I co-founded my non-profit, Sustainable Wenatchee, when my daughter was about 18 months old. I had been looking for work for a while, on an "extended maternity leave," not really wanting to go back full-time but also finding that being a stay-at-home mom wasn't for me. I had heard great things about TEAMS, and so I nervously dropped off my daughter to go meet with my would-be co-founder, Tandi, for the first time. We hit it off and decided to go for it, and founded Sustainable Wenatchee which would become my part-time job.
That was nearly 2 years ago. Since then I've worked an average of 15 hours per week, which is the perfect amount for me and for the position. It's not an exaggeration to say that Sustainable Wenatchee would not exist without TEAMS. While I don't need full-time childcare, I do have to have a few hours alone each day to get my work done and meet with community partners. I would never be able to do this work at home with a toddler. But as far as I know, there are no other part-time options like TEAMS, especially one where I can pick and choose the days that I need. My daughter goes 4 to 5 mornings a week and I am SO grateful for the flexibility that TEAMs offers. On top of that, I love the teachers and the hands-on, learn-through-play style that TEAMs has and know that my daughter is loved and completely safe. I highly recommend TEAMs to any parents who need part-time, flexible childcare, whether that is so they can get some work done or just get some alone time!
Jana Fischback
Executive Director
Sustainable Wenatchee
My name is Elsy Hernandez and I am a parent volunteer and now a Teacher at TEAMS Learning Center. I am also an employee of our local Juvenile Detention Center in Wenatchee. It has been a year that I have continuously brought my four year old son Gabriel.
Early last year my husband and I started looking into enrolling our son for preschool. Unfortunately, unaware of time limits on enrollment we let too much time pass and we were unable to find any preschools that would take our son. We did it all. We searched for a spot in privately owned preschool setting daycares so he could attend a couple times a week but prices were through the roof aside from not having any openings available. We filled out multiple applications to get him into our Wenatchee Headstart program and didnt qualify due to exceeding their low income limits. We were about to throw in the towel when a co-worker of mine mentioned TEAMS. We talked about prices, open slots for enrollment, and the hours of operation. The program fit our family needs like a glove!
I immeadiately enrolled Gabe at TEAMS and signed him up for a "Stay & Play" session. We quickly fell in love with TEAMS. My son was getting the socialization he very much needed due to being an only child at the time. Gabe also had a bit of a hard time expressing himself verbally but was not medically considered to be delayed or have any speech impediment of any sort.
Gabriel being an only child did not understand about making friends and developing relationships with children outside the family. It was not until we began our journey at TEAMS that he learned how to seek new friends....
TEAMS Learning Center is one that brings joy, positive educational experiences, and passion to early childhood education. Personally, my daughter has made tremendous growth socially, emotionally, and academically from attending TEAMS Learning Center. The fun-loving, educated, all-accepting teachers at Teams have brought her happiness as they teach her lifelong, foundational skills to enhance her learning as she grows.
As an educator for Wenatchee Valley College in the Early Childhood Education Program, I see high quality, developmentally appropriate teaching and learning happening at TEAMS Learning Center, which is fundamental to a child’s future. My daughter is learning everything from the alphabet and letter sounds, to numbers, counting and adding, to the days of the week, but she is also learning critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills while nurturing her social and emotional development. I feel all the teachers at TEAMS work on developing the whole child, their cognitive skills, fine and large motor skills, social and emotional development, and speech and language development; which are imperative because they lay the groundwork for the K-12 school years and beyond.
I value the addition to early childhood TEAMS Learning Center has brought to the Wenatchee area and am so thankful my daughter, and all young children, have the opportunity to attend.
Heather Flatness
Instructor, Wenatchee Valley College Early Childhood Education
Instructor, University of Phoenix College of Educations & General Studies
Tobias' Mom
I highly recommend TEAMS to any parent. My son has attended teams since he was 2 months old. At TEAMS he's learning developmentally appropriate social and emotional skills. They have activities everyday that help him learn not just academics like ABCs but how to be creative and kind. Every child should get to learn in an environment like TEAMS. It is an invaluable resource in the Wenatchee Valley and I cannot say enough good things about our experience there.
I take care of my 4 year old grandson 4 days per week while his parents work. I discovered TEAMS. preschool several months ago. My grandson loves going to TEAMS' Stay and Play. I do too! I learn different ways to communicate with my grandson from observing the teachers interacting with the children. It has helped me communicate in a more positive and effective way. I have a chance to see how my grandson gets along with the other children. It gives him a chance to learn how to be a positive member of a class, before he starts kindergarten. Stay and Play gives me many new ideas for free or inexpensive learning activities that are fun for my grandson and I to do together at home. I really like the flexibility to book or schedule the days and times we attend, this works wonderfully for our schedule. TEAMS is such a positive and welcoming place! The teachers are amazing. I am very thankful I discovered TEAMS. I highly recommend TEAMS for everyone.
Dorothy Ferguson
First off, I just want to say how THANKFUL I am for the presence of TEAMS in our community. If it wasn’t for TEAMS, I would not have my job at Seeds (which is my dream job), and Gracen would not have been ready to attend Seeds next school year. TEAMS taught me and Gracen so much. Before TEAMS Gracen had little to no autonomy. He pretty much did what he wanted, it didn’t matter to him what was expected. Which was why, last year, when I tried to enroll him at Seeds, they regretfully sent him home saying he’s not ready and to try again next year. I was so sad. His older brother (7) goes there, but Gracen could not. Seeds suggested we look into TEAMS to prep Gracen for next year. So, I did. Not just for Gracen, but for me too. Right around that time I decided I wanted a career change out of good service and into the school with kids. Gracen and I totally immersed ourselves into what TEAMS offered. I began volunteering weekly with Gracen and learned and practiced so many new skills. It changed my parenting style completely. I started to see every opportunity as a learning/teaching appoint unity and Gracen and I both began to grow. It was very exciting! I became a better mother and Gracen started following directions and expectations. I then got enrolled in Joy’s five week parenting course and learning a lot there too! One of the biggest accomplishments I made was I went from sleeping in the same room as both my kids every night to being able to sleep in my own room and bed. Not to mention, no more bottle either! He’s three and a half, too old for bottles!
Because of all my volunteer work at TEAMS, my love for children, and all I’ve learning through TEAMS...
Have you ever just known. And sometimes knowing too much is not a great thing either. But have you ever "known something isn't quite right here…" but have no idea where to start, simply because you don't know the question.
My name is Lori. And when I was 38 I survived a horrific medical injury that left me dead and has taken close to 8 years to recover. I'm grateful now for the changes it created in me, but I certainly didn't ask for my life to end that way. I'm telling you this because through the process of healing, we were shocked when I realized I had become pregnant at age 42! I have 2 older boys, ages 27 and 25 and a grandson who's 1. I know. I hear it…all the time!
Our beautiful, gorgeous lil girl is named Victoria for a clear and real reason. She has helped bring me back to life and has given me a life again. Victory! At age 2 she suffered severe temperatures of 107.9. No. Not a typo. We were horrified. Her temp then plummeted to below 96 and she was having a hard time with all her systems. She had 2 febrile seizures and my husband believes she was looking at the angels. She and I were air lifted to Seattle Children's. She lived. She had E-coli punishing her kidneys. She lay so so motionless…all of this to say, 6-12 months later we were noticing things "not right"…not wrong, just not quite right…
So in my desperate search for help and answers to questions I didn't know I had, I "accidentally" found TEAMS from a woman I saw post a fb comment… on another sight. HEY WAIT… I KNOW HER!!!! So I quickly texted her. It was about 9:30 pm. ...
First off, I just want to say how THANKFUL I am for the presence of TEAMS in our community. If it wasn’t for TEAMS, I would not have my job at Seeds (which is my dream job), and Gracen would not have been ready to attend Seeds next school year. TEAMS taught me and Gracen so much. Before TEAMS Gracen had little to no autonomy. He pretty much did what he wanted, it didn’t matter to him what was expected. Which was why, last year, when I tried to enroll him at Seeds, they regretfully sent him home saying he’s not ready and to try again next year. I was so sad. His older brother (7) goes there, but Gracen could not. Seeds suggested we look into TEAMS to prep Gracen for next year. So, I did. Not just for Gracen, but for me too. Right around that time I decided I wanted a career change out of good service and into the school with kids. Gracen and I totally immersed ourselves into what TEAMS offered. I began volunteering weekly with Gracen and learned and practiced so many new skills. It changed my parenting style completely. I started to see every opportunity as a learning/teaching appoint unity and Gracen and I both began to grow. It was very exciting! I became a better mother and Gracen started following directions and expectations. I then got enrolled in Joy’s five week parenting course and learning a lot there too! One of the biggest accomplishments I made was I went from sleeping in the same room as both my kids every night to being able to sleep in my own room and bed. Not to mention, no more bottle either! He’s three and a half, too old for bottles!
Because of all my volunteer work at TEAMS, my love for children, and all I’ve learning through TEAMS...
“Let me stop you right there and say, of course, definitely, absolutely, 100% yes!” This is what Teacher Joy Robertson said to me the day I decided to call her.
As a mother of two, who already deals with anxiety, depression, and PTSD, I am also going through Post-Partum anxiety. My son is 2 years old, and his doctor thinks he may be on the spectrum. As a result, learning and having the skills to parent a child who may be autistic, has proven to be more difficult at times than I thought. I also have an 8 week old, and I love both of my children dearly. While I was pregnant, I knew I needed to get my toddler into a social setting where he could be amongst his peers. My anxiety kept me from doing this, and once my daughter was born, I realized that I needed to be at my best for them. Reason being, caring for a newborn and a toddler is no easy task. The last push for me, was my son’s pediatrician who told me my son needed to be at a place where he could interact with other children. However, the only problem for me was the financial part of it.
My husband is the sole provider for our family, and barely making above minimum wage, however, we still do not qualify for help for childcare. To be honest, I have always been terrified of putting my children in daycare so although we are really struggling, it took some anxiety away knowing that it wasn’t an option. Reason being, I experienced a very traumatic event as a child in an in-home daycare. I told my husband I did not trust a single soul with our children, even after being in the Early Childhood Education Program myself....
Elsy Hernandez Continued:
Gabriel's ability to verbally express his feelings and ability to use his words to communicate rather than throw a tantrum has skyrocketed! Today Gabe has learned the importance of manners, comfort, care, support, perseverance, structure and so much more all because of TEAMS.
In my line of work as a custody officer in a juvenile detention center more often than not I find myself dealing with troubled youth that lack alot of these things that TEAMS is helping us parents teach our children today. Many of the youth I work with don't know how to express their feelings verbally but rather get a Domestic Violence charge because they rather hurt someone to express their anger versus verbally express it in a conversation and overcome it in a positive way. These teenagers come from a dysfunctional home where more often than not mom is the only financial support of the home. When the parents of these kids lack presence in their lives the child does not get structure so they know no limits to anything causing for them to go about retrieving their wants and needs physical or emotional in a negative way that only hurts them and our society.
I am a huge believer that if these kids would have had a bit of structure, comfort, care, support, perseverance, manners etc. half of these kids would not be in our judicial system awaiting sentencing for drug offenses, theft, domestic violence etc. TEAMS is a great learning center that only contributes to the future of these kids. TEAMS also encourages and extends their hands to assist parents in finding ways to parent a young child which not alot of organizations do. I am greatful to have this organization in my community because I can say that together we are saving these children from one day sitting in a cell and await sentencing on a pending charge that may harm their chances at being successful in life as an adult.
I thank you for your time and hope that you highly consider to help this organization continue to aid our children of the future in need.
Elsy Hernandez
Jeanette Rogers's Story Continued:
I was offered a job at Seeds by one of the moms of a child that attends TEAMS regularly. It was literally a dream come true!
Gracen now has manners and autonomy. We have routines that work in our home. My children have consistency in their lives, and they’re happier children. I have TEAMS to thank for that, my volunteer and envolvent in TEAMS classes has and will not end here. I am still learning from all the amazing teachers Joy had there. There is always more to learn and it is a real gift that I have a place like TEAMS to go and further me skills and knowledge and ask questions and get the real life practice it takes to be a teacher.
I love it! Thanks TEAMS!!
Jeanette Rogers
Seeds Academy and Learning Center
Lori Divilbiss Continued:
Honestly we thought very little of her previous illness being the cause of the issues we saw, so I began a search of short-stay preschool. Something I could pay as I go…not a commitment to a month, thinking she needs other kiddos to play with and socialize…my friend agreed (she has 5 kids! From college age to 2nd grade!) She had only heard TEAMS was great…so I discussed it with my hubby and we opted to begin budgeting money towards our daughter's activities outside my care…which was exactly what our lil precious needed. I quickly began reading everything about TEAMS and what struck me first was "Play with Purpose". WHOA! I was speaking to myself. How fantastic. I was in!
I registered and booked Victoria for the next day's early learning session. Teacher Joy had no idea my internal struggle and concern for our daughter; there was something obviously "not right" and it was obvious after meeting Teacher Joy that she was the perfect one to help me see what we were up against. Neither one of us knew it yet, but we actually needed each other.
After a couple weeks of attending her classes, Teacher Joy lovingly began to share her concerns with me. THIS IS WHAT I needed!!! HELP knowing the questions! Come to find out about the lifelong desire Teacher Joy has with helping others and especially these kiddos, was a strong force in her ability to share her concerns with me not only as a mamma, but as an early childhood development expert. Expert is hardly the right word, it's IN her. IT IS HER. Her Essence. She has love oozing from her pores toward all the kids and witnessing their responses to her was tear-jerking.
One entire afternoon-session was spent explaining to me the difficulties I have noticed but couldn't explain because I'm no expert. Yes I'm a mamma of 3 but that doesn't mean I know what I'm doing. I had some serious problems being dropped in my lap concerning Victoria. It was almost surreal that she was talking about my daughter. This precious angel. But she was and I was facing a hard row to hoe.
Christmas was here now and off to Spokane to see the entire family…we were just made aware of possible high-functioning autism-looking issues. There was no time before we left to have her tested or even talk to her Dr. However, Teacher Joy was confident in her program and explained that kids need more than "at home" … which honestly scared me. I thought I was enough. But deep down I knew because what I was experiencing, was what Joy was seeing, what the entire family at Christmas saw, even made comments about how quiet and non responsive she is… but so fun and loving. We spoke of no such possible problems we just kept doing what we always did: loving our lil angel.
After Christmas-crazy was over, we were back at TEAMS and ready to play hard! Victoria somewhere in all of this seemingly picked up the pace. She started showing signs of self-awareness, independence and doing all kinds of new and amazing things: mainly speaking! She was over 3 years old and very smart. SUPER smart. But she rarely spoke and had emotional breakdowns. That was hard for me because how do you handle this!??? She just couldn't communicate with words. She communicated with actions and emotions. Teacher Joy knew how to talk to me which translated into me communicating with Victoria in a new way, in her own way. I started relaxing my approach which changed everything! She was starting to communicate better because I stopped being frustrated and understood HER way.
Joy's 'tree' with the little hands and 5 branches…that completely made sense to me; finally someone speaking 'tree' language to me. That language I speak. Don't give me terms and words with big or little or no meaning. Tree language was it. When Teacher Joy explained Victoria's cognitive branch was far-reaching…'crazy tall' she said, yet her other branches were longing for growth…to reach the height of her potential, and I believe she knew her program was going to take Victoria to the mooooooon!!!!
It's been a short 2 months of TEAMS in our life and without hesitation I exclaim it loudly: Vitoria no longer exhibits many of the original concerns we had, whatsoever! She is still catching up a bit, but it's hard to quantify with words; it is what I SEE…and I EXPERIENCE with both Victoria and the entire TEAMS staff of amazing and very intuitive people. They share their experiences with me every time I pick her up. One teacher was so excited to share that Victoria is answering 'yes' and 'no', helping other kiddos when they are sad, self-potty habits are forming so quickly now and she's independent with coat on and off…boots too! She is interactive with books now! This is excellent progress. Exhibiting the same independence at home, what she once showed no interest in doing or even cared about, she does with ease and a big smile! This is one happy mamma! There are many more issues we were noticing and having to deal with, these were just a few. She had preliminary testing and scored high enough to further test. Now she doesn't score at all on tests that were once very concerning!
I didn't understand the importance of the other branches of the tree. In reality, I was blinded by my own belief that "I was all Victoria needed". That was true for the first couple years of her life. Sure. But now that the wonderful foundation had been laid, the reality of building her up into a well-rounded tree takes much more than me. It no longer hurts to say that. Because love far outreaches my pride. Victoria's well-being and her growth and maturation process only begins with me, daddy too of course!!! It has taken the TEAMS' nourishment of this experienced and educated staff with exciting 'play with purpose' mindset to nurture this tender little seedling into a grounded, well rooted and thriving young person to grow up into a productive and essential part of our community. The forest of trees I see at TEAMS, interlinking roots…creating such a strong root system for all these kiddos…that gives me such peace now knowing the hard questions where answered in spades and Victoria has a far superior chance now of growing into an awesome tree-woman! TEAMS offers exponentially more than I could offer on my own.
Thank you, Teacher Joy and your amazing staff for implementing your successful curriculum, while loving my daughter back to her potential in such a fun and purposeful way!
With a grateful mamma-heart,
Lori Divilbiss
Ruby Capi-Van Winkle Continued:
I worked in many different daycares, childcare centers, even a Montessori school, and still, I would panic at the thought of leaving my children in any of these places. I kept thinking of Teams in the back of my mind, and would get so depressed that I couldn’t afford something that is affordable for those who aren’t struggling. I kept thinking of my child’s needs, and my own needs. This is when I finally did it.
My husband and I did a stay and play before I had my daughter, (those are free!) and I fell in love immediately. Unfortunately, our financial situation hadn’t changed, and when our sweet daughter was born I knew I needed a break. As did my toddler. So I finally picked up the phone. I frantically called Teacher Joy, and explained to her all of my anxieties our financial situation, and worries, asked if I could volunteer or do something so I could get my toddler to start attending teams. What did Teacher Joy say? I will never forget those words. The ones I began this letter with. “Of course, Absolutely, Definitely, 100% yes!” This is before she even knew my story and all I was going through. This was only based on the fact that she loves what she does, and she does it because she cares.
Always giving credit to her staff and volunteers, Teacher Joy informed me that she had coupons for free sessions all because of those who donate, who volunteer, who give grants, who sponsor them. It is because of people like you guys, that people like me, and my sweet children, get the exposure. are able to participate, and get the experience of being at a place where they can learn through play. At Teams, they don’t turn you away because of what you can or can’t afford, and it is because of this that my child is now advancing so much. My son heard me say my tummy hurt and he shocked me by asking “are you okay?” followed by a “yay!” when I assured him mommy was fine. He also used his words to tell me he was tired and that it was night night time, and walked me to his bedroom. This is a big deal for me because my child’s speech is delayed, and he had never used more than one-word phrases. This only started happening after my son began attending TEAMS! If he is advancing this fast, I cannot imagine where he will be in another few months.
This would not be possible if I didn’t receive the help by getting those coupons for free sessions. Every child deserves the opportunity to spread their wings and fly, and break out of their cocoon, but this is only if they are given the chance. Nothing is more heartbreaking than to know what your child needs, and to not be able to give it to them. We are depriving children of learning so much at an early age when it becomes about money instead of what is best for them. Schools expect so much from children now, and there are those who get a head start because of programs like TEAMS! It begs the question, what is the goal here? To raise children who get an equal shot at success at least when it comes to education, or to make it about money and competition with other schools and countries? This is why I am so grateful and blessed that a place like TEAMS exist. That people like you all exist. Those that get it. That know it’s about innocent children getting the same shot as any other. Without money being a barrier. I felt ashamed when I first asked, and now I am grateful and have put my pride aside. Why? I see what TEAMS is doing for my son. For our community.
I want more parents to know about TEAMS, and I say that knowing it’s already very well known. What I want is for people like me who cannot afford childcare, to know that not every place in town just wants your money. That there are places like TEAMS, that want to help your child blossom and succeed. That there are foundations and donors like you guys, that also see that they are the future and no child should be turned away because they can’t afford $20. They should be welcomed with open arms and told ‘It’s gonna be okay, your child will not be turned away!” To be told to wait until preschool or until age 5, is a disadvantage to children who are eager to learn but don’t understand why they can’t go to places like other children. TEAMS is unique, there is no other place like it. I can only hope and pray that generous people keep contributing and becoming a part of the TEAMS family because it makes a beautiful difference to give a child the okay to learn through play without their parents having to worry about the money aspect. When my child cries, they hold him, that is so important to me. They let the children be kids, and learn from each other. Infact, when my child was upset, they used it as a learning experience for the other children. They learn empathy, they learn manners, they learn to do it all!
What I find incredibly important is to recognize the fact that Teacher Joy and her staff do not have to do the fundraising and ask for sponsors and donations specifically for coupons. Of course it is needed, but not to use the money to give free vouchers to parents who are struggling like myself. They could use that for stuff in the school, or could ask for donations and sponsors for so many other things. Also, Teacher Joy could think of upping the price and continuing to grow with as many people that attend. However, this isn’t them. They go above and beyond to give back to the community. To do anything and everything they can to get as many children as possible to benefit all of the incredible things TEAMS LEARNING CENTER has to offer. They have an incredible curriculum, and they dedicate every part of themselves to the children and to the school. Teach Joy has said to me that she wants to share with others how she did it, so that they can as well. I have never heard someone be so selfless in the Childcare industry. I have never heard or seen a teacher and staff, be so selfless and give so much of themselves to make sure as many kids as possible can have the opportunity to experience TEAMS even if they cannot pay.
They volunteer so much, they give of their time, and they never stop working and promoting. I know it’s not enough as much as they wish it was, there is only so much they can do to raise funds for families like mine to be able to give out free vouchers. That is why I am writing this letter. To ask for that help that TEAMS needs to keep putting families (children) and their education first. Without fearing about going without necessities in order to afford it or just not being able to come up with the money. It shouldn’t be that way, and I am so thankful that I have received the help that I have because my child is impressing everyone, including his doctor and speech therapists since he began going to TEAMS.
The fact that my 2 year old, and now my infant, are a part of the TEAMS family, has helped my anxiety so much. I do not take my as needed medication as much as I used to because I know my children will never be hurt at safe place like TEAMS. I know that they are learning and being loved. I know that they are being taught, and they are learning through play and by watching, by interacting, by having the structure with balance. I don’t have as much Postpartum Anxiety and Depression anymore, because I also have time for myself. I don’t feel guilty anymore because I see the look on my son’s face when I drop him off, and when we leave. All smiles and running to play when we arrive, and tantrums when we leave! This is a child who would cry at first when I left him, now he doesn’t want to leave. My infant goes once or twice a week, and it gives me so much relief. As it also gets her comfortable in other settings and much more stimulation. I feel healthier, my mind is a lot clearer, I feel more rested, and most importantly, my children are learning. I truly believe mothers would get through post-partum issues a lot faster if we all had an outlet like this. Where we know our children aren’t just being babysat, but are actually learning, and we are able to take time for ourselves.
As I said before, the thought of leaving my toddler, or now my infant as well, with anyone was unfathomable to me. How did I know TEAMS was the right place? The safe place? The place I now tell all parents about? The answer is simple. It’s because they care. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to childcare as I previously said, and you can tell who is there because it’s their job, and who is there because it is a passion and they have compassion. When I cried to Teacher Joy about my child possibly being on the spectrum, I was told I was an amazing mother, that my son was incredible, that he was the best coolest kid in the world, and that nothing would change him. “Jon is Jon, and he always will be. No diagnosis will change that.” Those words will always stay with me. The staff is so knowledgeable and patient. They reassure me a thousand times when I need, and again, they truly love and care.
TEAMS LEARNING CENTER is a rare find, they have so much to offer parents, teachers, students, and especially children. I thank you for being a part of what TEAMS can provide families. Without donations and sponsors, they wouldn’t be able to do so much that they have done for families like mine. It has changed my life, my children’s lives, and I am blessed that I am not looked at as a number and neither are my children. They are looked at as human beings who deserve to be at TEAMS just like any other child. Being a part of the TEAMS family is an incredible honor, so I ask for your full support. Like I stated, it is because of people like you guys, because of organizations, and businesses that my children and others in the same financial situation as I am, that we are getting the best education from the most professional, kind, generous, selfless, compassionate teachers I have ever met.
I want more parents to hear the sentence: “Let me stop you right there and say, of course, definitely, absolutely, 100% yes!” What a special feeling that gave me, as it will give many other parents with your help. Thank you for reading my letter.