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Growing RootsLearning Center
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A nonprofit preschool in Bothell, Washington

A place small enough to know you, and connected enough to help you grow.

One teacher for every three children — and with trained volunteers, closer to one adult per child. A real curriculum, week by week. And support plans we build together with you.

Apply TodaySee our curriculum
A row of coat hooks with small raincoats labeled Mira, Theo, June and Ada, and one empty hook saved for a new child. MiraTheoJuneAdasaved!
There's a hook waiting with your child's name on it.

Our program

No one disappears into the group.

Our baseline

1:3

teacher to children

With volunteers

~1:1

closer to one adult per child

Every day starts with one teacher for every three children. Our trained volunteers and interns bring us closer to one adult for every child. With that many adults, someone is always close enough to notice. Hard moments get met early — a teacher can sit alongside a child, help name the feeling, and practice what to try next, before a tough moment becomes a crisis.

One teacher with three children, and a trained volunteer joining them to bring the group closer to one adult per child.1 teacher3 children+ trainedvolunteers

Curriculum

A new big question every week.

Our year moves through weekly themes in four strands. Each week starts with a question worth wondering about, and explores it through stories, hands-on learning, movement, and art.

  • Social-Emotional

    We build confident, caring, and resilient children by helping them understand their feelings, communicate effectively, build friendships, and understand their own unique personalities and needs.

    • STEM

      We encourage curiosity, problem-solving, and a love of learning through hands-on science, technology, and engineering, and math experiences. We prepare children for future academic success in K-12 schooling.

      • Our Community

        We help children develop empathy, respect, and appreciation for different cultures, identities, abilities, families, and experiences. Children will learn how to make positive contributions to their community and the world around them, fostering a sense of belonging and connection.

        • My Interests, My Future

          We guide children in discovering what excites them and we connect their interests to the possibilities of who they can become in the future. Children are encouraged to follow their natural curiosities and teachers will support students in developing their own sense of identity, confidence, and passion spark.

          Inside a week

          One question, four ways in.

          Our CommunitySample week: Pride Month

          How can we celebrate what makes each of us special?

          Picture books

          • Leo and the Pink Marker — Mariyka Foster
          • Flower Girl — Amy Bloom

          Learning activity

          Each child gets a small object and a magnifying glass, then looks for the three most beautiful things about it. Teachers help write three describing words, and children trace them.

          Big body play

          A “be yourself” dance party — free dancing to music with colorful ribbons and streamers.

          Creative expression

          Self-portraits that show who each child is.

          This week we're learning…

          • Building self-confidence and celebrating identity
          • Practicing empathy, respect, and inclusive friendship
          • Understanding that families and communities can be wonderfully different
          Social-EmotionalSample week: Feelings

          What are our feelings trying to tell us?

          Picture books

          • The Color Monster — Anna Llenas
          • In My Heart — Jo Witek

          Learning activity

          Feelings match: children pair feeling faces with little stories (“your block tower fell down…”), then practice naming the feeling out loud with a teacher.

          Big body play

          Feelings freeze dance — when the music stops, show a feeling with your whole body.

          Creative expression

          A feelings jar: paint or collage a jar in the colors of the feelings you had this week.

          This week we're learning…

          • Naming at least four feelings
          • Noticing where feelings show up in our bodies
          • Trying one calm-down strategy with support
          STEMSample week: Living Soil

          What's alive underneath our feet?

          Picture books

          • Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt — Kate Messner
          • Diary of a Worm — Doreen Cronin

          Learning activity

          Soil detectives: children examine soil samples with magnifying glasses, count the roots, worms, and bugs they find, and record their counts on an observation sheet.

          Big body play

          Worm tunnels and seed stretches — wiggle through tunnels, then grow slowly from a seed into a tall plant.

          Creative expression

          Root prints with yarn and paint, inspired by the roots we found.

          This week we're learning…

          • Learning how roots, fungi, and worms help plants grow
          • Observing closely and counting to 10
          • Caring gently for living things

          Across the year

          Kindergarten-ready skills, one step at a time.

          Alongside each child's individual goals, we track yearly goals in math, reading, and writing — building quarter by quarter.

          1. Q1
            • MathMatches quantities to numbers 1–10
            • ReadingReads every letter of the alphabet
            • ReadingReads their own name and numbers 1–10
            • WritingWrites their name and numbers 1–10
          2. Q2
            • MathUnderstands addition up to 6
            • ReadingSays the sound of every letter
            • WritingWrites the whole alphabet independently
          3. Q3
            • MathUnderstands subtraction up to 6
            • ReadingSounds out 5 basic words
            • WritingSpells 5 basic words correctly

          Support plans

          Behavior plans built alongside you.

          Teachers and parents collaborate bi-monthly to set a few simple and flexible goals for each child. Their goals might be asking for what they need, sitting through the whole story time, or playing with a new friend.

          Our teachers, interns, and volunteers all know your child's goals, so they can gently cheer them on throughout the day. We track progress and record data for parents, so families have a clear vision of how their child is progressing on their goals in the classroom. On a bi-monthly basis, we check in with parents to celebrate progress and decide what goals may come next.

          1. 1

            We get to know your child

            Teachers observe how your child plays, learns, handles hard moments, and what helps.

          2. 2

            We sit down with you

            You know your child best. We talk through routines at home, what works, and what you're seeing.

          3. 3

            We build the plan together

            Clear goals and strategies we all agree on, shared with every adult on our classroom team.

          4. 4

            We check in on a bi-monthly basis and adjust

            Regular updates on progress, and changes to the plan as your child grows.

          The learning center

          A room set up with care.

          A warm, thoughtfully designed classroom that encourages independence, creativity, exploration, and hands-on learning.

          Every shelf, study carrel, and cozy calming corner is built for small hands, so children are free to explore, choose their own work, and rest when they need to. Nothing here is off-limits.

          By the door

          Raincoats on low hooks, each one under a name.

          On the wall

          The day's schedule in pictures, so everyone knows what comes next.

          In the corner

          A quiet spot for when feelings get big.

          At the table

          Evidence of something made together and not quite finished.

          Meet our team

          Get to know the educators who will feel like part of your family.

          Kaitlyn Murray, smiling, in a cream knit sweater
          Founder, director, and teacher.

          Our founder

          Meet Kaitlyn.

          Kaitlyn has spent 13 years teaching kids in classrooms, homes, and therapy groups. Again and again, she saw how much children need a place built around feelings, friendship, and confidence. So she's building one.

          Growing Roots is her answer: a preschool where children grow empathetic, creative, and sure of themselves. As both director and teacher, she'll know your child well, and she'll be the one sitting down with you to plan their goals.

          • Pediatric CPR & First Aid
          • Crisis intervention trained
          • Certified Behavior Technician
          • University of Washington graduate

          What she brings to your child's day

          • Big feelings, met with skill

            Years as a behavioral therapist and counselor taught her to help kids name what they feel and find something to try next. Hard moments get calm, practiced coaching.

          • Room for every kind of learner

            She has taught in inclusive classrooms and worked one-on-one with children with speech delays and physical disabilities. Your child's needs get planned for, not worked around.

          • Curiosity, by design

            At a local museum she built hands-on programs for schools and field trips. That same spark goes into every week of our curriculum.

          • More caring adults in the room

            She has recruited, trained, and supported hundreds of volunteers. It's how we get close to one adult for every child.

          The teachers by her side

          Chosen with as much care as your child deserves.

          Kaitlyn is hand-picking two more teachers before our doors open. Whoever joins us will be someone who:

          • Knows your child by name, goals, and favorite things
          • Sees hard behavior as a child asking for help, and answers with patience
          • Works side by side with Kaitlyn in our social-emotional approach
          • Talks with you often, sharing what they see and listening to what you know
          • Believes every kind of kid belongs in our classroom

          Are you a teacher who'd fit right in? We'd love to hear from you.

          Become a volunteer

          Bring what you know.

          Volunteers here aren’t extra hands. They’re part of the classroom. You’ll be welcomed, supported, and matched with ways to help that fit who you are.

          Say hello
          • Read a story aloud
          • Garden, cook, or build
          • Share a language or a tradition
          • Play music, or just sing badly
          • Be a steady, familiar face

          Apply today

          Tell us about your child.

          1. 1

            Reach out

            Send us a note with your child's name, age, and anything you'd like us to know.

          2. 2

            Come visit

            Meet the teachers, see the classroom, and ask all your questions.

          3. 3

            Set goals together

            We'll meet to talk through your child's goals and any support they might need.

          Contact us

          We'd love to hear from you.