Launch / Community Day School Association (CDSA)

Community Day School Association, doing business as Launch, was founded in 1977 as a Washington nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing quality enrichment programming for children ages 3-12. The first Launch site was located at montlake elementary within the seattle public schools (sps) system. Launch added sites at leschi elementary in 1988, hawthorne elementary in 1995, and madrona elementary in 1997. Launch expanded its scope in 2000 with the opening of their first preschool at leschi elementary. (see additional description continued on schedule o)__in 2023-2024, Launch operated ten School age programs (before and after School programs and summer learning) located onsite at nine sps elementary schools in central, southeast and west seattle (beacon hill, hawthorne, highland park, kimball, leschi, madrona, maple, montlake and sanislo), and a program at our newest location in renton (cascade vista, co-located at impact public schools black river elementary campus). In 2023-2024, Launch operated a total of ten preschool classrooms: one preschool classroom located with beacon hill, highland park, and cascade vista; two at madrona; one preschool classroom located within rainier Community center, one preschool classroom located within delridge Community center, and three preschool classrooms located with miller Community center annex. All of the preschool classrooms in seattle are part of the seattle preschool program, a voter-approved city of seattle project with the goal of making voluntary, high-quality preschool available and affordable to all of seattle's 3- and 4-year-old children. Our newest preschool site is located at our new location in renton.our newest childcare site in renton, cascade vista, was previously co-located in a church (a non-secular program) and was going to be displaced with the sale of the church. With nowhere to go, no formal administrative structure, and with many families at risk of losing their childcare, Launch and the program operator determined the best course of action was to take cascade vista under Launch's wing. Launch formally added the program to our roster of service locations in july of 2023, and it moved from its temporary location after it was displaced, to now being co-located at impact schools, black river campus.as part of Launch's mission to provide equitable access to quality learning and care for children from all backgrounds including those from traditionally underserved populations, Launch serves an extremely diverse constituency. For the fiscal year ended june 30, 2024, approximately 59% of children in our programs identified as multiracial/students of color with 38% white, and 3% unknown/unanswered. 45% were low/moderate-income, 25% primarily spoke a non-english language at home, 5% had a disability or an iep, and some of our families/children were experiencing homelessness. Also, 29 languages were spoken by Launch families. 43% of Launch families reported a household income below 80% of the median income for our area, and 27% of Launch families received childcare subsidies from dshs, the city of seattle, or other subsidy providers. The majority of children served have parents/caregivers who need Launch's programs because they are working or enrolled in an educational program. 47% of Launch families identified as essential workers.launch is located in neighborhoods that are diverse in language, ethnicity, and culture and seeks to have staff members who reflect that diversity. As part of this effort, Launch hires teachers who reflect the communities Launch serves, as well as promoting from within.launch receives funding from a variety of sources including private funders such as foundations and individual donors, government fee-for-service contracts through the city of seattle families & education levy, dshs, king county and the best start for kids program, city of seattle childcare subsidies, and private-pay tuition. Launch does not limit the number of families receiving subsidies. Launch also provides tuition assistance for families in need and has seen the need for financial support to cover the cost of childcare growing year over year, as evidenced by overall regional high costs of childcare and families unable to afford it. Launch continues to attempt to limit tuition increases to remain affordable.launch offers an employee compensation and benefits package above industry standard to attract and retain high quality staff. Launch also ensures best practices by collaborating with schools and other community-based organizations such as School's out Washington, child care resources, and seattle-king county public health to meet the range of needs of the children Launch serves.launch uses standardized assessment tools to measure the success of programs and to determine specific student needs. In addition to these outcome measurement tools, Launch also has a data-sharing agreement with seattle public schools to access student achievement data including attendance, test scores and disciplinary reports. For the fiscal year ended june 30, 2024, Launch reports the following accomplishments/progress during the reporting period:* succeeded in helping children gradually transition from preschoolers to kindergartners, including getting them used to no naps, time limits for meals, self-help skills such as manners, taking turns, lines, and being around older students. This critically impacts their ability to develop the skills and tools needed as they age into elementary School. * improved social and Community connections, including:- successfully offering wrap-services for families in need (food donations, subsidy support, and social-emotional support for parents and caregivers)- successfully helping family members learn how to advocate for their children- children/youth establishing healthy connections with others- children/youth building healthy relationships with adults- successfully using trauma-informed practices when covid-19 impacted our children- implementing additional support to our children and families as they navigated the need for childcare when schools closed, as well as sharing additional resources to aid our families during the pandemic crisis, including food boxes, educational resources, and enrichment activities to do with the children* 95% of parent/guardian respondents to Launch's internal survey agreed that Launch is a support for their family._

Launch's tuition assistance program, which enables students to attend Launch's program at a reduced rate, is available for students with financial need. The amount of tuition assistance available varies annually depending on Launch's budget constraints and donor support. Private pay tuition is reported in the financial statements net of this assistance. Total tuition assistance awarded in 2024 was $189,001 ($0 represented by restricted donations and $189,001 allocated by Launch).