About Us and Our Philosophy

Our program helps children develop a positive self-image and maintain quality physical, emotional and cognitive health, and encourages their progress as they build the foundations for future success. We promote collaboration between our administrators, teachers, and families to ensure you and your child feel understood, accepted, and empowered. We align, balance, and achieve our collective goals within these systems of support through encouraging, inclusive, and flexible learning environments and through an understanding of each child’s uniqueness.

Through consistent, positive interactions with peers, caregivers who model appropriate behaviors, and frequent opportunities to improve their skills, children become more independent and creative. They also improve their emotional and physical self-regulation, memory and recall, planning and prioritization, focus and adaptability, and cognitive acuity and endurance. The environments we maintain promote growth across the physical, social-emotional, linguistic, and cognitive domains.

Anti-bias is a primary focus of our work with children and within each child’s support network. Our approach to early learning is based on an acceptance of others as unique, valuable individuals, and culturally and developmentally appropriate expectations. Our program incorporates multicultural awareness, understanding, and experience that honors and celebrates the diversity of our program and the community we serve. We believe every child deserves to be seen and see themselves as worthy, welcome, and capable. We believe every child deserves to be encouraged to improve rather than discouraged for their mistakes. We believe every child deserves to experience and develop supportive relationships. These beliefs drive us to continue developing and improving ourselves as we provide equitable, accessible child care.

We provide a safe, loving, convenient, and academic early child care center for your child to thrive in. Our organization is dedicated to providing high-quality child care and educational services to the West Seattle, Alki Beach, Delridge, and Beacon Hill communities.

Call (206)510–4330 to visit or talk to us further about the types of goals we have for children at our child care center. We look forward to sharing this with you!

Open Door Policy

At the Alki Beach Academy we encourage parents to visit their children and get to know the curriculum. We want to partner with you to provide your child with the very best coordination between their education with us and their home life. We strive for open communication between you and your child’s instructor and hope parents will feel welcome and relaxed at the Alki Beach Academy. The relationships we build with each child’s family will provide support and encourage your child’s unique potential.

Education at the Alki Beach Academy

Whether we are learning as groups or individually, every child is exposed to a richly diverse environment that includes activity, academic development, and exploration. While we are eating together, exploring nature on a walk—or learning our daily numbers, letters, and colors—we will provide your child with the tools they need to learn and grow. Through every stage of childhood learning we open the door to their exciting world of independence, achievement, and fascination. We encourage creativity and joy through art and music among other activities.

Celebrating Diversity

Seattle is a city full of rich cultures and thriving communities from around the world. We have the opportunity to explore the benefits of this diversity right here in our school. We seek to educate children in a way that values the individual while accepting and respecting the differences between families and cultures. In the nurturing and supportive environment at Alki Beach Academy, we encourage self-esteem through positive guidance and non-discrimination. We do not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, genetic information, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.

Our Vision for The Alki Beach Academy

It has been a Dream of ours to provide an academy for the West Seattle, Alki Beach, Delridge, Beacon Hill Communities.

Our goal is to provide an academy where children (ages 6 weeks – 6 years) can be nurtured and cared for with equal opportunities to learn, play, and grow—in a loving and academic setting. It will be a gift to observe children learning and gaining acceptance from one another.

—James & Julieann Donohue, owner/founders of the Alki Beach Academy