Current Online Projects:

• On this site, I write about tech issues for the non-tech-savvy social services professional or educator, covering social media marketing, online passive fundraising, and how to use Zoom.
• More Good Days with Kids. Includes:
  • a blog for parents: research, resources & realistic recommendations for families with kids age 1 to 5
  • a collection of handouts and resources for childcare providers, preschool teachers and parent educators who work with families with kids from birth to 5
• Inventors of Tomorrow. Lesson plans for STEM enrichment classes for ages 3 to 7 – include experiments, songs, book lists, and crafts.
• Transition to Parenthood. It has a podcast for expectant parents and a large collection of resources for childbirth educators, including handouts, class outlines, and interactive class activities.
• More Good Days with Babies – a website for parents with a few articles on breastfeeding and newborn care

Who am I?

• a parent educator for Bellevue College Parent Education Program, where I teach parents of children age 1 – 7, and teach STEM enrichment for age 3 – 7
• a childbirth educator for Great Starts at Parent Trust for Washington Children and former doula
• an author (co-author of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide and Simple Guide to Having a Baby, author of Great Starts Guide to options for maternity care)
• a social worker, with 5 years experience working with people who were facing terminal illness, then 25+ years with people who were birthing and caring for young ones
• a curriculum designer – I created lesson plans that were used by Great Starts instructors to serve over 1500 families a year, and topic guides that were used by facilitators for PEPS: Program for Early Parent Support to serve over 2000 families a year. I am currently creating resources for parent educators, and lesson plans for preschool STEM enrichment.
• a program manager – I’ve managed a childbirth education program with over 30 employees that served 2000 families a year at multiple hospitals and community sites and a program that provided support groups for over 1800 families per year, I’ve run a week-long online family camp for 170 people ranging from 4 – 84 years old.
• I have served on the boards of The Kineo School, Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church and Eastside Preparatory School
• an alumna of Brandeis University (BA in Sociology), University of Washington (MSW), and Bastyr University (certificate in Spirituality, Health, and Medicine)
• a dance researcher – I wrote Western Dance 1450 – 1650 and The Old Measures: 1570 – 1675, about dances from Renaissance Italy and Elizabethan England.
• a cancer survivor for decades and leg amputee (for tips on handling phantom pain, see this article)
• mom to a 27 year old, a 23 year old , and a 10 year old

Here’s my CV if you want the details on my work history and education.

To contact me, email janelled at live.com