Hi, I’m Bridget. I am the director and lead teacher at the Great Green Room, which originally opened in the Fall of 2009, running until 2014, then re-opened in our new location in 2018. I began working with kids as a babysitter, then summer nanny and summer camp counselor in my teens. After I graduated from Western Washington University, I spent time working as an environmental educator and fell in love with hands-on, experiential education. I came back to the city and for the next several years I followed my two passions, working with kids as a professional nanny and creating hands-on educational experiences by building and supporting education gardens in urban schools.
In 2005 I moved to London, England for graduate school. I attended City University, London and received my M.A. in Communities, Organizations and Social Change. My dissertation was ‘Who Decides What Kids Eat? The Influence of Transnational Corporations in Children’s Diets.’
Our program at the Great Green Room does not fall into any one education philosophy, but is formed based on my experiences in early childhood education, the children currently in the program, and where their interests and developmental needs are. I feel so lucky to spend my days living in the moment with kids and grateful for the community that has grown around our little school.
Hi, my name Sarah Cortés. Over the last 6 years I have worked as an assistant teacher at Lakewood Co-op, as a toddler art instructor with The Makery, and as an art teacher and assistant teacher with the Great Green Room. I have 8-year-old twin boys and have worked with preschoolers since my own were in preschool. I love collaborating with children of all ages and encouraging their interests and learning through creative play. In my “free time” (usually with kids in tow), you can find me puttering in our urban farm garden, hiking/running on a trail, or making culinary and herbal concoctions in my kitchen.
thegreatgreenroom.org 