In a time of global and local distress, many families are looking for wonderful moments of warmth and joy. And many families have found just that at Bothell Family Co-op Preschool.
“It was honestly love at first sight for all of us,” said first-time BFCP parent Katie Sordahl. “The whole school, vibe, and everyone we met was great!” Her son especially loved the reading nook and the outdoor area.
“I felt very welcomed into the community and I love the idea of being involved with our child’s learning experience,” Katie Keller said. “I love watching Lincoln get more and more comfortable exploring and I know eventually he will make fun friendships. Kind of hard to get 18-24 month olds to play together.”
For years, BFCP has operated in the community as a beloved preschool and resource for parents. In 2020, with the news that COVID-19 was spreading across the globe, BFCP board members and teachers did what they do best - adapted. And thus, outdoor preschool was launched for the 2020-2021 school year.
“Originally we were hoping for a more nature-based program, so being 100% outdoors was actually something we were pretty excited about,” Katie S. said. “We stayed at BFCP because it was such a warm and welcoming environment for our whole family,” said long-time BFCP parent Jocelyn Goldsmith. “I was not interested in a school that told me I needed to leave my kid at the door and walk away.” All of Jocelyn’s children have attended BFCP and she is so thankful to have found community and friends at the preschool.
With registration for the 2021-2022 on the horizon, both Katies and Jocelyn are encouraging interested families to attend the socially distanced open house March 6th and 7th. More information can be found at https://www.bothellfamilycoop.org/registration. They have some suggestions for families to consider.
“For new families I would say ask as many questions as you have, nothing is too small and the answers will probably help out, especially now when we all have to determine what exposure risks we are willing to take with our families,” said Katie S. “The co-op model is unique, so ask lots of questions and make sure your schedule works with the co-op,” Jocelyn said, backing up Katie S. “If it doesn’t, see if you can adjust your schedule somehow because the community that you build at a co-op is unmatched.”
Jocelyn, Katie K., and Katie S. agree that BFCP’s teachers and model have helped both with their children’s success at school, and with providing a wholesome, comforting space for children and adults during a challenging time in our history.
“These early years with your kids are so fleeting, so make the most of them with the support of other parents who will easily become friends at BFCP,” Jocelyn said in her advice to curious parents looking for a preschool. “If you have the desire to get your child involved in a social learning environment through the pandemic times - this is a safe and fun place to have them start!” Katie K. emphatically agreed.
While we love our indoor school space, filled with so many wonderful choices for children to learn through play, we are incredibly lucky that we have such a beautiful and expansive yard in which to re-imagine the preschool experience. We look forward to one day (hopefully soon) being able to safely go back inside and once again enjoy our creatively rotating themed dramatic play area where kids could dress up, pilot a rocket ship, care for babies, run a restaurant, visit an apple orchard, etc. We miss seeing our kids communing around the snack table learning to serve themselves, painting a Thanksgiving turkey platter print in the art room, getting cozy in the reading nook with a new book, and working together to build epic block creations, but as a community we have been able to come together to create new and exciting learning opportunities adapted to the challenges of today. So for now, come join us cooking in our sand kitchen, dig potatoes from our garden, scramble through an obstacle course, and search for worms and other wildlife in our forest, rain or shine. Because as we say at BFCP, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.
If you are interested in learning more about BFCP, feel free to visit our website at www.bothellfamilycoop.org and reach out to our registrar at registrar@bothellfamilycoop.org with questions about our upcoming, socially distanced open house.
