Tiny Tots Development Center

Every member of this project has earned the Build Volunteer badge! Congratulations for succesfully completeing your playground project. Check out your profile page to see the badge or learn more about the Build Volunteer badge.

Thank you very much for all of the time and energy you gave to the playground build day on Saturday, June 5, 2010. The playground project was a collaboration between Tiny Tots Development Center and KaBOOM!, and was sponsored by the Amgen Foundation. Your efforts will make a real difference to the health and well-being of the South Seattle children we serve. Over 200 volunteers joined us between 7:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. to install playground equipment and build benches, a shaded seating area for infants, picnic tables, planter boxes, and more. It was wonderful to see everyone working together and the new playground and seating areas look beautiful. The teachers and staff of Tiny Tots Development Center look forward to seeing the delighted smiles on the children’s faces as soon as the concrete is set, all of the finishing work is complete, and the playground can be opened for play!

Seattle rain notwithstanding, preparation for tomorrow's build day continues! We are grateful to Kenny and Alex from KaBOOM! and our wonderful volunteers from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) - Washington State Chapter; the U.S. Navy; and the local community!

We're happy to have about 300 volunteers signed up as of May 24th!

We will construct the new playground on the site of our old playground (photos of our old equipment are available on our KaBoom page).

Since 1969, Tiny Tots Development Center (TTDC) has provided licensed, accredited childcare, after school care, and early education services for low-to-middle-income children from birth to age 12. Some families receive free childcare; others pay sliding scale fees. Children receive quality education, USDA subsidized meals, and public health checks in a safe, loving, culturally diverse environment. TTDC is an authorized provider of the State’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) and one of the sites selected to provide free pre-school in the City of Seattle’s new Step Ahead Preschool Program. Character qualities such as good judgment, initiative, responsibility, and respect are encouraged and practiced throughout the school day during free play, structured time, and meals. We have over 35 paid staff, student interns and community volunteers. Staff & children speak English, Laotian, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and other languages. All four of our child care centers are designated “Green Safe” by the King County Water and Land Resources Division as of January 2009. Our after school Community Learning Center (CLC) program provides tutoring and homework help and reinforcement of basic skills.

Construction of Tiny Tots Development Center’s new, larger education and child care facility will soon be complete. The new center will include a playground where children can play on new equipment designed for exercise and the development of motor skills. An organization called KaBOOM! has awarded Tiny Tots a grant to fund part of the playground construction. KaBOOM! is a national program that helps community organizations build playgrounds. The AMGEN corporation is acting as a community partner for this project. The playground build date is Saturday, June 5, 2010; please join us for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. and help us to install playground equipment and do other light construction work. Food and drink will be provided. We need as many volunteers as possible – please help and bring a friend! Please sign up and we’ll send you information about the June 5th Build Day by email. We appreciate your support! The new construction effort is the result of a seven-year-long planning and fundraising effort by the TTDC Board of Directors and Mrs. Helen Hicks, who founded TTDC in 1969. Financing for the new Tiny Tots Main building and playground was made possible with assistance from the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund. Please share the information with others who may want to support Tiny Tots' effort to build a playground. We greatly appreciate your support! • We invite you to become familiar with Kaboom! and the playground project by visiting our project web page: http://projects.kaboom.org/projects/452

Construction of Tiny Tots Development Center’s new, larger education and child care facility will soon be complete. The new center will include a playground where children can play on new equipment designed for exercise and the development of motor skills. An organization called KaBOOM! has awarded Tiny Tots a grant to fund part of the playground construction. KaBOOM! is a national program that helps community organizations build playgrounds. The playground build date is Saturday, June 5, 2010; please join us for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. and help us to install playground equipment and do other light construction work. Lunch and snacks will be provided. We need as many volunteers as possible – please help and bring a friend! Please sign up and we’ll send you information about the Wednesday, April 7th Design Day Meeting, a short evening meeting during which kids can brainstorm about how the playground might look, and the June 5th Build Day by email. We appreciate your support! The new construction effort is the result of a seven-year-long planning and fundraising effort by the TTDC Board of Directors and Mrs. Helen Hicks, who founded TTDC in 1969. Financing for the new Tiny Tots Main building and playground was made possible with assistance from the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund. Please share the information with others who may want to support Tiny Tots' effort to build a playground. We greatly appreciate your support! • We invite you to become familiar with Kaboom! and the playground project by visiting a project web page: http://projects.kaboom.org/projects/452 • Sign up to become a Member of the Tiny Tots Kaboom! project here: http://projects.kaboom.org/projects/452/memberships

TINY TOTS DEVELOPMENT CENTER EXPANDS TO NEW BUILDING IN SOUTH SEATTLE On September 18, 2009, Tiny Tots Development Center (TTDC), a nonprofit organization that provides childcare, after school programs, and early childhood education to South Seattle communities, held a festive groundbreaking ceremony, near its Tiny Tots Main site at 8302 ½ Renton Avenue South, making way for a new, larger education and child care facility. The new construction effort is the result of a seven-year-long planning and fundraising effort by the TTDC Board of Directors and Mrs. Hicks. Representatives of community organizations, parents, architects, and TTDC staff and supporters attended the groundbreaking ceremony. The address of the new facility will be 8318 Renton Avenue South. Financing for the new Tiny Tots Main building and playground was made possible with assistance from the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund. Other guests and supporters at the groundbreaking included: • Bank of America • City of Seattle Department of Human Services • Donna Jean Brown, DJB Architects • Dave Essig, Rainier Valley Community Development Fund • Superintendent James Hicks, Unity Church of God in Christ • Charlotte Jahn, State of Washington Department of Early Learning • Michael Look, Community Development Block Grant Administrator, City of Seattle Human Services • Eric Pettigrew, State Representative, District 37 • SEACON Construction (Everett, WA) • State of Washington Early Learning • Tiny Tots Development Center Board of Directors: • Tiny Tots Development Center parents and children • Bishop T. L. Westbrook, and Superintendent Leo C. Brown, Jr., New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ (Tacoma) • Sandria Woods-Pollard, ECEAP Program, City of Seattle Human Services …and many other valued friends and supporters of Tiny Tots Development Center. One of the highlights of the groundbreaking ceremony was a vocal performance by TTDC Health and Family Services Director, Jacqualine Hicks Lenard. Singing an altered version of the Sam Cooke classic A Change is Gonna Come, she saluted Mrs. Hicks’ legacy by opening with revised lyrics: “Mrs. Hicks was born by a river/in a little town in Mississippi/but thanks to the Bank of America and the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund/I know a change is going to come”. Since 1969, TTDC has provided licensed childcare, after school care, and education services for children from birth to age 12. We serve children and families from a variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds at four sites in South Seattle. Staff & children speak English, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and other languages. TTDC is licensed by the State of Washington and is a City of Seattle Contracted site, an authorized provider of the State’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) and one of the sites selected to provide free pre-school in the City of Seattle’s Step Ahead Preschool Program. These programs deliver comprehensive services to 4 year old children whose families meet income guidelines. In addition, TTDC provides after school learning opportunities through our after school Community Learning Center (CLC) program. The grand opening date for the new facility has not yet been set, but it is expected to take place in March or April 2010. Print and online announcements about the grand opening are forthcoming. The administration and staff of Tiny Tots look forward to welcoming the community to the opening celebration.

We are presently planning an expansion of the existing Tiny Tots Main building, which will include a renovation of our playground. We will also renovate part of our existing child care and office structure, making the best use of existing resources. Tiny Tots aims to increase our level of community involvement. Our involvement in early childhood education and afterschool/out-of-school time programs already promotes parent involvement; we encourage parents of children enrolled at in our programs to participate in a city-managed policy council, we provide before and after school care for children beyond preschool age, and we have hosted family nights and educational events, such as nutrition information sessions, for parents whose children are enrolled in our preschool and childcare programs. As part of our ongoing effort to ensure that our facilities are adequately equipped with play as well as educational resources, intention is to seek assistance for our plan to replace and upgrade playground equipment. The grant funds will help TTDC build organizational capacity. Children who are in an important early stage of intellectual and cognitive development will be learning in an environment with good resources. TTDC has frequently partnered with other community organizations over the years, and we would like to open the playground to the community during special events such as block parties, work parties, holiday events, community meetings, and similar occasions. Increased community involvement and awareness would make our playground event a success. We’d like to have many parents volunteer for playground planning and the grand re-opening of the renovated Tiny Tots Main childcare/preschool building. We would also like to see higher attendance by parents at parent nights when child care is provided and the playground is in use (weather permitting). It is possible that our renovated and improved facilities will result in higher enrollment numbers; as prospective parents tour the Tiny Tots Main site, they will be shown the new playground and be told about the important role that community involvement played in its construction. We will also contact local media about the renovated playground, and the community involvement that made it possible.

Since 1969, Tiny Tots Development Center (TTDC) has provided licensed, accredited childcare, after school care, and early education services for low-to-middle-income children from birth to age 12. Some families receive free childcare; others pay sliding scale fees. Children receive quality education, USDA subsidized meals, and public health checks in a safe, loving, culturally diverse environment. TTDC is an authorized provider of the State’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) and one of the sites selected to provide free pre-school in the City of Seattle’s new Step Ahead Preschool Program. Character qualities such as good judgment, initiative, responsibility, and respect are encouraged and practiced throughout the school day during free play, structured time, and meals. Our after school Community Learning Center (CLC) program serves primary and elementary grade students at different public schools, providing tutoring and homework help and reinforcement of basic skills. Tiny Tots Development Center, Tax ID #91-0898299, is a nonprofit organization that maintains a 501(c)(3) IRS designation; all 509(a) non-private foundation rulings are still correct and no modifications are planned or pending. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors composed of business persons, professionals, and community-minded volunteers. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes have not changed during the preceding twelve months. TTDC is not religiously affiliated. All four of our child care centers are designated “Green Safe” by the King County Water and Land Resources Division as of January 2009.