Kechelle Jackson | President & Treasurer

Hello! My name is Kechelle Jackson and I was born here in Seattle, Washington. Since a very young age I've participated in many youth and high school programs: Dance, Cheerleading, Track & Field, Basketball, Skiing, Softball, Volleyball and Steel Drum. These experiences allowed me to be active in my community and have shaped the way I relate to the world and others. I began working with the youth in 2004 when I joined the Washington Reading Corps. After two years of service I relocated to Sacramento, CA where I worked for the City of Sacramento as a Human Service Coordinator overseeing and supervising an after school program for middle school students. In 2008 I moved back to Seattle and became a preschool teacher, within six months I was enrolled into a degree program for Early Childhood Development. I completed the program and worked in the classroom for about 5 years, while taking on additional roles as a mentor supervisor and small group enrichment teacher. In 2012 and 2014 I went to the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers, which is held here at The Creative Dance Center hosted by Anne Green Gilbert. This is where I learned about Brain Compatible Education and also how to facilitate and assess quality movement experiences for young children. Upon the completion of the two week intensive I was left inspired and I felt empowered to construct a unique program that specializes in providing quality enrichment experiences for young children by combining my knowledge and expertise as Early Childhood Educator with Brain Dance Education. Emerald City Creative Arts (ECCA) was established in 2013 and now provides movement enrichment services in over 10 schools across the greater Seattle area. I immersed myself into CDC's teaching methodology and studied directly under CDC's Founder, Anne Green Gilbert. Since joining the faculty I’ve taught Parent-Child, Creative Dance, Pre Ballet, Creative Modern, Hip Hop, and Zumba Fitness classes as well as Summer Camps integrating art and dance. Working together with learning communities, young children, and families to foster and enhance social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development has been an incredible self-reflecting journey.  I truly enjoy the work that I do and I plan to continue to share the gift of movement.