Denise Louie Education Center at 3327 Beacon Ave. S. is one of three Seattle preschools who will share $470,000 in funding from the 2011 Families and Education Levy as part of the City of Seattle’s Step Ahead preschool program. (The school also has branches in the International District and Rainier Beach.)
The funding will increase slots at Denise Louie for 20 children to attend part-time, for a total grant of $126,240. Denise Louie was one of nine preschools applying for the funds, which were intended to serve low- and moderate-income families of three- and four-year-old children who live in the attendance areas of Seattle elementary schools that are eligible for Families and Education Levy funding.
Slots are available at Denise Louie and the other Step Ahead preschools for the coming school year. To be eligible, children must be three or four years old by August 31, 2013, must live in Seattle city limits, and their family must meet the income guidelines based on family size. See the web page for more information.
Tippe and Drague Alehouse (3315 Beacon Ave. S.) is hosting a fundraiser for the Denise Louie Education Center this Saturday, June 22, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The folks at Tippe and Drague tell us about it:
Come enjoy 16 rotating taps of regional craft beer, a great wine selection and local, sustainable and healthy bar food items while supporting our preschool neighbor next door, the Denise Louie Education Center (DLEC).
For over 35 years, DLEC has provided high-quality multicultural early learning and family support services so that Seattle kids will be ready to succeed in school and life. Most of the 300 children and families DLEC serves are low-income immigrants and refugees, and over 80% speak a language other than English at home. DLEC is in the process of cutting 5% of their budget due to automatic federal spending cuts known as Sequestration. Approved cuts include eliminating five Early Head Start slots and starting classes two weeks late. There is still $60,000 to be cut from the budget over the next four months and $130,000 to be cut from next year’s budget.
On Saturday, June 22nd from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tippe and Drague will be donating all profits, collecting monetary donations and holding a silent auction to benefit DLEC and the over 300 low-income and immigrant children and families they serve in the Seattle area.
Owner Melissa adds, “We’re going to end the silent auction at 10 p.m. but the full fundraising day will end when we close.”
ROCKiT space is offering afternoon workshops for kids aged 8-13. The workshops will run from to 2:00 to 4:00 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays from July 28 to August 18. Kids in the workshops will be building Rube Goldberg Machines, making and studying space goo, sculpting robots from recycled materials and more. The classes are $5 per student, per class. Sign up in advance by calling ROCKiT space at 206-323-7115.
Business hours at ROCKiT space have changed for the summer; the new hours are Tuesday-Friday from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm, and weekends 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm.
For younger kids, Denise Louie Education Center is hosting a drop-in preschool program at Denise Louie Education Center, 3327 Beacon Avenue South, from 10:00 to 1:00 pm every third Saturday. The free preschool program for kids 3-5 years old is called Playtime Plus, and kids will be able to work on early learning activities and build math and science skills. The next session will be August 7. If you have any questions, please contact Tom Ulie at tulie@comcast.net.
The “Bumper to Bumper” column in the Seattle Times addressed a much-discussed Beacon Hill topic this week: Beacon Avenue’s bumpy pavement outside of the light rail station. According to a spokesman for Sound Transit quoted in the column, we should be seeing some relief for the the poor pavement when that segment of Beacon is repaved in the next couple of months.
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Some Beaconians might be curious about what happened to former Culinary Communion operator Gabriel Claycamp and his pork emporium, The Swinery, after Claycamp decamped from Beacon Hill back to West Seattle last year. It turns out the road has not been entirely smooth (some of the comments on that post are interesting, to say the least), but Claycamp and the Swinery did get a positive write-up from the New York Times’ T Magazine Blog recently.
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Elliott Jones of El Centro writes with more news about tasty tamales:
Have you been one of the lucky attendees of El Centro de la Raza’s tamale classes? Chances are, you haven’t – they have been wildly popular and have been selling out quick! Here’s a link to sign up for the next one, on May 15th (they are every 3rd Saturday, by the way).
Our April class is this Saturday, so that means that even though you might not be able to learn how to make them yourself, this month, you can still purchase some! Tamales are $12/dozen and you must order by Wednesday at 5pm.
Denise Louie Education Center is holding their Fifth Annual Children and Families Festival on Saturday, May 22 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm at their Beacon Hill location, 3327 Beacon Avenue South. The event is free and open to the public, and will feature food, music, crafts, and community resources. Volunteers are needed. For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please contact Frances Lin at 206-792-9771 or email flin@deniselouie.org.
One of Dawit Alemu’s attackers has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the attack near Beacon Hill playfield on June 18th. — Seattle P-I via Katie on the mailing list
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Denise Louie Education Center‘s Steps Ahead program is looking to enroll 4-year-olds through the City of Seattle voucher program. Tuition, before voucher, is $850 per month and includes breakfast, lunch, and snack in addition to the Creative Curriculum. DLEC has Family Support Staff fluent in Spanish, Laotian, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. For details, contact Frances Lin at 206.725.9740 x102 or flin@deniselouie.org. — Craigslist
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Jordan Van Voast of CommuniChi, Beacon Hill’s community acupuncture clinic, has an account of his Gregoire encounter today when she was visiting El Centro.
The Denise Louie Education Center on Beacon Avenue South is holding a Jazz Night fundraiser this Saturday, September 12, 6:00 pm, at Showbox SoDo (1700 First Avenue South). The event will feature a silent auction, a live auction, dinner, and dancing.
You can purchase tickets online for $75/person, but there are other ways you can contribute if you can’t attend the show. Volunteers are needed on the day of the event between 10:30am-11pm, and items are needed to be donated for the silent/live auctions. The last day to donate is Wednesday, September 9. Please contact Frances Lin, Community Outreach/Enrollment Manager, at (206) 725-9740 x102 if you can volunteer.
The Denise Louie Education Center is a Head Start center that serves over 200 at-risk families and children (ranging from 3-5 years old). The Jazz Night fundraising event allows them to provide additional services that the government does not fund, such as Play and Learn Groups (serving 0-5 years old), school supplies, and field trips.
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Magic Madness is coming to the Jefferson Community Center on September 18 at 6:30 pm! Magician Aaron Wheeler will be there to perform tricks, stunts, and mayhem in a fun family event. The show is open to all ages, for $3 pre-registered or $5 at the door.
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The South Precinct Picnic is this Saturday, September 12, from 1:00-4:00 pm. All South Precinct community members are invited to enjoy dancing, music, food, magic, and more. You’ll have a chance to tour the precinct station, meet your local police officers, and learn about specialty units such as SWAT, mounted, and K-9. The picnic is at the South Precinct, 3001 South Myrtle.