Pike Market Child Care & Preschool

Typically, over 75% of the families receive financial assistance, with over half of PMCCP families earning less than 50% of the State Median Income Pike Market Child Care & Preschool is a dream come true for the Pike Place Market community. After five years of planning, our doors opened October 1, 1982, as the third of a series of support systems for the Market Community, preceded by the Pike Market Health Clinic and the Senior Center. The Downtown Food Bank, and the Resident Advocate Program have since joined these services. Thanks in large part to the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority ( PDA ), our original sponsor, plus funding from a unique partnership of public and private sources, it was possible to renovate and equip an existing space, build an outdoor play area and begin operation. In 1990, the preschool expanded, adding 3, 200 square feet. Pike Market Child Care & Preschool is a private, secular, non-profit, community service corporation licensed to provide child care. We are monitored by and work closely with the City of Seattle Comprehensive Child Care Program and the State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services. Further, our work with the National Association for the Education of Young Children provides extensive review of our program in meeting their standards for excellence in early education. We are governed by a Board of Directors, comprised of community members, Preschool families, and child care professionals who share our vision of enriching the lives of children, families and our community. Founded on the idea that all children deserve access to high quality care, PMCCP typically provides tuition assistance to over 75% of enrolled families. We are one of only a few high quality Seattle early learning institutions that accept children of families participating in subsidy programs. Our tuition assistance program makes this possible. For families that are ineligible for the available subsidies, we provide a sliding fee scale, basing each family's tuition on their income and family size. Each year, we raise 40-50% of our budget to maintain our sliding fee scale and tuition assistance program. To provide this service we rely heavily upon the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations. The Pike Market merchants and employees, craftspeople, operational staff and residents have been vital to our success. Families, board members and friends give us gifts of time, funding and inspiration. The Market Foundation and the Pike Place Market PDA provide both financial support and technical assistance as part of their commitment to serving people with low-incomes who reside in downtown Seattle. These people join with our staff to create a community that truly cares about children and families in the heart of our downtown core. PMCCP believes that young children learn through playing. During play, children interact with their peers, adults, and their environment. Children learn about the world, other people, and themselves while playing. Open-ended play provides opportunities to build knowledge of the world through meaningful and relevant experiences.