By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

On her last day teaching at the co-op preschool at South Seattle Community College, Ingrid Olsen-Young was holding her ink stamp, ready to place a happy message on the hands or tummies of the tots in her class, a ritual at the end of each day.

Suddenly she stopped and smiled. The little tummies were already stamped — each with a simple “thank you.”

Sunday, the “thank you” will be a little more elaborate as 20 years of preschool students gather to honor Ingrid with a farewell reunion at the Jerry M. Brockey Center on campus from 2 to 5 p.m.

“Losing Ingrid is kind of devastating,” said Margaret Pyfer. “She personally cares about each family. She truly cares about each child.”

“She is a magical woman, with a real gift for connecting with children and adults, said Geoff Patterson. “She has lilt in her voice. She greets each child when they come to her class as if that child is the only person on the planet. It is a gift she has that she loves sharing with others.”

Some of the estimated 1,600 students who have passed through her classroom as babies and toddlers are now young adults. Many have stayed in touch with her through the years, waving when they see her on the SSCC campus or leaving messages on her Facebook page.

Some still have one of “Rosie’s babies” tucked away in a drawer or treasure box.

“Rosie” is a talking sock puppet filled with silliness, wisdom and empathy. On the last day of school, each child is given one of Rosie’s “babies” – a sock puppet of their own, to take home.

Ingrid’s own children are grown and living on the Eastside. She and her husband are moving to Walla-Walla to be a little closer to them. She hopes to find a preschool position that suits her as well as the SSCC cooperative lab school.

She could retire and enjoy the Washington wine country. But she can’t quite envision being without the babies. She oozes energy and cheer, can sit cross-legged on the floor as easily as the tots, and has an endless smile.

Former students who haven’t seen her in a while will be surprised to see her long red hair has given way to a shorter, lighter cut.

Ingrid jokes that she can’t remember what she had for dinner the night before, but can remember the names and often the interests of hundreds of former students years later.

“Just the fact that she still remembers the names of kids 10 or 15 years later tells you a lot about Ingrid,” said Skip Rich.

Because the preschool is a co-op, parents are required to work in the classroom, sometimes several times a week. Ingrid teaches parents as well as children.

(From left, Skip Rich, Ingrid Olsen-Young, Jennifer Wong and Margaret Pyfer)
“She lets us fail, and then picks up the pieces and puts it all back together again,” said Skip. “How do you handle it when a child has a tantrum? Ingrid tweaks our technique.”

“I always ask my self ‘what would Ingrid do?’ “ said Jennifer Wong, a parent in the co-op program.

Geoff Patterson said he learned to be present for his kids: “She respects kids as humans and relates to them on their level, physically and mentally. I learned that when you are present with them, really paying attention to them, they will respond to you.”

Ingrid has developed deep and permanent ties with many of the families.

“She has become one of my dearest and closest friends,” said Ko. “Ingrid came into our lives when we first found out that Kai had many life threatening food allergies. She became my saving grace when I was exhausted and felt so alone in the journey of keeping Kai safe. Kai was a very, very shy child who never left my side. His allergies were not just from ingestion, but he was also touch-sensitive to the food he was allergic to. The only Kai-safe environment was home.”

Ko remembers the first day of pre-school, Ingrid was sitting on the floor with the children and greeted them with a cheery hello. Kai ducked behind his mom.

“I began to fill out the forms. The next thing I know, I turn around to check on Kai and there he is sitting cuddled in Ingrid’s lap looking like he was so comfortable and belonged there! I was overcome with tears. The biggest weight just lifted off of me,” said Ko.

Ingrid would come to school early to bleach toys and make them safe for Kai. Play dough was made from rice flour instead of wheat flour so Kai could play.

“She didn’t just teach our children, she taught us all,” said Ko.

The celebration on Sunday is for kids 12 and over and their parents.

Ingrid said there will be picnics during the summer so she can spend time with some to the younger kids.

She admits feeling a little nervous about being the center of attention Sunday and said she doesn’t really like parties all that much anyway. She doesn’t like to be fussed over, even on her birthday.

“But this is different; I am going to open my heart and enjoy it.”
=======
Party details: