Co-op Preschools Face Funding Crisis

Seattle parents and educators are trying to keep a long-running preschool model alive after a state funding change cut off support for parent-education classes tied to many co-op programs. The immediate risk is in Seattle: North Seattle College and South Seattle College say their parent education and cooperative preschool programs need emergency money to keep operating into the 2026-27 school year, while colleges around Washington face the same rule change. (king5.com) The trigger was a Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges allocation change adopted in August 2025. Under the new model, colleges can count state enrollment funding mainly for programs that lead to degrees or industry-recognized workforce credentials. Parent education programs, which teach child development and parenting and are embedded in co-op preschool systems, often do not meet that definition. Starting July 1, 2026, programs without approved credentials lose state funding recognition. (king5.com) That matters because the co-op model is not just a preschool class. At these programs, parents enroll through the college, earn credit, work in classrooms alongside teachers, and receive instruction on parenting and child development while their children attend preschool. North Seattle College alone offers 40 cooperative preschool classes at 11 Seattle sites, including a program at Mary’s Place and a Spanish-immersion partnership with Villa Comunitaria, according to KUOW. Statewide, the model serves about 4,500 families at 16 colleges, the same report said. (kuow.org) In Seattle, the numbers are tighter and more immediate. North and South Seattle Colleges have said they serve more than 2,100 families and need to raise $2 million to bridge the next school year while they pursue a longer-term fix. Reporting cited by Seattle-area outlets says the split is roughly $1.4 million for North Seattle and $600,000 for South Seattle. (king5.com) Parents and staff say they were caught off guard by how the policy would hit these programs. Peter Lortz, vice president of instruction at North Seattle College, told KING 5 that “for many colleges, the parent ed programs don't lead to a formal credential,” and that consequence was not recognized until recently. State Rep. Gerry Pollet told the station lawmakers were not told the board’s internal model would eliminate the programs. (king5.com) Advocates have spent the spring trying three routes at once: fundraising, lobbying and credential approval. More than 300 people gathered in early April to launch the “It Takes a Village” campaign, which set a $2 million goal. A campaign page says it is meant to save parent education at Seattle Colleges, and Seattle Child reported the fundraiser had topped $34,000 by mid-April. West Seattle Blog later reported supporters were about one-third of the way to the goal by late April. (seattleschild.com) The regulatory path has looked shaky. West Seattle Blog reported on May 21 that South Seattle College’s program approval request was among three denied by the state board, while two other requests were still under review. SBCTC spokesperson Rachelle Alongi told the outlet the board was “working closely with colleges to determine next steps,” but parent education programs were not on the agenda for the board’s June 3-4 meetings. (westseattleblog.com) The political pressure campaign is continuing too. Jen Giomi, South Seattle’s preschool faculty coordinator and a parent educator, told West Seattle Blog that more than 100 people joined a call with Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office and that letters had been sent to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, but no commitment had been secured. (westseattleblog.com) What happens next is concrete. June is the end of the school year for some programs, June 30 is the deadline Seattle Child identified for credential approval before the July 1 funding change takes effect, and organizers are still seeking bridge money and a deferral while state board staff and colleges discuss options. (seattleschild.com)