This post is for parents of babies who live in Washington State… and the professionals who work with them!

Are you looking for:

• A fun place filled with fascinating objects for your baby to safely explore as they develop new skills?
• A social time where you can learn songs to sing and games to play with your baby?
• Opportunities to meet other families, build community, and get emotional support?
• Research-based education about parenting skills and child development?
• Personalized advice from an expert on ways to manage your unique parenting challenges?

You can find all these great opportunities in one place! (And, even better, the programs offer parent-child classes for families of children up to age 3, and cooperative preschools for age 3 to 5, so they could serve your needs for many years to come.)

What are Parent Education programs?

Each of our local community colleges sponsors a parent education program, where parents attend with their infants and toddlers. The children have the opportunity for play-based learning: free exploration of developmentally appropriate toys, sensory activities (like water tables), and art activities in a safe, familiar environment – the best conditions for learning.

Meanwhile, parents attend parent education sessions, with topics tailored to the age of the child. In an infant class, that will include: sleep, crying, nutrition, early learning, emotional development, daily routines, becoming the parent you want to be., and more. Class also includes circle time, a chance for parents and children to learn songs and rhymes that children love.

Programs meet for a full school year, September through May. This gives you and your child a chance to develop long-term connections. (You can often join mid-year if there is space available.)

Learn more, and register now, with your local college. The age range for classes is based on how old your baby was/will be on September 1 when the class begins.

Bellevue College – offers infant classes (0 to 9 months) and wobblers (9 to 15 months) on the BC campus.

Edmonds CC – Offers infant class for 4 – 12 month olds on the Edmonds campus.

Lake WA Institute of Technology – Lake WA Toddlers in Kirkland has a class for 9 – 23 months; Redmond Toddler Group has one for 4 – 16 months, and Woodinville Toddler Group has one for 8 – 16 months.

North Seattle CC offers infant classes at Capital Hill Infants, Queen Anne Infants and Northleaf Co-op.

Shoreline CC – Shorenorth birth to 1 year; Woodinville Family has Infant for 0 – 8 month and a pre-toddler class. Bothell Family has an infant class for birth to age 1.

South Seattle CC – Infants class for 0 – 6 months; Movers 6 – 12 months On campus.