As preschoolers arrived today for the second day of the school year at the Community School of West Seattle, they had a special entourage of greeters – from the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) and the city Department of Education and Early Learning. CSWS, which is at 22nd/Roxbury, was one of six recipients of SPP grants for facility improvements. The school received $109,000 for a plumbing overhaul and playground improvements that will enable kids to play outside year-round. The visitors took the opportunity to celebrate the start of the levy-funded SPP’s eighth year – it’s grown from fewer than 300 students citywide in 2015 to more than 2,100 this year. DEEL director Dr. Dwane Chappelle spoke briefly, as did CSWS’s interim executive director Rebecca Lane (second from left):

With them were, at left, Leilani Dela Cruz, the city’s director of early learning, and at right, Adiam Emery, representing the mayor’s office, where she is now executive general manager. CSWS is one of more than 80 sites participating in the SPP and the only one in West Seattle/South Park to receive one of the grants announced today (see the full list in this city news release). 23 of the SPP sites are at Seattle Public Schools buildings, so their first day of school won’t happen until tomorrow, which will be the third day of the school year at others. If you’re interested in enrolling a child in the Seattle Preschool Program, you can find out more here.