I have been in early childhood education since 1999. I love working with children, watching them explore and grow through their world.

I spend my free time with my daughter and husband. We love to do outdoor activities such as hiking, soccer, camping, and ATV riding. I love finding new books to read while relaxing at home. We have two dogs, a Yorkie and our new addition to the family, Chloe, is a mini Australian Sheperd!

My name is Shovkat, but my students call me many different things. Usually I am known as Ms. Kate, but I remember names like Ms. Cake and Ms. Kitty too. I graduated from Bellevue College with a Childhood Education certificate and have over 6 years of experience in Early Childhood Education. I graduated from Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction as an Architect and have 5 years of experience as a photographer. My family consists of my husband, who works at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and our two children.

I was born and raised in Minsk, Belarus where I earned a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and Psychology. I also have over ten years of experience in teaching. My family and I moved to the United States over five years ago, and I have since worked as a Russian writing and reading tutor, and a part-time preschool teacher. In my class, I specialize in math and language development and when I’m not teaching, I enjoy reading, kayaking, cooking and knitting.

I was born and raised in Minsk, Belarus. I graduated from the Academy of Physical Culture and Sports with a bachelor’s degree in teaching physical education in 1996. That same year, I passed the exam and received a diploma from the British Association Teachers of Dance. I have been teaching kids since 1996, I worked as a ballroom dance teacher, a P.E. teacher, and as an instructor, in both public schools and preschools. We moved to the United States in 2014 which is when I started working at Birch Tree Academy.

My husband and I are four-time champions of Belarus in ballroom dancing. In 2012 and 2013 we represented Belarus at the World Championships. We recently resumed dancing and plan to go to more competitions in the future.

I enjoy working with kids and all of the happiness they bring to the world—building personal and warm relationships with my students brings me incredible joy.

I have been an educator in the field of Early Childhood Education for over six years. My teaching experience includes caring for children ages six weeks to five years. I graduated from Lake Washington Institute of Technology with an AAS degree in Early Childhood Education in June of 2018. It is my firm belief that all children are capable and competent learners, and that their involvement in their learning experiences should be encouraged as well as respected. I have lived in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for my entire life and wouldn’t live anywhere else. I am honored to be a part of each child’s learning journey, and am looking forward to helping them to reach each developmental milestone!

My name is Tanya and I was born in Turkmenistan. I moved to the Greater Seattle Area in 2019. I’m married and have one son and a Green Cheek Parrot. I took care of kiddos for over eight years in my country and I love teaching as much as I love learning! My goal as a teacher is to help children explore and discover the world around them and how they can be a part of it. In all my free time, I spend it with my family.

I was born and grew up in New York on Long Island. I received my bachelors of science in Biology from Binghamton University and spent time working in a toxicology lab after school. Before I moved all the way out to Seattle, I spent a year working at a special needs preschool with some incredible kids. Now I am excited to become part of the Birch Tree Academy team! In my spare time I love to hike around and explore all the nature that Washington has to offer. I enjoy climbing, kayaking, and anything outdoors!

I came to the U.S. from Ukraine in April 2022, after the war broke out in my home country. While there, I worked as a school teacher for 3 years and as a kindergarten teacher for 7 years. I love children very much. My goal is to sculpt full-fledged people with their own individuality, to help them comfortably merge into this world.

Hi, my name is Julia Nelson, I am 23 years old and from Anchorage, Alaska. I have 5 years of preschool experience and spent 2 of those years as a licensed therapist for children with trauma. 

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and especially enjoy hiking with my dog. My goal in life is to be happy and healthy with a big family of my own. I’m excited to be a part of the Birch Tree Team and get to know all of your children.

Hello my name is Ksenia. 

I was born in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russian. At the beginning of my career I worked  as a kindergarten art teacher and enjoyed helping children experience the art world. After that I decided to try out the banking world for about five years.

My family and I have been living in the USA for about 8 years now. We love spending time with our with our 2 sons and exploring Washington. I am very excited to be a part of the team at Birch Tree Academy. 

My name is Elyssa, pronounced like Aliza. I am from Philippines, and I live in Buckley WA. I was an aerospace engineer for 3 years. I recently found the love for teaching children. It is a big change of career, but I certainly find teaching kids to be more fulfilling in life. I’m excited to be an official part of Birch Tree Academy! Description goes here

Hi, my name is Bella and I'm so excited to be joining the Birch Tree family! My experience includes being a Pre-K teacher, competitive gymnastics coach, nanny, and most recently an EMT. I love science and plan to go back to school to pursue a nursing degree or a psychology degree. In my free time I love to watch movies and hang out with my three cats.

I was born in Orange County, California but have lived all over the U.S and France. I am finishing up my Bachelors in SPED K-12 with an additional Early Childhood Ed. certification. I grew up volunteering in my parents' sped classrooms, and the moment I was old enough to start working, I started teaching children to foster social-emotional growth while encouraging each child to explore their world around them. On my time off work, I love exploring nature through hiking, paddle boarding, rockhounding, and camping. I also have a deep love for working with animals and enjoy incorporating them into my classroom whenever I can. While working at the birch tree academy, I hope to educate the students to love and understand nature, regulate their emotions, and give them a safe and engaging place to foster long term growth and success.