Early Learning Centers
Our Philosophy

At Cascade Design Collaborative, we foster physical, cognitive and social child development through educational play spaces. We believe that digging in sand boxes or racing your best friend on the trike track are essential experiences for children to learn how to interact with the natural environment and each other. Safety and health are prioritized, as we only include non-toxic materials in our designs.

Physical and Social Development

Early childhood is the most sensitive and critical period for intellectual development in a child’s life. Recognizing that there are multiple kinds of intelligences including visual, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and logical-mathematical, we design with these in mind by incorporating a variety of site elements in our designs. These include class gardens, tree forts, log and boulder climbing, music stations, water play, balance equipment and more. Our colorful and engaging designs foster imagination, creativity, and social play. Active engagement and play are important, but quiet play and reflection through small, intimate corners and resting areas are also needed. We design spaces for conducting experiments, observing landscapes and interacting with flora and fauna. ‘Messy’ learning labs support hands-on, project-based learning.

Projects

• • Sophia Bremer Child Development Center, Bremerton WA
  • Everett Community College Early Learning Center, Everett WA
  • Federal Way Head Start, South Federal Way WA
  • Skagit Early Learning Center, Mt. Vernon WA
  • Neighborhood House at Rainier Vista, Seattle WA
  • Martin Luther King Day Home Center, Seattle WA
  • Annette B. Weyerhaeuser Early Learning Center, Tacoma WA
  • Muckleshoot Child Development Center, Auburn WA
  • Peninsula Community College Allied Health Early Child Development Center, Port Angeles WA
  • Woodinville Montessori, Redmond, WA
  • Early Childhood Learning Center, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
  • Preschool, Thorton Creek Elementary, Seattle, WA
  • Pre-K, Salish Coast Elementary School, Port Townsend, WA
  • Preschool, Cascadia Elementary School, Seattle, WA
  • Eaton Montessori, Bellevue, WA
  • Pre-K, Two Schools, Seattle, WA