Meet Our Infant Team

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Infant Manager

Joined MELC in 2018. Val was born and raised in Germany and moved to the States in 1986.  She and her husband moved to Washington in 2015. They enjoy exploring WA and its beautiful places. She loves reading, crafts, and relaxing at home. Their kids are all grown up and living with grandbabies in other states.  Val has always loved children and was blessed to be able to work in the infant department of her church for 11 years. After that she was a nanny for several other families. Val can't wait to love and take care of your little ones.

Red Ladybug, Infant Teacher 

Joined MELC in 2020. Sahar loves being a part of Mini Einstein's and is excited to get to know your family! Sahar's background experience is as an Attorney at Law for eight years prior to becoming a teacher at Mini Einstein's. She has a PhD in Administrative Law and Masters in International Law as well as training in Early Childhood Education. She is a very energetic and compassionate person and loves dealing with young kids. Sahar came from the Middle East and can tell a lot of stories about life in that part of the world.  

Yellow Bumblebee, Infant Teacher

Joined MELC in 2016. Olga came from Uzbekistan 6 years ago. She is a loving wife and mother to her daughter named Ulyana. Working with children brings her great joy knowing she has had a hand in helping them learn and grow. Olga has been an infant teacher at Mini Einstein's for over four years and has loved every moment and is looking forward to many more years.

Yellow Bumblebee, Infant Teacher

Joined MELC in 2018. Keara first joined Mini Einstein's as a support teacher and gained experience working with all ages from infants through age 5. She has been an infant teacher for over three years and has enjoyed every exciting moment. Keara can't wait to get to know you and your infant. She is currently going to school for her BA in business. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, drawing, dancing, and shopping. 

 Support  Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2019. Romina was born in Argentina and moved to Miami, Florida when she was 18 years old with her mother and brother. She went to Miami Dade College to pursue a degree in Psychology. While working on her degree she began working in a preschool and discovered her true passion. She moved to Washington State and continued working as a preschool teacher with Mini Einstein. 

Infant Assistant Teacher

 Joined MELC in 2023. She was a volunteer for her church, and oversaw the infants. She has been taking care of kids since she was 13. She has been in the daycare industry since 2009. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and taking walks. Pegah can't wait to meet your infant and know your family!

Orange Tigers, Waddler Teacher

Joined MELC in 2023. Mara comes from a large family where she is the fourth oldest of eight children. Her parents fostered children throughout her life which helped her understand compassion for children from all backgrounds. As a teen, she volunteered at her church nursery before she became a teacher at a childcare center where she worked for almost a decade. 

  Orange Tigers, Waddler Teacher

Joined MELC in 2021. Aletha was born and raised in Idaho and moved Washington with her husband. She has experience babysitting since the age of 12 and worked as a Sunday school teacher for 3 years. She enjoys going on adventures, trips to the beach, hunting, fishing, and spending time with her family. 

Magenta Monkey, Waddler Teacher

Joined MELC in 2022. Janessa was born and raised in Eastern Washington. She has experience as a babysitter and working in an after-school program for over two years. She enjoys taking walks with her dog and taking scenic drives.

Magenta Monkey, Waddler Teacher

Joined MELC in 2023. Lorena's interest in working with children began when she was 8 years old while helping her mom take care of children.  She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education to become a 1st-grade teacher.  Lorena is studying at Shoreline Community College and will transfer to a university when she has completed her AA.  Some of her hobbies and interests include going on walks with her three small dogs, reading, and watching anime.

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Black Penguins, Preschool Teacher

Joined MELC in 2019. Danika is very excited to be your child's teacher! She was born and raised in Washington State, but she is Russian and Guyanese! She began working in childcare at the age of 16, and continues to grow her knowledge and further her education. She is engaged and has an adventurous puppy. She is obsessed with plants and even has a green house in her living room! 

Pink Flamingos, Preschool Teacher

Joined MELC in 2015. Brandiann begain her journey with Mini Einstein's as a parent with her own children attending Mini Einstein's as toddlers almost ten years ago. She was working in nursing, specializing in dementia, TBI, and hospice care before becoming a teacher at Mini Einstein's in 2015. Brandiann loves that, by changing careers, she is now able to help and guide in the beginning stages of one's life.  Brandiann's first two years as a teacher was as a toddler teacher and now she has the joy of working with all ages. We are all a big family at MELC and Brandiann is so happy to be a part of it! "I trusted the care of my children to MELC, so thank you for doing the same with your children." 

Silver Foxes, Preschool Teacher

Joined MELC in 2021. Lisa has worked in childcare for about twenty years. She has worked as a floater, cook, lead teacher, and an assistant director. Her passion for teaching young children started when she was in high school. She is currently working on obtaining her Associates is Early Childhood Education. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and crafting decorative wreaths.

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 Blue Peacocks, Pre-K Teacher

 Joined MELC in 2017.  Ngoc is married and has two grown children, one boy and one girl. She was born and raised in Vietnam.  Ngoc graduated from Hanoi Foreign Language Teacher’s University, majoring in French. She has 10 years’ experience working in the early education field, including running her own preschool/kindergarten school in Hanoi for 6 years. Since 2017, Ngoc has had a chance to work with all the teachers and students at MELC.  Her hobbies are making crafts from paper, origami, drawing and traveling. 

 Green Alligators, Pre-K Teacher 

Joined MELC in 2018. Sylvia went to Western Washington University and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English. She then went into the education program to get a teaching certificate for K-8. Sylvia became a substitute teacher in the Shoreline School District for several years, then decided to work as a preschool teacher at Kinder Kampus. She had been with the preschool for 8 years and seen many students come and go. Sylvia took a break from preschool and worked at a lawyer's office and the accounting field as the opportunity came up. Most of her free time is spent with her 8-year-old niece and soon to be 4-year-old nephew since their parents work as small restaurant owners 6 days a week. They are the reason that made Sylvia miss the days of teaching preschool. Sylvia looks forward to meeting you and getting to know your children more and more every day. 

Brown Bears,  Pre-K Teacher

Joined MELC in 2013. Amelia has been a teacher at Mini Einstein’s Learning Center since 2013. She was also the White Wolves teacher at MELC South Education Support Camp. She is originally from Yakima, WA where she graduated high school in 1999 and received her diploma from A.C. Davis High School. A few years later, she received her CDA in Infant/Toddler. She is continuing her training in Early Education through annual workshops. She has been working with children for 16 years, starting out as a babysitter for a friend, then as a teacher’s assistant for a toddler room. Throughout the years she has worked with different age groups from infants to preschool. Amelia loves to do arts and crafts, but does not always have time for it at home. So she is always trying to do some interesting and fun artwork with the children in her class. She enjoys going to the beach and exploring new and different places. She also loves playing games that challenge her mind and cause her to engage her thought process in different ways. 

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Support Teacher - Floater

Joined MELC in 2022. Neha has one sister and three children, who are between the ages of 26 and 33. She has worked in childcare for almost five years and before that, she was a tutor and math teacher in private schools. She has her Bachelor's degree in Education. She speaks Hindi/Sindhi/Marathi, and enjoys listening to music and spending time with her family. 

Support Teacher - Floater

Joined MELC in 2021. Veronica has previous experience in customer service and babysitting. She is working towards an Early Childhood Education degree and continues to gain knowledge and experience while working on her STARS trainings. She has a son named Rowan who has also joined us at Mini Einstein's. Veronica loves kids and enjoys watching and helping them grow. In her free time she loves to read books. 

Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2019. Sara has been teaching at Mini Einstein’s since 2019. She moved here from California and has fallen in love with Washington! She lives in Lake Stevens with her boyfriend Nick and is looking forward to new adventures! She used to teach 4-5-year old’s in California for a little over a year, and is very excited to get back to this age group. Sara is working on getting her bachelor’s degree in child development, and her goal is to teach kindergarten once she graduates. She has always enjoyed working and being around children. They are so curious about the world which makes teaching them so much fun! Outside of work, Sara loves to relax at home with loved ones and go to the gym. She looks forward to this year and getting to know you and your children.

Support  Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2022. Jivka was born and raised in Bulgaria. She is an assistant teacher in the infant department.  Jivka has 1 year of experience working with infants and 3 years with all ages. In her free time, she likes to hike, spend time with her children, go on walks, and see her friends. She is fluent in Bulgarian and has her Master's in Law from the University of Bulgaria.

 Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2021. Alysanne was born and raised in California. She is fluent in Spanish and has three children. She has experience working with children as a babysitter and at a Head Start program.  She is currently pursuing her Associate's degree at Shoreline Community College. In her free time, she enjoys camping and walks on the beach with her kids and pup. Some of her favorite hobbies include drawing and painting.

Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2023. Adi has 2 older brothers and a younger sister. She has a young son named Daniel. She is originally from Mexico but moved to Georgia when she was 5 years old. Adi moved to Washington in 2019. In her free time, Adi enjoys drawing, traveling, and watching all Disney movies and shows with her family.

Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2023. Ariel has experience working in daycares and as a private nanny over the last 5 years, working with ages 2-5 years. She believes in play-based learning and encourages children to explore and learn by getting involved in hands-on and curious experiences. At home, she has a dog and two cats, she loves to sing and is happiest when the sun is shining.

Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2023. 

Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2023.  Sar worked throughout high school in his church’s nursery volunteering with children as young as 4 months old. Along with that, spending over 5 years as a children’s athletic trainer in Texas and in Florida where he trained and worked with children as young as 6 and as old as high school. He helped them train and learn new skills and ways to get better at their perspective sport. As far as hobbies and interests, He is a dog owner and spends lots of time working out with his dog Deuce.  

Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2023. 

Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2023.  Kelsey is new to Washington State and moved here from Astoria, Oregon. She has been working with children for the past 3 years and absolutely fell in love with this profession. It led her to get her associates degree in early childhood education. She loves to be creative in any way possible. In her free time, she practices photography and plays guitar. Kelsey loves the show “Friends” and is a big Marvel fan.  

Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2023. Amy is from the Pacific Northwest and has 4 children. She has worked in childcare for over 17 years. Amy is currently a full-time student studying Law and Social Work. She loves to spend time in the outdoors and also enjoys reading and spending time with her children.

Support Team - Floater

Joined MELC in 2023. 

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School Chef

Joined MELC in 2020. Ki was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He enjoys the outdoors, Pokémon cards, Spiderman, painting and cooking.  He is eager to bring his knowledge of food to your child's plate. He has worked in the food industry for roughly 6 years and has picked up a fair share of tasty but healthy meals and snacks. He is excited to share those ideas with your little ones in hopes of expanding their horizon with foods they may not try at home! Ki is happy to provide a delightful yet well balanced meal for children every day.

School Assistant Chef

Joined MELC in 2022. Brock grew up on a farm in Kansas grew up raising cattle, horses, pigs, chickens. With his family, he built both house and barn on the farm. He enjoys working with his hands. Brock played football and baseball in college where he attended the Fire Science program. He worked as a fire fighter for a few years before deciding to change profession. Brock has worked in child education in several areas from a child development center to working as a paraprofessional. Working in the kitchen and classrooms is where he realized how much he enjoys working in this environment. In 2014, he moved to Corvillas, Oregon and worked as a remodeling professional until he moved to Seattle.

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Owner, Program Director

Samantha founded and established MELC to continue to serve her community. She graduated from Central Washington University with her BA in Elementary Education. She has three young children Harrison, Xena, and Lilly. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and glamping/camping.

Owner

William along with his wife founded and established MELC in 2013 when he retired from the Army. He has continued to further his education and currently has his gunsmithing, machinist and programming degrees. He enjoys spending time with his wonderful wife and three amazing children.

Assistant Director

Janice started her journey with MELC as a support teacher in 2011 and later as a preschool teacher before joining the management team in 2013. She obtained her Associates of Arts and is currently working on completing her BA in Human Development through Washington State University global campus.  Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family and cats. 

Program Supervisor

Haley began her journey with MELC as a toddler teacher in 2011 and later became a pre-k teacher before joining the management team. Haley served as a youth/NGO developer in the U.S. Peace Corps for 4 years and has diverse work experience in social services, education,  and youth development.   She has a BA from Seattle University in Psychology and a Masters in Education from Eastern Washington University.  She is every child's biggest advocate and loves to support families through the first 8 years of a child's life.    She believes that every child has their own developmental needs and interests, and that children learn best through quality interactions.  Outside of work she is a mother to two beautiful children, an avid volleyball player and animal lover.  She likes to do puzzles, read books for fun, and travel.

 Manager 

Ashley Morga has been known as “Ms. Ashley” for over 15 years now, having been a dance studio owner and instructor for 13 years before making the move into child care. She recently completed her Associate of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education and also holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied both dance and history. She believes that kids weren't meant to sit still and is excited to continue working with kids and watching them grow! When she's not at MELC, Ashley enjoys exploring new places around the Pacific Northwest and traveling, especially to the Caribbean and Europe. She also enjoys watching her daughter, Madison (named after her alma mater!), grow and discover her own interests of playing hockey, swimming, baking, and drawing.  

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Office Assistant

Joined MELC in 2022. Leslie was born in Washington and lived in California for 15 years. She was a former youth development professional at Boys and Girls Club with experience as a nanny and daycare teacher as well as experience working with children as a babysitter for friends and family. Childcare has always been an interest for her because she loves inspiring children and assisting them in reaching their interests and passions.

Leslie loves pets and watching Disney movies. In her free time, she loves going out on adventures and discovering new places. She is certified in Makeup Artistry and loves the beauty industry. Her goal is to go back to school and major in early childhood development, business, and cosmetology.

Maintenance

Kevin was born and raised in the South Puget Sound and has travelled around the world. He is a father to five children and an Army veteran who recently retired after 20 years serving in the army. He is a volunteer peer counselor for Veterans in Crisis and has an Associate of Arts degree. In his spare time he enjoys bird watching and spending time with family.

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Volunteer

Ms. Pat (Grandma-ma as the kids call her in the center) has been a volunteer at Mini Einstein's since 2013. She is an army veteran and was a para educator for special education in the Kent school district for 13 years. She is mother to Samantha Sciacca, owner and program director of Mini Einstein's. She enjoys shopping on HSN and spending time with her 7 grandchildren.

Volunteer

Ms. Lee was the owner and founder of several businesses in the greater Seattle area for over 15 years. She obtained her certification in Social and Human Services in 2013. Ms. Lee joined MELC in 2013 as an infant teacher and retired in 2018. She returned to MELC as a volunteer in 2019 and is known as "Halmonie (grandma)" to the students at MELC.

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