Gravel never tasted so good.
Edmonds Community College celebrated the grand opening of the new Center for Families on Tuesday, Sept. 16 with free ice cream labeled “Playground Gravel.”
The toasted coconut ice cream with pecans and chocolate chips made especially for the occasion was named by community members through an online vote, and was created by EdCC culinary students and Lynnwood’s Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream. The work put into making the treat represented the foundation of the new center.
“It’s been a total community effort, and we’re just glad to serve as a catalyst for this to get started,” said college president Jack Oharah. “We’ve been using old equipment from the ’70s for a long time, and it’s nice to see the right kind of toys and the right kind of furniture in the right kind of building.”
Fall quarter at EdCC starts Monday. Sept. 22.
When college officials first considered the center’s needs in 1999, the idea was to remodel the building they already occupied. However, much of the classroom equipment used was outdated and both staff and students were quickly outgrowing the center. An old men’s bathroom even served as a storage closet, program director Gail Davenport said.
A three-year campaign to raise the necessary $4 million for a new Center for Families was led by the college Foundation began in the fall of 1999.
Thanks to donations made by individual community members, college staff, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Associated Students of EdCC and the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation, their goal was met in May of 2002.
The design and mission of the center clearly reflect its community roots.
The 15,500 square foot building houses several cooperative preschool programs, Head Start preschool, low-cost child care for infants and school-age children as well as early childhood education opportunities, family support studies and parenting classes.
Several classrooms, such as the infant room, feature heated floors to reduce draft and make the play space safe and enjoyable, Davenport said. The heating was donated by Mechanical Agents, Inc. of Seattle.
A specially designed art room features a garage-door type of window on one side that can be opened for better ventilation and an “indoor-outdoor feel.”
“Kids can come in here and get really messy and really creative,” Davenport said.
In addition, $170,000 awarded to the center by Senator Patty Murray and the Department of Education allowed staff to purchase new furniture, classroom equipment, toys and books.
Safety also was addressed in the creation of the center. Authorized staff and visitors must use an electronic card to enter the child care and classroom area.
“It’s for added safety for families and staff,” Davenport said.
The outdoor play area, designed last year by horticulture instructor Polly Hankin and a group of students, includes a “trike and bike path,” a handmade wooden canoe and a sand pit. A special area for the youngest kids includes a rubberized, weatherproof floor to soften falls for those just learning to walk. “We want kids to feel like this is a home away from home. A place where they can come and really be themselves,” program director Gail Davenport said. “Once they get through that door, it’s all their space.”
Other aspects of the center, including child care costs and the parent-student ratio, also make it an appealing choice for parents.
Hourly prices for child care range from $2.75 per hour for preschool-age kids and after-school care to $5.50 per hour for infants. Drop-in rates also are available. Parenting classes cost on average about $100 to $250 per quarter.
While child care is open only to EdCC and Central Washington University-Lynnwood students, parent education classes are open to anyone in the community. And enrollment in even one of those classes makes parents and caregivers eligible for child care.
“Parents can come here to interact with their kids and other kids their age,” Davenport said. “They can learn about the uniqueness of their kids … what’s developmentally appropriate for them, about toilet training, everything. Just good parenting skills.”
The center was created to serve 150 to 175 students, and currently employs 20 part- and full-time teachers. While the number of students per teacher varies between age groups, a common ratio for students ages 15 month and older is five to one.
In the next year, college officials said they hope to raise enough funds to incorporate a basketball hoop and small outdoor theater stage into the play area.
“This is well beyond what we first envisioned,” Oharah said. “We are really hoping this becomes a resource for early childhood education, and serve as a showcase for people.”
For more information on the Center for Families go to http://families.edcc.edu or call 425-640-1344. To make donations, call 425-640-1289.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
