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About Us

Click picture for Virtual Photo Tour

Our Philosophy

Children will:

  • Be honored and celebrated for who they are at the present moment

  • Learn, grow and engage through play

  • Have a successful early experience with school

  • Develop independence and self-esteem while respecting the rights of others

  • Become socialized, positively, by making friends, taking turns, etc.

  • Develop verbal, cognitive, large and small motor skills

  • Learn to emotionally regulate themselves

  • Be ready for Kindergarten by the end of their Co-op experience

Class Offerings

Please see our Class Description page explaining our classes, age levels, and current tuition.

Our Space

Capitol Hill Co-op is located on the north end of the vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood retail core and steps from Volunteer Park. Our spacious facility in the basement of the Trinity Lutheran Church (no affiliation), provides a safe and comfortable space for our classes and community.  We utilize Volunteer Park for outdoor exploration in our older classes. Please see our Photo Tour above for more images of our kids in action in our facility and beyond.

Join Us!

Does the Co-op Model seem like a good fit for your family?

 

Check out what our community has to say about CHCP and the benefits of a Co-op. 

 

Reach out to our Registrar for more information and to get your questions answered.  

Open Enrollment begins March 1st for the 2023-24 School Year.  We'd love to have you join our community!

History

Cooperative preschools were established in the Seattle public schools in 1940, and the Capitol Hill Co-op originated in 1952 when the Stevens Cooperative Play Group merged with the Lowell Cooperative Preschool. The group met originally at Lowell School at 10th and Mercer and moved in 1959 to facilities provided by St. Mark’s Cathedral about a half mile north. After this, responsibility for over-seeing the cooperative schools was transferred from the public school system to the Family Life department of Seattle Central Community College.


In 1991, Capitol Hill Co-op moved to St. Patrick’s Church, another mile north, where it remained until the 2009-2010 school year, when it relocated to more flexible surroundings in Trinity Lutheran Church, almost directly across the street from its old St. Mark’s home.  Today, CHCP continues to operate out of Trinity Lutheran Church's generous basement facility as well as the adjoining outdoor play yard.  After over fifty years of operation, Capitol Hill Co-op has never changed its ZIP code and continues to serve the families of one of the most diverse and interesting neighborhoods in the Seattle area.

After the scheduled closure of the Family Life Department at Seattle Central College at the end of the 2020-21 school year, CHCP joined over 15 other cooperative preschools in the greater Seattle are by affiliating with the North Seattle College Cooperative Preschool Program.

 

Membership Requirements

Parents are responsible for all aspects of running the school, including fundraising, hiring teachers, board membership, and working as assistant teachers in their child's class(es).  Below please find our Membership Agreement and Code of Conduct detailing the way in which our members work together to create and sustain our fabulous community:

 

                                  CHCP Member Agreement                         CHCP Handbook                      CHCP Code of Conduct

 

Membership Requirements
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