Pre-k Program in South Snohomish County Area?

So if you've ever read me rave about my son's preschool (and lament that it only goes through K)... it's about 10 minutes south of you.

Chelsea House Montessori
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13742 30th Ave NE
Seattle

It's a VERY small pre though K school in Lake City (typically only 15-20 students). In the same little neighborhood as Seattle Gymnastics Academy & Dicks, a couple blocks back from Lake City Way.

They *don't* do daycare, so they usually have at least one or two spots open year round. They have a BUNCH of different hour options (mornings or afternoon, with or without the lunch hour, and all day), but are open 9-3 M-F.

General school highlights:

#1 Req: Safe, Fun, & Interesting

- Multiage classroom (yay!)

- Modified Montessori program (they have different focuses, like the human body, or Eric Carle, or arachnids, or dinosaurs, or etc., and then also specifically work on reading and math and K or 1st grade prep, and the teachers are more involved than in a "straight" montessori)

- Monthly newsletters outlining what

- Open door policy (although dropoffs are asked to be quick -hug, kiss, see you later!, parents are ALWAYS welcome to drop by at any time during the day)

- Works folder that one empties to bring your child's works home weekly (full of whatever they've been doing, from stringing beads to counting dots to colored hemispheres of the brain, to maps, to math, to art, to their big projects -like the life size human body of themselves. BIG projects come home at the end of the unit).

- Birthday ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, songs before lunch, mothers and fathers day gifts, family soup night, parent teacher conferences, a FEW fieldtrips (like going to the pumpkin patch on a weekend day before halloween), tons of stuff.

- Accepts student subsidy money if either of you are in or are going back to school... your university will cut them a check for tuition

- diverse students (in part because they DO accept UW or other school's monies you get quite a few undergrad, grad students, and professors kids along with a cross section of society). I think there were all 5 major religions represented there when we went.

- Not a gifted school, but run like one... where learning is all about fun and excitement.

- Head teacher / Owner has been doing this (same spot) for over 20 years. (Pasha! She's awesome!)

- GREAT discipline. No one is ever a "bad" child, or "mean", but instead "So and so is having problems being a good friend today" or "Suzy Q is working REALLY hard at learning how to be a good friend". There's also a timeout chair, but it's almost never necessary. One of the benefits of the multiage classroom is that the younger students pattern after the older students... and all of the positive adult and positive peer reinforcement just really WORKS. Even so, the teachers are ALWAYS on top of what the kids are doing and up to. NEVER once, did I hear my son talk about an incident that I hadn't been told about first by the teacher (whether my son was the transgressor or another child was), how the children had reacted, what had been done about it, and how the rest of the day went AFTER the incident.

NEGATIVE:
Parking is a pain. There are only 4 spots inside the gate, and 4 spots on the street. What's NICE, however, is that there is a 10 minute drop off / pick "window". So in 3 years I only ever had to wait for a few minutes or park down the street twice.

Well, I've gone on... and I didn't even do my typical raving about the balance of play and types of works they do.

Anyhow. Great school.

I would look at Heritage Christian Academy (www.hcabothell.org). They have a 5 day a week Pre-K program. I think the hours are 8:30-11:00, but the do have all day options with extended care/classes... They also have full day preschool classes that would be 8:30-2:45 (same hours as their elementary school).

It is a great school. I have a 1st grader and a preschooler there... We have been at HCA since my oldest was 3 (it goes to 8th grade, so I anticipate we will be there awhile).

They are in Bothell, about 4 blocks south of the Snohomish County border.

A lot of my friends like first Lutheran in shoreline, or trinity Lutheran and apple preschools in lynnwood. My kids go to a co-op so that wouldn't work, but there are other preschool programs in our building, center for families at edmonds community college. Hope this helps!

I live in Shoreline and have visited many preschools. First Lutheran in Richmond Beach was my second choice, but not full day. We decided on the Shoreline Children's Center. It has fixed and flexible schedule classes available. My son will be attending the Pre-k/K+ program with teacher Pam Wright. I've heard only rave reviews about the Children's Center. My neighbor's child attended and loved it. Sounds like a great pre-cursur to kindergarten. In addition to the regular daily activities the children have library, music and movement, and art classes. My son is very excited to start Pre-k! The rates are also very reasonable. HTH!