the spacious, child-centered layout of the classroom.

The dedication and compassion our teacher has toward the preschool is evident in the detailed lesson plans; which are emailed to every parent weekly. She always remembers to keep the interests of the children at the center of everything they do.

Being in a cooperative preschool enables me serve on the board and to parent aide in the classroom. I treasure each opportunity I get to experience a typical preschool day with my daughter. I am proud to be a part of a school that values the collaboration of teachers, parents and children in order to create an extraordinary learning environment.”
JENN U.