SIDC Adminstration
Kasey Davis
Executive Director
(She/Her)
Kasey has worked as both a teacher and administrator in the childcare world for over 15 years. With a background in theatre, she loves woodworking, cooking, gardening, and walking the beach with her family.
Her favorite part of watching children develop is witnessing their “aha!” moments and laughing at the hilarious things they say! She also loves capturing their attention in a difficult moment and helping them learn the skills to work through it. Their social emotional growth is so beautiful to experience.
Gemma O’Neil
Assistant Director
(She/Her)
Gemma loves collecting records, making art, running, dancing, caring for her dog, spending time with friends and family, reading, and traveling solo around the world!
She has always felt a connection with children and is inspired by the ways that they see and interpret the world. She has a passion for advocacy and works to be the best ally and mentor to children that she can be, holistically and with great care.
Jessica Mika
Office Manager
(She/Her)
Although Jessica works mainly in the office and not directly with the children, she finds them to be absolutely adorable and so full of hope for the future!
When not working, she enjoys travel, trying new foods, board games, and is a novice paddle boarder since last summer!
Infant Room Teachers
JJ Liu
Head Teacher
(She/Her)
JJ loves to knit, sing, cook delicious food, and travel during her spare time.
Her favorite thing about working with children is creating a safe, and nurturing environment, and she loves being with the babies! Her passion for helping infants is what motivates her to teach.
JJ has been teaching at SIDC for 21 years.
Asmeret Habtemariam
(She/Her)
Asmeret loves spending her time with her family, hanging out with co-workers and friends, trying her hand at the casino, and hiking. Now that her own children are older, she hopes to do more travelling.
She enjoys watching the children at SIDC grow, giving them lots of love, and seeing them progress from the infant room through the school. She’s worked in Infants, Small Tods, and Big Tods during her 10 years at SIDC.
Lily Saunders
(She/Her)
Lily has worked with young children for three years, and her favorite part is watching them hit their developmental milestones, reading books and singing songs with them.
In her free time, Lily loves to bake bread, read, and hike with her friends and family!
Small Toddler Room Teachers
Dez Delahanty
Head Teacher
(He/Him)
Dez enjoys spending time with his menagerie of animals, including 1 dog, 1 cat, 1 gecko, 2 frogs, and 2 snakes. He loves to hike and camp and hopes to visit every National Park some day. He draws, paints, and plays guitar, and he’s lived in Seattle all his life.
He finds it gratifying to teach children how to navigate their big feelings and watch them explore their environment. Children make more sense to him than adults, and he truly can’t image doing anything else in this life.
Dez has been with SIDC for 10 years.
Sarah Miles
(She/Her)
Sarah enjoys playing DND (3.5 years with the same group), hanging out with friends, and spending time in the beautiful outdoors when the weather is behaving.
Her favorite part about working with kids is watching them learn and figure something out. It’s such a privilege to see the “aha” moment, as well as witnessing major milestones like walking and talking. They make her laugh every day.
Garrett Monheim
(They/Them)
Garrett loves comics, weird music, art in general documentaries, and science fiction.
They really enjoy building relationships with children and watching them grow. Seeing the progress of educational journey really makes the work meaningful. Garrett also loves the humorous chaos children bring to the day.
Big Toddler Room Teachers
Pata Sebial
(She/Her)
Pata loves to travel, especially to Europe and specifically Italy. She’s excited to be visiting Barcelona soon! She’s also an amazing cook.
Her favorite thing about working with children is that they’re fun, they are eager to learn and grow. She LOVES being at SIDC, and never gets tired of coming to work.
Pata has been an SIDC teacher for 25 years.
Angelina Westphal
(She/Her)
Angelina loves reading, exploring parks in her area, or biking along the waterfront! She also enjoys cooking a cozy meal and curling up with a good show at the end of the day.
She loves how children are curious and relentless! Working with kids is challenging, which makes it a very rewarding job. Every day is a new adventure and another opportunity for growth!
Preschool Teachers
Phaivanh Sisurath
Head Teacher
(She/Her)
Phaivanh loves spending time with her family, cooking delicious food, gardening and taking long walks.
Her favorite thing about working with kids is seeing them develop through different stages, learning their numbers and letters, becoming more independent, expressing their feelings, and problem solving. The kids make her so happy, and she’s amazed by them.
Phaivanh has been with SIDC for 36 years.
Vicky Barrientes
(She/Her)
When not at SIDC, Vicky can be found gardening, spending time with her family, and drawing.
She loves watching the kids grow before her eyes and getting to be a part of that growth. She enjoys helping them learn what to do, and then eventually seeing them do it on their own. It’s gratifying to make a difference and be a part of their growth.
Vicky has taught for 16 years a SIDC.
Pre-K Teachers
Kathy LaRocque
Head Teacher
(She/Her)
Kathy enjoys bike riding on trails in the Puget Sound area, Spokane, and Coeur d’Alene, as well as cooking cozy soups, stews and chilis in her crock pot during cold months.
The PreK kids bring joy to her heart through their curiosity, eagerness to learn and try new things, and their individual personalities. She loves the partnerships with families as they support the child’s individual needs and goals.
Kathy has taught for 28 years at SIDC.
Nolan Good
(He/Him)
Nolan is an avid reader, loves playing video games, playing “Go",” and keeping up on his Japanese! He is also a budding birdwatcher.
He enjoys seeing how creative children can be and watching their personalities grow and change over the years.
SIDC Support Staff
Alana Clay
Floating Teacher & Kitchen Manager
(She/Her)
When not at SIDC, Alana enjoys drawing and reading, as well as ceramics and pottery.
She loves working with children and watching them grow older. It’s amazing to see them become their own unique individuals.
Maraki workeneh
Floating Teacher
(She/Her)
Maraki enjoys adventuring, traveling, and trying new things. She has a diverse background working with children of different needs and ages.
Her favorite part of working with children is empowering them to have confidence while showing them respect.
Kodee Johnson
Floating Teacher
(They/Them)
Kodee enjoys playing D&D with their friends and working on cosplay. They also love going to conventions and meeting new people.
They love listening to kids’ ideas while playing with each other. Creativity and Imagination are so important, and they love being a part of it.
Melodie Slaughter
Floating Teacher
(She/Her)
Melodie enjoys writing poetry, dancing, painting, all things fashion, music, and spending time with the people she loves. She’s also passionate about creating opportunities that empower young people to feel confident in who they are.
She loves getting to see children’s personalities develop, celebrating their mistakes, and creating a safe space for them to grow and learn.
Levi Sytman
Floating Teacher
(They/She)
When not working at SIDC, Levi loves to dance, play Pokémon, hike and travel!
Their favorite thing about being a teacher is getting to know every child’s personality.