- Well, again, thank
you all so much for being here.
This is a really special and meaningful, meaningful
time to celebrate early learning.
We are sitting in a brand new location,
a facility that is funded with partnerships throughout the city
of Seattle, the Department of Education, Early Learning,
and many council members and senators.
And so this really brings to light why
and how partnerships really make dreams come true for families.
And as you can see, many of our kids here.
And this is just a sampling as well.
So for those of you that don't know me, my name is Susan Lee.
I am the senior director of the Education Department at Rhema.
Also known as Refugee Women's Alliance.
And so this is a wonderful time
in which leadership has demonstrated its commitment to the city,
where accessibility, equity and inclusion is really demonstrated.
We're honored here today.
And I really want to begin this by thanking all of the members
here, honored today to celebrate the wonderful achievements
that one of my friends and also
a wonderful supporter advocate.
Council member Debora Juarez.
Deborah, you know, we have been through this many times.
This is our second opening.
Our other one was at Lake City, which is also the Tony Lee Building.
So to see another celebration is just another example
of how much work has gone into this particular location.
Your commitment and your leadership and your support
has also been supported by the Department of Education.
Early Learning by Dwayne and Leilani.
And I also want to take a special recognition to the City of Seattle
and who has been with us for five expansions.
And Ken please do stand up?
Because I really want to acknowledge you
for over 40 years.
Ken and
the city of Seattle for over 40 years has supported REWA in its expansion
from MLK, Beacon Hill, Lake City,
Othello and also at the Nook.
Without the city's support, we would not be standing here right now.
We really, truly would not.
They are the ones that made this dream possible initially,
and so they are the ones that helped launch this expansion possible
for the Seattle Preschool Program.
I also want to recognize Senator Valdez,
who has been with us through many years, and also the wonderful foundation.
Mari is back there with her team, David, Chad and Andrew, to help
our kids learn to play hockey and learn how to ice skate.
So it's our fifth year coming up soon, and we're really excited that
we're being able to provide 80 children learning how to ice skate and play hockey.
One of the
other supporters of REWA is Council member Rivera,
who has been with us through this journey as well.
And I want to highlight how your dedication to education
and early learning has run instrumental throughout the city.
So thank you for being here.
REWA has been a community partner and an advocate,
especially to the refugee women, immigrants and children and families.
And our whole mission is to ensure that our families
are feeling included, self-sufficient and self-reliant.
And it all begins at an early young age
by ensuring that children have this equity and it's accessibility.
We're building the next generation of leaders,
just like all of you that are standing with me today.
Our programing is a dual language program
multicultural, multilingual.
And this is ensuring that our culture,
our diversity and our richness in the community continues to flourish.
Continues to be
enabling all of us as partners to grow.
And so I'm also really thankful that we have Darlene.
Where are you?
Darlene, which is North Haven next door are seniors.
And this partnership is to ensure that we have a multi-generational program
here in addition to multilingual, multi-generational
and we've got Poppy and Kirsten who's not here.
But Poppy has been very instrumental in designing this preschool.
And this
location, the school and the love that you feel here,
I hope, is represented by all of the wonderful staff
that we have worked tirelessly to bring and men
in May Yee.
as well have all put
in a lot of hard sweat and love into this location.
I also wanted to highlight that this all of the furnishings
that the kids are sitting on and all of the tables,
all of the learning equipment were funded by Debora.
I'm sorry.
Debora.
Senate, Senator Murray's appropriations funding.
So what I've just described
is a collaborative partnership
in which the city, state and federal funding have enabled us to be able
to be a part of the community and generations to come.
Without further ado, I do want to invite the Mayor, Katie,
to come on up and speak a little bit about her vision
and also the SPP expansion that will be happy.
The school that you're sitting with will have 40
kids in the 2026-27 school year.
So I'm really excited to have you join us in this journey.
- Well, thank you so much and
I am delighted to be here.
Hi. How's everyone doing today? Yes.
Feel free to just pay attention to them because
they're much more interesting.
Well, yes.
And I'm delighted to be here with all of you today.
So one of my top priorities as mayor is to make Seattle
the best place in the world to raise a family.
I envision thriving neighborhoods with incredible, welcoming
public spaces for people of all ages, incomes, and abilities.
A city that lifts up local businesses and helps them succeed.
And a vision of making it so that people don't feel like
they have to be millionaires in order to raise children in the city.
I believe that every child deserves a good start.
So today, I'm very pleased to announce the latest expansion of the Seattle
Preschool Program, funded by the Families Education Preschool Promise Levy
that voters overwhelmingly approved last November.
Seattle has built one of the strongest city
funded programs in the country, helping thousands of children start kindergarten
with confidence, curiosity and skills that they need to succeed even better.
All Seattle three and four year olds are eligible.
It doesn't matter what neighborhood you live in, what language
you speak at home, or what your family's income is.
And tuition is free for most Seattle families with a sliding scale
based on household income and family size for higher income households.
If you are raising a 3 or 4 year old,
the Seattle Preschool program is for you and I encourage you to apply.
I also want to share that I am excited to, apply to enroll my own, soon
to be three year old daughter, Josephine, in the Seattle preschool program.
And, you know, my own childcare arrangements
received a little bit of attention last year.
So I just want to underscore that tuition is based on a sliding scale,
which means that, yes, I will be paying my fair share.
TO enroll my daughter in this exceptional public program.
Just like Director Chappelle did.
I'm so excited for her to be in an incredible classroom like this one.
Learning and growing and getting ready for kindergarten in just a few years.
Helping families to thrive in our city is personal for me.
SB has helped so many families like mine afford preschool
opening up options and opportunities for kids and parents alike.
And that's why I'm so excited that we are continuing to build on our success.
With 100 additional preschool seats for the 2026
2027 school year by 2032.
My daughter will be nine years old.
That is really hard to believe.
And the Seattle preschool program will have scaled up to serve 3100
of Seattle's three and four year olds each year.
So thank you all so much for being here today to help celebrate the ten year
anniversary of the program
and the thousands of three and four year olds who have been part of that success.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
Thank you. Mayor.
I'm Dewayne Chappelle, the proud director of the Department
of Education and Early Learning.
It's interesting, as I sit and watch these brilliant young
children here, I don't know if you all cought it,
one of the values around collaboration, right, that you notice either one,
you know, one on one graph, like four or 5 or 2 pieces
that they're playing with and passed down to each other.
I thought that was phenomenal.
But the Seattle preschool program
continues to expand access to high quality early learning across the city
and through our strong partnerships like here at Rewa and with other community
based providers, families and,
childcare providers and Seattle Public Schools.
So this year, if the mayor just mentioned,
the Seattle preschool program is welcoming for
or should I say new partners, and we're continuing the program
steady growth and expanding access for all of our Seattle families.
The mayor just mentioned a moment ago with the addition of 100 new preschool
seats and now seven classrooms opening this fall.
SPPs will have the capacity to serve, as you just heard,
2600 three and four year olds.
So we, within the Seattle preschool program,
we're partnering with 31 early learning organizations to operate, get this year
161 classrooms this school year.
So we're helping families across many neighborhoods access high quality
preschool, but more importantly, that is close to their homes.
These partnerships allow us to meet families
where they are and support
a diverse network of providers, which I'm super excited about.
Seattle's leadership in early learning is recognized nationally.
The Seattle preschool program has earned our fourth
consecutive national gold medal.
Yes, four consecutive national gold medals.
And the
eight years of national recognized recognition
for providing high quality, accessible preschool.
So our SVP classrooms, we use a high quality curriculum,
extensive experience of teaching practices to meet the diversity needs
of all of our learners.
With options including dual language inclusive classrooms
to support students with specialized program needs.
And as the mayor just mentioned, I myself am I'm a proud parent.
Or should I say a proud parent of a Seattle preschool alumni?
My son participated in the dual language preschool program.
Where his teachers really helped build what you see here.
Just confidence and, in math
and language skills, but also, collaboration.
But more importantly for us, was learning a new language.
So we were part of a dual language program.
So I just want to encourage parents, grandparents, caregivers to please,
take advantage and enroll your, your loved one into the Seattle preschool program.
Applications are open now for the 26-27 school year.
And it's open for all three and four year olds are eligible to apply.
And you can apply online at seattle.gov/apply SPP.
So you can do that. You can call us.
If you need support and also have in language
translation and assistance as well.
So without further ado, what I'm going to do now is pass,
this over to, an amazing council member and a good friend, Council member Rivera.
- Good afternoon.
So I got the pleasure of speaking
because I chair the education committee for council.
But I'm here with my sister.
Council member Juarez, who represents this district.
So it's it's appropriate for us to be here together.
And I know how supportive she is of the family's education
and Preschool promise, Levy and the investments
that we've had for many years, since the 90s at the city of Seattle.
I want to thank director Dwayne Chappelle.
And I also want to say, Dwayne, I so respect you.
I'm so happy that you're the director
of the Department of Education and Early learning at the city.
And before that, you were principal at Rainier Beach High School.
And so we are so lucky to have taken you away from the district
to to DEEL, and be our trustee, leader at DEEL
and to your staff and here today to Mayor Wilson.
Thank you
all for having us here today to talk about this latest iteration
and expansion of the preschool program.
And thank you, Susan, for hosting us here in this beautiful new space.
And for all that Greenwood does to support our early learners
and all that Greenwood does to support our community
in this district and throughout the city, and not just in this district.
So thank you, Susan.
You were a great partner and I'm so excited to be here.
You, Susan, were such a supporter, and advocate when we were
launching the latest iteration of the levy last year.
And so thank you.
This is so exciting.
I am so excited to be here.
I love the kids.
This is the whole reason we're here today.
And studies have
shown that kids who attend preschool getting long term
academic and social benefits, as the director described.
With the sharing we saw earlier, they're more successful in high school
and have higher rates of college enrollment.
So the high quality early learning programs like we will have here
at the Nook of children for a lifetime of success,
as you know, last November, as I said, Seattle residents
overwhelmingly voted to fund the early learning programs
throughout through the Families education, Preschool and Promise Levy,
or as we affectionately call it, Bet, because it's a lot shorter than that.
Generous support from Seattle voters has enabled us to increase the number
of Seattle preschools, even more so that even more working families
and their children have access to the high quality education and care
they need to start kindergarten ready
and feel confident in kindergarten.
As part of the staff renewal process, I was able to meet with
many of the preschool teachers who provide care for our youngest learners,
and I'm so impressed with their skill and their dedication and their commitment.
We are so lucky to have so many amazing preschool teachers in this town.
I'm incredibly proud of the positive impact the award
winning Seattle preschool program has had for thousands of our city children
over the last ten years of the program, and I look forward to many more years.
Would you like to see it?
I really do.
I know I'm putting you on this, probably on the spot, but that's
- This microphone I didn't like.
This is unscripted, but be very quick.
Working with Cecily.
Where'd she go? There she is.
Since 2015.
2016, when we broke ground on the Tony Lee house.
You see, in fact, all the work that we've done.
But I also want to give a big shout out to Senator Valdez are are
has been there too thick and thin.
Mary Wilson, thank you so much for your words.
And I'm excited to hear that you're gonna have your little girl enrolled.
But I just want to say one quick thing.
Now that I'm up here now, I'm looking at, Doctor Chappelle.
We have pre-K, we have K12, we have the promise program.
Thank you, Mayor Durkan.
Mayor Harrell
and I know we'll continue under Mayor Wilson, but we also have that next step.
And it's called pride.
So we go from pre-K and that Rainbow Arts all the way to the pride.
You know, the pride is it's post 12.
What this community needs to take our black and brown
and our children who first whose parents never got to go to college,
have an opportunity to go to college.
And now the Promise program set us up for that.
But we are looking at that huge promise,
a brick and mortar to the commitment to our children.
So when you hear all, there's the prison to pipeline school.
That's that line. I'm tired of hearing that.
What I want to hear is our children,
to the pride, to the promise of getting
and going to college in the city that they love,
because they started out here and we invested in them
so we can get away with stop I yes, I know we can get $14 million for gun violence.
I get it now, but there's something more we need.
And we learned that in Indian Country,
we built our own institutions for our children, so they understood
our sensibilities of happiness, of love, of being an intellectual,
of understanding the sensibilities about how we live and where we want to go
and how we want to do that.
Because in Indian country, like Seattle, you can always go home.
And I want to lead people with that.
We can always come home and that is our job to do.
That is what the creator made us here for, to not just get back,
but to come back and take care of these little people.
So thank you.
- Now we're going to introduce
one of our fabulous parents up here to speak about.
Come on up. Yes.
Let's have you talk about what was there like as a parent
enrolled in our school.
- And then my daddy is right here and then and frankly, again,
as I do like.
You want to come to school? Yes.
- What do you like about school?
- And green and blue.
- Green and blue. Awesome.
Thank you.
This is like live Oscar moments, right? Yes.
So here.
I want to eat.
Well, before I go there, I want to introduce this lovely woman
who has been enrolled at our school for many years.
She's one of our Icap families, and she has been an advocate
for other Icap families and her own family as well.
And so she has been a model
and a leader for her families in our school, and has been leading
their direction and advocacy for ensuring that all other parents
have the same kind of leadership skills as she has always demonstrated.
Thank you.
- Thank you, Susan.
I hello.
Hey, can you hear me?
Okay. Great. Thank you.
Good afternoon. My name is Buted.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
My name is Buted, and I'm mother of two.
I have nine year old daughter and five year
old son who's going to be kindergarten this year.
And he is, currently enrolled
in the SPP program.
And our family has had
very positive experience with Seattle preschool program.
When my son started, when he started
to, go to the preschool,
we were so excited and nervous at the time
because when he started in the preschool, he doesn't speak English.
It's like not very, you know,
as a parent. Me too.
You know, we are, immigrants
from, you know, different time, different country.
And we are not, good speaker.
Was in my children,
and I was kind of worried because he had,
language barrier with teachers and the kids because he wants to express
himself, he wants to play, and he wants to see something, but he.
It was really hard to see when he was struggling first.
And but after, when he started this program,
the it's, you know,
I saw his grow when,
you know, when he goes to school every single day.
He was so happy even he had a language barrier.
But he he likes to say, yes, mommy, I want to go.
I like to go because I have a friends and teachers.
So it was, you know, great to see you growing.
And the teachers are very patient
because there are so many different kids from different backgrounds.
So not many kids speaks English
as well, especially with, you know, his classroom?
Just so
you know, nice to see the how the kids learn English so well.
First few months, my first three, four months was really hard
to see him struggling and after four months he's good.
He speaks, he's making friends.
He's, you know, having good conversation with his teachers and friends.
That was really sweet.
Every time I saw an incredible friend.
So when he became comfortable,
started making friends and being expressing himself more.
Now he's very confident child and strong speaker,
and he enjoys playing with school every single day.
And I also want to thank you, besides director in
and the senior family contingent and you.
Yeah.
And all the teachers, elephant, classroom
teachers, Miss Eng and this Monica
and all other stuffs because they're doing great job.
They're not just helping children.
They're helping, families too.
It's it's really, you know, great program,
but something like programs like this are especially important for families
in our community, especially for children who are learning English,
children and families from
different backgrounds as,
It means so much to see my child feel confident
and included and excited about learning.
And thank you for supporting this program,
and it makes such a meaningful difference for our children and families.
Thank you so much.
- So the mayor had to leave a little bit earlier.
As you know, being a mayor is a very busy job.
And so, one of the things I really want to emphasize is that the,
the nook for the learning at REWA is representing an investment
in children, families and the future of our communities.
And we will truly does believe in that.
You know, since 1985, this is our mission to ensure
that all of the families are represented and respected, and included
and as our executive director
Kathy has mentioned previously, she's not here available today.
However, as she has mentioned,
this month is also a time to recognize the powerful role
of immigrants and refugee women who play in strengthening our communities.
So for more than 40 decades, Rewa has worked
alongside families to support all of these opportunities and stability,
which is very necessary in this day and time.
And so, in our expansion of early learning,
I encourage you all to join us in celebrating this opportunity
to have more children with access to early learning.
So this location will be serving infants all the way to five years old.
And as our eloquent council member says,
it is not stopping here at the early learning.
It is going above and beyond, which is our post-secondary,
which, by the way, REWA does support as well
because we have elementary school, middle school, high school
and college students that we are also supporting
to be the first in their homes to have bachelor's
degrees, master's degrees, doctor and future politicians
and stakeholders, and investors and lawyers, which
judges,
judges and future presidents as well.
And so this location and many of our locations
is representative of all of the partners that we have, such as the Seattle
Art Museum that is here, such as a one roof foundation,
who, by the way, was had awarded $32,000
to REWA and be able to continue our early learning
We've got here from the,
that's helping us with kung fu lessons.
And we've got leadership.
Cynthia from our board, who's also here to show support
for all of the wonderful work that we as a community.
So again, thank you all so much for being here.
I'm really excited.
We've got funding. We've got DSHS
We've got SPP, anything, anything you need.
We have it here at REWA.
And this is possible because all of you are here supporting us.
Thank you all so much.