What goes on in a church during the rest of the week? For the last 50 years at Prospect Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC), it is Prospect Enrichment Preschool, a non-sectarian, non-profit organization for the education of children in Seattle’s Central District. The school serves about 24 students per year, and provides scholarship assistance for approximately 95% of its families.
This story begins in the early 1960s when church members were discussing the church’s relevance to the world and in particular, its Capitol Hill and Central Area neighbors. Discovering that the Seattle School District lacked funding for needed preschool programs in the schools and that some children were entering kindergarten without the opportunity to attend preschool like their more economically advantaged peers was impetus for the Prospect community to take action.
A small army of volunteers worked with the Seattle Public Schools to establish a non-sectarian preschool program with a strong curriculum. They contacted local elementary schools to identify families whose children would benefit from a preschool experience and went door to door in neighborhoods to recruit families. This dedicated team also recruited other volunteers to work in the classroom and to drive the children to and from their homes. A head teacher was hired, and in the fall of 1964, several years before the federal Head Start program began, the doors were opened to the first class of three and four year olds at Prospect Enrichment Preschool.
Prospect Church wrote a blank check for the program for the first 22 years. The children were busy and occupied with a language curriculum, music, science, counting, water play, exercise, story time, field trips to the zoo, and engaging in other activities appropriate to their age and development. They also received medical and dental check-ups from University of Washington School of Nursing and were given a daily healthy snack. Preschool at Prospect was exposure to all the usual childhood learning experiences.
In 1983, the church recognized the need for some changes, and the preschool incorporated into a 501(c)(3) so staff could more effectively fundraise outside the church community. With these new funds, the school was able to purchase a van, and later a real school bus, along with a driver. The curriculum has continued to evolve to keep up with current standards. Children are served hot meals and brush their teeth every day. In 2000 the preschool became a state-funded Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP) and received USDA Food funding to support about 45% of the program.
Now 50 year later, much of the story is still the same. Most of our families struggle with the economics of life to provide basic needs for their families. For them preschool education is a luxury. The work of children is play and exploration, and Prospect Enrichment Preschool is a place for all children, regardless of their families’ ability to pay, to become capable and eager kindergartners. Prospect Church provides space for the preschool program during the week, and church still happens on Sunday.
For more information about Prospect Enrichment Preschool contact Director Marianne Habersetzer at (206) 324-5230 or http://www.prospectenrichment.org/.
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