Hello & Welcome! My name is Sarah Pallat. I am a mom of three and an experienced BSD early elementary educator. I am a lifelong Washingtonian and feel so fortunate to call this beautiful place my home. I love being outdoors and spending time with my friends and family, especially while listening to live music! My husband Lee and our family have been Bellevue residents since 2008. We have two sons, Noah & Judah, and our daughter, Isabelle lives in Seattle.
In all my years as a classroom teacher, I have cultivated a style of teaching that is centered on compassion, educating the whole child and valuing my student's family, culture and ethnicity. I believe it is important for even very young children to begin to learn empathy and to be accountable for their behavior (at a developmentally appropriately level). Kindness toward all is paramount in my learning environment! :)
I am also on the board of a nonprofit called Camp Kindness Counts. We are a youth and family education organization aimed to empower youth to be kind, compassionate leaders in their community while also supporting parents to foster a strong character in their children.
At Kind Start Preschool in Bellevue, every child receives the care and support they need to thrive. I am committed to providing high-quality pre-school & childcare that promotes the physical, social emotional, and cognitive development of each child in my care. It's important to me that my students learn about social justice, global citizenship, respect for our planet and each other. I fully support Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and believe that celebrating differences and learning about each other's families and cultures is a strength and helps to foster acceptance, compassion and empathy in children. My focus for the school is social emotional and outdoor learning. These are two things I feel young learners need most as they grow. Social emotional skills help to build their character and to successfully manage their own emotions and interactions with others, in their families and in their future classroom environment. Outdoor time is important to me and research shows it is an important aspect of children's cognitive and physical development and their overall health. My Preschoolers will be able to plant, care for, harvest & eat foods from our garden. I also believe that parents and caregivers need to work closely and have frequent communication and participation in their child's education. I look forward to working alongside you to help your child grow and thrive!
- Kind Start Preschool is a registered Washington State & City of Bellevue Business. I am a sole proprietorship. My EIN is: 99-4948597.
- I am NOT state childcare licensed. Half day programs (4 hours or less) in Washington do not require licensing. However, I have taken care to ensure the utmost safety for your child and happy to talk to you about any concerns.
- I can NOT accommodate students with life-threatening allergies at this time
- Students must be potty trained or nearing end of training, with infrequent accidents.
- I will follow the Bellevue School District Calendar/Emergency Closure Schedule (with a couple of exceptions which I will share with you).
- I will follow all Washington State Department of Health rules regarding vaccines required for children in my care. You will need to provide vaccination record.
- Staff: I am the sole owner and teacher. At this time, I have no other paid staff. My husband works from home and is able to fill in in case of emergency. We are both background checked (can provide documentation). I have 2 people with teaching and childcare experience that can be on-call subs for me if needed, based on their availability. However, because I am primarily a 1-person operation, there may be days that I am sick & unable to find a sub and will need to close school. I will do my best to give you as much notice as possible.
- We have a cat, Marley. He will not be allowed in the preschool space during school hours, but want to make you aware in case of any allergies. He will very likely hide and students may not ever see him! :)