Cheryl Rogers-Co-Owner/Founder and Teacher

I have lived in Bellevue for 17 years, raising two daughters with my husband. After leaving an engineering position when my oldest daughter was born, I was on the executive board of Bennett Elementary PTSA, led and co-lead 4 girl scout troops, and managed our East Bellevue Girl Scout service unit while helping the Girl Scout council with the cookie program. These experiences made me realize that I have a love of working with children.  In addition to Girl Scouts my family trained in martial arts for over 10 years. I was always involved in education in some form; either working directly with a scout on skills, or mentoring to a young leader. An opportunity in 2006 to substitute teach for a local preschool came up and that led to my first educational degree: an Associates in Early Education. I was head teacher in a toddler class for 2 years in a local non-profit. This is where I met Rachel Rickards and we formed a friendship built on commonalities of our educational philosophy. Returning to school I completed my BA in Early Education along with a Washington State teaching certification. My academic performance brought an invitation to join KDP (Kappa Delta Pi), an international honor society in education in which I am an active member.

For the last 10 years I have been involved in helping families with childcare needs by providing parent education, early intervention guidance, academic support for learning, and rich environments that support healthy overall growth. I am amazed how the academic objectives for young children have changed even in the last 3 years. Working with a kindergarten teacher in Bellevue School District recently brought to light for me the importance of the developmental skills (social, emotional, and academic) that help children make this transition smoothly and ready to start kindergarten. My engineering background gave me problem solving skills, my martial arts gave me determination and discipline to apply a solution, and my teaching instruction gave me teaching skills and the knowledge of how children learn. But it is my family that gave me a love for children and a passion for the art of teaching.

    Rachel Vogel– Co-Owner/Founder and Teacher

I grew up in Asia and the Bellevue area. My passion for early education started when I was in high school.  I completed my associate degree at Bellevue College and my bachelor’s at University of Washington.  During that time, I worked in two of the top Montessori schools in the area, and a project-based school.  I also taught at a play-based center, where I met Ms. Cheryl.  I have had the opportunity to travel in order to see how other culture’s view education, including travel to Reggio Emilia, Italy.

As an early educator, it is important that my interactions with children are positive, supportive and enriching.  I have found that education should extend to both the child and the family so that the family can better support the learning the child is undertaking.  

As a teacher and an individual, I bring much to a classroom and a school.  Most of my teaching focuses on four teaching methods: Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Project approach and Play-Based learning.  I try to help enrich the families I work with.  This means being a support, a guide and an educator to child and family. I enjoy doing full body learning, this means painting with everything from your head to your toes. I enjoy teaching through moment, yet still seek to keep a calm, relaxing and safe atmosphere. Children need rules and structures, as well as the freedom to create their own path.  I have spent much time working with special needs children and I prefer to work in small groups and really focus on children as individuals.

I find that one of the most important principles of life is respect.  Respect is an important mindset in life.  Respect your world, your elders, peer, teachers, parents, and heritage, and respect yourself. Too often, I see that children don’t fully understand the meaning of respect.  I thus seek to maintain an atmosphere of respect for all in the classroom.