Shannon Gardner (School Director)
Teacher Shannon has a real passion for building relationships with families and working as a team to nurture children and help them develop a love of learning. She graduated from the University of Maine with a B.S. in Elementary Education with a concentration in psychology. She then moved to Seattle where she worked at a large, NAEYC accredited child care center for nearly 18 years. She held various positions while there, including assistant and lead teacher, program supervisor, and assistant director. Teacher Shannon has been with Madison Park Cooperative Preschool since 2012 serving first as Head Teacher and since 2019 as School Director.
While not developing the minds of the young children she teaches, Shannon enjoys traveling, knitting, reading, playing games and spending time with friends.
Sally Olson (Parent Educator)
Sally Olson is a faculty member in the Department of Parent Education at North Seattle College. Since 2000, Sally has been working as a Parent Education Instructor, through the Seattle Colleges network and at King Street Co-op Preschool. She has taught the Roots of Empathy curriculum in the Seattle Public Schools and led children’s therapy groups for Divorce Lifeline.
Sally received her Master’s of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan in 1987, where the focus of her clinical training was child psychotherapy and parent consultation. She spent the first 12 years of her career as a child and adult psychotherapist in Michigan and Seattle. In addition, Sally served as a Child Mental Health Consultant for Head Start and ECEAP preschools.
Sally believes in the preventive work of parent education and in the powerful impact of early learning programs on children, parents and communities.
Sally and her husband are the parents of two grown daughters. Outside of work, she enjoys being with family, walking her dog, reading, watching movies, practicing pilates and biking.
Beth Goss (Parent Educator)
Beth Goss did her graduate work in Elementary Education and is a full-time tenured faculty member at North Seattle College (NSC), where she teaches parent education and child development classes to families raising children from birth to 5 years. She is a Certified Gottman Educator and Training Specialist for the Bringing Baby Home program. In addition, she is a Washington State STARS Trainer for preschool teachers and a Certified Childbirth Educator. Before she started working with the coop preschool program at NSC in 2002, she was a preschool teacher, a childcare administrator, and a teacher trainer.
She is married and the mother of two “semi-adults.” She has found, however, that her mom was right—you never stop parenting your kids!
Beth’s goal is to help your child’s teacher create a safe, welcoming space for you and your child, where you feel supported. She’s looking forward to answering your parenting questions and to providing you with education and resources which will help you make the best choices for you and your family.
In her free time, Beth likes to read, kayak, and make art with friends.