North City preschools find new homes

North City Elementary

By Diane Hettrick

For several years, the former North City Elementary School, a closed school belonging to the Shoreline School District, has been a rental property.

It has been the home to four private preschools.

This last year, the preschools were informed that the school district was reclaiming the use of the property and they would need to find new locations for the next school year.

Originally their last day was scheduled for June 1 to accommodate construction schedules - but when the preschools pointed out to the school district that they needed time to get ready to move after the end of classes, the district extended the date to August 31. They were also offered transition space in the Shoreline Center while they looked for a permanent home.

Two schools took that option and are actively looking for space, and two found permanent homes.

North City Preschool, part of Shoreline Community College, will be housed at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Shoreline.

Director Cathy Childs sent this statement:

"North City Cooperative Preschool is pleased to announce we have secured a new location for our program that has been thriving in the area for the past 50 years. Currently located at the North City Elementary Building, we will be moving to the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church located at 14514 20th Ave NE, Shoreline 98155, and will be open for classes this coming Fall, September 2016.

"NCCP would like to thank the many members in our community who reached out and offered ideas, possible solutions and support along the way during the arduous task of finding our new home. This included concerned private individuals, as well as members from the Shoreline City Council, Lake Forest Park City Council, King County Council, Shoreline Community College and Shoreline School District.

"Most of all we would like to thank the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Community, including Pastor Pam Russell, for not only recognizing the strength and mission of our program, but opening their doors to us, and allowing us to use a beautiful space that we look forward to calling home.

"We also want to give a special thanks to the other SCC Cooperative Preschools and all our members who have worked so hard to help us preserve our programs so that we may continue to serve children and families, while building strong communities in the greater Shoreline area.

ShoreNorth preschool, also a SCC school, will move to Seattle Lord of Glory Church’s education building on Forest Park Dr NE in Shoreline. Their statement:

"After 40 years of renting from Shoreline School District, Shorenorth Cooperative Preschool began in 1972, along with her other sister co ops were told that the District has no more room for them anymore. We have worked tirelessly since October to find a new landlord and the search is finally over! Seattle Lord of Glory church (19931 Forest Park Dr NE in Shoreline) has a quiet education building that they use on Sundays that they are willing to lease to us M-F. It is a small but the outdoor environment promises to be transformed (with a little bit of elbow grease) into a delightful place where children can explore. The church leadership is focused on family and excited about us filling the space with families, education and community! They generously have offered to let us use their fellowship hall on scheduled community events / parent education nights. We look forward to serving Shoreline in Early Learning for children 0-5 years and we thank the City of Shoreline for their responsiveness."

Shoreline Cooperative Preschool is the third SCC preschool at North City. A lease arrangement they were working on did not finalize, so they are still looking for space. (See article)

Tessera Arts Preschool is a private school with a focus on the arts. They opened in 1998 and have been leasing from the Shoreline School District since then.

Linda Jones from Tessera reports that "The district has generously offered space at the Shoreline Center for another year, and Tessera Arts will locate there while looking for a permanent space."


Updated with new information (and a new logo) 06-30-2016