"Worry is an aspect of parenting, but it shouldn't define parenting." - Kim John Payne

Proprietor

Briana Bennitt, Simplicity Parenting Groups Leader and Parent-Tot/Preschool Playgroups Leader, Parent-Tot Leader, and Parenting Coach

Briana has been leading parenting groups for 15 years including Simplicity Parenting Information Evenings; Simplicity Parenting discussion and integration groups; "circle of support" meetings for Waldorf school students' parents, teachers and counselors; Social Inclusion meetings with students; and both home and school-based Parent-Tot classes in Redmond and Bellevue, WA. An experienced co-parent and mentor, Briana was thrilled to see the emergence of the Simplicity Parenting movement and to participate in the pilot training program for Group Leaders with Kim John Payne and Davina Muse in 2010. Briana holds a bachelors degree in English Literature, is a former Executive Director and licensed Child Care Center Program Director at Three Cedars Waldorf School, and her children are currently all enrolled in Waldorf schools P/K-12. She is also certified with the WA Department of Early Learning as a state-approved trainer for STARS courses and with the WA Department of Licensing as a driver training school instructor. Briana enjoys working with parents who value the protection of childhood and mindfulness to each unique stage of the child's life -- and she supports a wide variety of family structures as all co-create shared community, collaborative parenting, deep respect for diversity of belief, and peaceful home life.

"A sense of worthiness is a child's most important need. The American self-made-man ethic says that we are what we make of ourselves. This is an improvement over Old World class systems that said you could never rise any higher than your father. But the implicit converse – that you are nobody until you prove yourself to be somebody – is troublesome. The suggestion is that self-worth depends on external measurements such as money, power, and popularity. Children's worthiness is often mistakenly measured by compliance or achievement."
- Polly Berrien Berends

Simplicity Parent-Tot Class Teacher and Parent Groups Leader

Jackie Ralston, Simplicity Parenting Groups Leader and Parent-Tot Leader

Jackie has co-parented many children in her extended community for over 25 years and completed her Waldorf foundation year with Bill Bryant in 1992. Jackie has been perfecting her craft of raising up healthy children and supporting joyful family life over the years as a parent, preschool teacher, nanny, after school care teacher, and Parent-Tot class teacher and Simplicity Parenting Groups Leader. She has two daughters, one recently graduated from Seattle Waldorf High School and one currently in the fifth grade at Three Cedars Waldorf School. Jackie possesses deep insights into family dynamics, child development, and the role of gender in childhood. She has enjoyed a myriad of Social Inclusion trainings and Simplicity Parenting lectures and workshops with Kim John Payne and in addition to her work with Simplicity Learning, Jackie is currently an after school program teacher at Three Cedars Waldorf School in Bellevue. Jackie was thrilled to find the ways in which Kim John Payne has pulled together all that is most useful and needed by parents throughout his life's work and to attend the Simplicity Parenting Group Leader’s training in 2012. She is now very excited to be integrating this work at Simplicity Learning.

"The afflictions which come to humanity sometimes tend to center the consciousness upon the limitations. This is a veritable prison. Release comes by making of the will a door through which the confirmations of the spirit come. They come to a man or woman who accepts his life with Radiant Acquiescence."
- 'ABDU'LBAHÁ, Divine Philosophy

Associate

Kimberly Lacy, Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate and Simplicity Parenting Groups Leader

For over 20 years, Kimberly has been raising up, caring for, and learning with children, including her two daughters, many children of the co-parents in her Buddhist sangha and Waldorf communities, and her homeschooling students. Her work experience includes four years teaching in the kindergarten and elementary programs at Three Cedars Waldorf School in Bellevue, and over ten years as a counselor and social worker. Currently, Kimberly works with Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Behavioral Health in Family Preservation Services where she and her colleagues provide "Strength Based Active Efforts" that are family-centered in the family's home. Kimberly holds a masters degree in psychology and clinical counseling and is a veteran facilitator of "circle of support" meetings for Waldorf school students, faculty and parents, having trained with Kim John Payne for over six years in the Center for Social Sustainability's Social Inclusion, Collaborative Counseling, and Simplicity Parenting programs. Kimberly participated in the pilot training program for Simplicity Parenting group leaders in February 2010 and is an advocate for no-blame approaches to conflict resolution, building up every adult’s and child’s listening skills, and keeping the focus on what is truly healthy and beneficial for children according to their ages and stages of development.

"Simplifying your life, then, does not mean cutting back on anything of value. It means learning the delicate artistry of making your every action count, taking notice of the needs of the whole. You can think of it as a skill and as with any other skill, the more you practice it, the more opportunities you will find to put it to use, bringing your creativity and ingenuity into play."
- Eknath Easwaran

Associate

Judy Erbe, Parent Educator, Counselor and Simplicity Parenting Groups Leader

Judy has been working to help and support parents for over 20 years. Her experience includes leading support groups for new moms, working as a parent educator at Bellevue College, and working as a therapist with clients around family and parenting issues. She has a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Seattle University and completed a 2-year certificate program in Infant Mental Health at the University of Washington. She has additional training in child development. Judy especially enjoys being the mother of two adult children, being both a step-mom and a grandmother. She believes that the Simplicity Parenting© movement is very timely. She is a staunch advocate of parents being thoughtful about their choices, making sure those choices reflect their values, and working to help their children develop a strong sense of who they are as parents make space in the busy-ness of their lives for strong family connections.

"In their consistency, rhythms establish trust. They offer children a sense of order . . . the joy of anticipation and the security of things to be counted on, every day. Busyness, change, and improvisation will still have keys to your house, but they won’t entirely rule the day…. In addition to consistency, the best daily life rhythms offer connection."
- Kim John Payne, Simplicity Parenting

Simplicity Learning offers morning Parent-Tot Playgroups, Simplicity Parenting Groups, and Parent Coaching, and various evening and weekend presentations and workshops for parents and teachers. Please inquire if you are interested in joining us for an upcoming event or would like to learn more about hosting a custom-designed offering at your own location.