Breanna Barente, Lead Teacher

Breanne follows a blend of Reggio-inspired and Conscious Discipline approaches that are child-led and see children as inherently worthy of respect.

Growing up in the foothills of northern California, Breanne spent much of her childhood playing with frogs down in the creek and making rosemary-scented potions in her backyard. She started working with young children as a teenager - thus beginning a nearly twenty-year-long career in childcare and education. As an adult, she still loves squelching in mud puddles - now with her own dirt-loving young daughter in tow. 

Breanne earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies & Sustainable Agriculture from Western Washington University. She then got her Master Gardener’s & Master Composter’s certifications through Washington State University and became an elementary school Garden Teacher in 2015. In 2019, she switched to Early Childhood Education and quickly fell in love with young children’s capabilities, authenticity, and creativity. During the pandemic, she earned her teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education from North Seattle College. Breanne follows a blend of Reggio-inspired and Conscious Discipline approaches that are child-led and see children as inherently worthy of respect. Her anti-bias framework supports children to advocate for themselves by inviting them into the decision-making process as often as possible. She believes that once children feel empowered to advocate for themselves, they can (and often do!) advocate for others. 

Breanne’s hobbies include baking, sewing, crocheting, gardening, reading, and hiking with her family. She loves banana slugs, cool-looking fungi, and late afternoon sunshine. She has lived, worked, and played on the ancestral lands of the Nisenan, Miwok, Lummi, Duwamish, and Pawtucket peoples; she is grateful for their stewardship and works to learn and share their stories in her classrooms.