Affiliation
Thank you for your interest in learning about White Center Cooperative. We are one of five preschools in West Seattle affiliated with South Seattle College. The college provides professional parent educators for each class in order to provide support and education to parents, ongoing training and support for classroom teachers, and consultation to the Board around running the preschool. Each preschool class is represented at a Parent Advisory Council. We each offer scholarships, handles registration, and assists with marketing.
Organization
White Center Cooperative Preschool is an independent non-profit 501c3 organization. We are governed by a Board elected from the Co-op membership. We hire our teachers and make budgeting decisions.
Curriculum Philosophy
The SSC Co-op Preschool curriculum that we use is play based. We believe a child’s play is their work and learning happens best when children use their bodies, their senses, their hearts, and their minds to discover the world. Facilitated play lays the foundation for architecture of the brain that will support academic success.
Through play in small and large groups children encounter real social situations and learn to regulate their emotions and solve problems. In imaginative play children put themselves in a variety of settings where they can experiment with new behaviors, learn to collaborate with each other, and negotiate conflict.
Because this learning doesn’t happen automatically or only through unstructured play time, our high adult to child ratio means that adults are always available to facilitate the social-emotional learning that will help children succeed.
Our curriculum is aligned with WaKIDS, Washington State Kindergarten Entrance Guidelines and supports family connection. Whole child assessment for individualized learning supports a smooth transition into Kindergarten.
Parent Education Curriculum
The SSC Parent Education Program is an integral part of Co-op membership and all of our instructors are skilled in the Adlerian Positive Discipline guidance philosophy that encourages parents to:
- be both kind and firm
- take into account what each child brings to the world
- use tools that are effective for the long term
- raise children who are capable contributors to home, school and the larger community
Parents in our program also learn skills to use with their own children at home and with children in the classroom. We develop a network of friends and often stay close with them over the years past preschool.
For more information visit www.WestSeattlePreschools.org
Email: [email protected]