Our teachers are very important to us and we strive to support them in every way possible. They are an integral part of the cooperative process on a daily basis.

Jan Collver
3-5s teacher Jan Collver was born and raised in Seattle. She received her BA in Education from Western Washington University and has taken graduate courses in Curriculum and Instruction from Seattle University. Jan has a wide range of teaching experiences. She provides a stimulating learning environment where children can make their own discoveries. She enjoys the community building that co-op participation provides and has been involved in co-op programs with both of her two children, including two years at our preschool. This will be her sixth year teaching for the 65th Street Preschool Co-op.

Jennifer Burke
Two’s teacher Jennifer Burke was born and raised in Wisconsin. She received her BFA from the University of Hawaii and a Child Development Associate through the NAEYC. Jennifer has taught preschool in Hawaii, Boston and here in Seattle and her favorite age group is the “Terrific Two’s”. She loves working with young children and brings her passion for art and nature into the classroom. Jennifer joined the 65th co-op as a parent in 2001 and has two boys ages 6 and 8. When Jennifer is not teaching she loves to garden and hang out at the beach with her family. This will be her third year teaching for the 65th Street Preschool Co-op.

Jennifer Birkner
IJennifer Birkner has been a pre-school teacher since 1989. She graduated from the New College of California, San Francisco with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities in 2000 and also attended Cabrillo College in Aptos, California where she studied Early Childhood Education. She describes teaching young children as one of the greatest joys in her life. She started out teaching in California where she was born and raised. She moved to Seattle three years ago and has worked in a co-op setting here for three year. This will be her first year teaching at 65th Street. Jennifer uses a multi-sensory approach and incorporates current knowledge about learning into her teaching. She has two children and in addition to being a mom and a teacher, her family owns a restaurant in Ballard called Austin Cantina, where you will find her serving brunch on Sundays.

Kim Kleeh
Parent Educator Kim Kleeh is excited to be with the 65th Street Preschool Co-op community for a third year. She loves mentoring and providing resources and support for families. She has nineteen years of formal experience working with preschool children and their parents and is the mother of a high school age child. For eight years she served as a director of a large parent participation early childhood program in Berkeley, California where she especially enjoyed facilitating parent education classes and support groups. Kim is interested in current brain research and how it affects our understanding of human development and educational practices. She has a deep compassion for families whose children face neurological differences, and also has a wide experience with adoptive families and the complex issues faced by birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive parents along the life continuum.