“Launch is a warm and loving place where my kids have a great balance of structured schedule and lots of time for free-play, which is so important for preschool. It is a diverse environment and there is a big focus on social/emotional development, which I think is great.”
–Launch Parent
Launch currently offers year-round kindergarten readiness for children ages 3–5, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Because we serve children from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds, we take special care to be aware and responsive to the needs of our diverse community.
All of our preschool programs are part of the Seattle Preschool Program and several of our programs participate in Early Achievers, Washington State’s quality rating and improvement system for early learning programs. REMINDER that families must register and be confirmed for the Seattle Preschool Program BEFORE registering for Launch programs.
We use the play-based HighScope curriculum, which is used in preschools and kindergartens worldwide and has been adopted by the City of Seattle as one of the designated curriculums for their partner preschools. This research-based curriculum provides developmentally appropriate practices that embrace the whole child and focus on building the skills necessary for a preschooler’s smooth transition into kindergarten.
With HighScope, daily activities may change or remain the same as children explore and gain mastery of the topic. It is common to see different themes and activities emerging at our various sites.
Our staff are keen observers, skilled at identifying the strengths, needs, and interests of individual children as well as the group as they interact with one another and the environment. Launch teachers bring expertise and passion to teaching and view every day as an opportunity to enhance learning, development, and meaning for the children entrusted in their care.
Launch teachers observe and assess student learning and development in the physical, social-emotional, language, and cognitive developmental areas as defined by the Teaching Strategies Gold. Teachers also oversee student learning in content areas, including literacy, science and technology, mathematics, social studies, and the arts. During conferences, parents and teachers engage in conversations about learning and development in these different areas.
We strive to have a welcoming, nurturing, clean, and organized environment in which children feel at home. Each classroom offers materials that reflect the interests, culture, and languages of the children at that location. Interest areas throughout the classroom are designed to be engaging and inspire children to explore and learn.
Interest areas typically seen in Launch classrooms:
- block area
- house area
- art area
- toy area
- reading and writing area
- sand and water area
- movement & music area
- computer area
- outdoor area
Families with preschoolers who would like to attend one of our Seattle Preschool Program locations during the school year must apply directly through the City of Seattle’s Seattle Preschool Program central intake office. Once admitted to the Seattle Preschool Program, you may use the 2022–2023 preschool registration form on our forms page to register for before and/or after-preschool care.
If you are interested in attending our summer preschool program, please register directly with Launch. Registration forms are available on the forms page of our website. Tuition rates for the 2021-2022 school year can be found here.