Ballard preschool selected for city-wide program; Fremont preschool catches fire

At the beginning of the month, The Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) Implementation was passed unanimously by the Seattle City Council. The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) selected only a handful of preschools to provide high-quality preschool services come September; of their selected locations is North Ballard’s Creative Kids (10525 3rd Ave NW).

Mayor Ed Murray announced the ten 2015/2016 providers and their locations on Monday, July 6. While two of the locations will hold two classes and serve over thirty kids, the majority– including the Northern Ballard provider– will hold just one class and serve 20 kids.

In choosing the program providers, DEEL involved a panel of City staff across departments and community members. On November 4, 2014, Seattle voters approved Proposition 1B (Ordinance 124509) which will fund the four-year demonstration phase of the Seattle Preschool Program, and build toward serving 2,000 children in 100 classrooms by 2018.

The SPP anticipates that enrollment for this first year will be limited, however all 4-year-olds in the city (regardless of income level) are eligible to apply. Additional information can be found online regarding Enrollment requirements and the program’s timeline.

Meanwhile, Fremont preschool Orange Tea School caught fire on Friday, July 10 at 5:30 a.m. Firefighters speculate that the misfortune, which started under the back deck frequented by transients, may have been due to a trespasser’s cigarette.

Fire crews responded to the flames without anyone getting hurt, however the pregnant owner Kerry McMannis, who operates the school and inhibits the building, was forced to flee during the incident.

The school at 3623 Fremont Ave N. is grateful of the encouragement it has received and intends on getting back on its feet. “The community is wonderful and everybody is just, ‘How can we help?’” said McMannis, according to a kiro7 news report.

Orange Tea students hosted a bake sale at the location yesterday from 3-5p.m. to raise proceeds for the recovery of their school. In addition to the impressive $744 raised at the bake sale, McMannis and Teacher Andrew Forrayi have started a gofundme campaign started in an effort to get the school up and running again and to provide childcare in the interim.