Launch (formerly CDSA)

Our Mission: Lead the charge to brilliant outcome for the children of our community by ensuring equitable access to the highest quality learning and care.

Launch is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every child has equitable access to a brilliant start. Through our preschool, before & after school and summer programs, we serve a diverse group of children ages 3 to 12 — foundational years when our social, emotional and academic support help launch young lives on a trajectory of success. We partner with schools, families and other organizations to close the opportunity gap, providing the highest-quality care and learning in a safe, fun and enriching environment that honors the whole child. Drawing on more than 40 years of experience, we serve as a proven model of effective programming and a passionate advocate for children, families and communities.

Our nonprofit was founded in 1977 as Community Day School Association (CDSA) at Montlake Elementary by a grassroots group of families who wanted to create a safe and nurturing after school environment for their children. In the years since, we’ve intentionally partnered with Title 1 schools and placed our programs in historically underserved neighborhoods where quality care is needed most.

All of our programs except one are located within Title I schools or community centers in Seattle. While we serve children and families from all socioeconomic levels, a core part of our mission is to expand access to quality educational programming for historically underserved groups including lower-income children, children of color, English language learners, and immigrants/refugees.

We work to ensure that children in our community have equitable access to quality learning programs. We do this through 4 main programs:

Preschool: We operate 10 preschool classrooms serving 200 children ages 3-5. Our preschool programs operate out of 6 locations in Central, Southeast and West Seattle. Launch’s educational philosophy is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children to learn and grow. We know children thrive in school when all three dimensions of learning are supported: social, emotional and intellectual. Our play-based, whole-child approach is tailored to individual needs and strengths, including the support that young learners need to blossom. Lesson plans are driven by each child’s interests and needs so they gain confidence in themselves and their ability to navigate an increasingly complex world. At the end of the 2017-18 school year, 78% of our preschoolers were ready to enter kindergarten, significantly higher than the state and city average. In comparison, just 47% of entering kindergartners in WA State and 50% of entering kindergartners in South Seattle public schools started school ready for kindergarten.

Before & After School Programs: We provide before and after school programs for children in grades K–5 at 9 locations in Central, Southeast and West Seattle. We also offer full-time programs during school breaks. Each day, our children have time for homework completion, outdoor play, and engaging enrichment activities that build children’s social-emotional, academic and life skills. We offer each child a safe physical and emotional space to help them develop a grounded and strong sense of self. Children take part in fun, hands-on learning activities that reinforce concepts learned in their elementary classroom. Our teachers also work to help children develop the critical social-emotional skills that support academic success. Last year, 92% of our school-age children developed or strengthened their social-emotional skills. Launch children also score higher on state achievement tests and are more likely to demonstrate grade level proficiency than the average student at their elementary school.

Summer Learning Camps: The summer program provides a fun and stimulating environment while avoiding summer learning loss. Summer curriculum engages children in the areas of math, science, social studies, creative arts, language, literacy, and physical fitness. Children learn about a general theme through a series of hands-on enrichment activities where they can explore and discover while taking advantage of opportunities to apply their new skills to ensure comprehension about the weekly topic. Launch teachers facilitate enrichment activities that keep the children interested. Students can initiate, plan, and lead activities based on their interest level. Weekly guest instructors and community volunteers also work with the children on projects that will maximize fun and learning.

Leap Ahead: Starting kindergarten is fun, exciting, and different for every child. Our summer-long Leap Ahead program is designed to help preschool children successfully transition from into kindergarten. We focus on developing school-readiness skills and behaviors. Our program day is designed to mimic a typical school day with a balance of activities and academic practices. Children get a chance to familiarize themselves with the elementary school’s layout and staff. We offer age-appropriate summer activities and field trips, kindergarten classroom tours, and mid-day quiet reading time (important for children who are transitioning away from the afternoon nap they may have had in preschool). In Summer 2017, the percentage of children achieving kindergarten readiness in summer 2017 increased 22% from the beginning of summer to the end. By the end of the summer, 91% of our Leap Ahead campers were ready to enter kindergarten.