Seattle · Licensed center
Beginnings School
At a glance
- Medium play-based center, licensed for 43 children.
- Hours 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 5 days a week.
- Tuition Infant $3,300 a month, full time. See costs
- Run by a nonprofit. A board oversees it, and there are no owners taking profit.
From their website, read September 2026:
“CLASSROOM - INFANT Age: 3 months - about 12 months Child to Staff Ratio: 3:1”
“CLASSROOM - TODDLER I Age:1 - about 1.5 years Child to Staff Ratio: 4:1” Washington allows up to 7 children per adult at this age.
“CLASSROOM - TODDLER II Age:1.5 - about 2.5 years Child to Staff Ratio: 5:1”
“CLASSROOM - PRESCHOOL I Age:2.5 - about 4 years Child to Staff Ratio: 9:1” Washington allows up to 10 children per adult at this age.
“CLASSROOM - PRESCHOOL II Age:4 - 5 years Child to Staff Ratio: 10:1” Washington allows up to 10 children per adult at this age.
Staff only: parent volunteers work alongside them.
The state’s rule
Washington sets the most children one adult may care for by age, and the largest group size, in WAC 110-300-0356(5).
Infants (birth through 11 months): one adult for every four.
Toddlers (12 through 29 months): one adult for every seven.
Preschoolers (30 months through 6 years, not in kindergarten): one adult for every ten.
School-age children: one adult for every fifteen.
What to know
The license is the range the state allows. It does not say which ages have openings.
What the state has found
Someone reported a concern to the state, and in February 2024 the state found it valid. The state also cited rules at 3 of its 4 licensing inspections since June 2023.
See each inspection and complaint
Complaints the state found valid
Received Dec 14, 2023Valid complaintresolved Feb 8, 2024
Of the 207 Seattle-area centers licensed for 41 to 70 children, 163 (79%) have no valid complaint in the last three years; 44 (21%) have one or more, as this center does.
How all 207 similar-size centers compare
Of the 207 Seattle-area centers licensed for 41 to 70 children, how many valid complaints each had in the last three years:
- None79%
- One or more21%This center
Licensing inspections
- Jan 8, 2026Nothing cited
Mar 14, 20253 citations
Equipment and surfaces in outdoor early learning spaceSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.
“Wood chips observed sparse in areas, ground observed at the base of the slide with very little wood chips noted, and wood chips observed not nine inches deep under the climber's fall zones.”
WAC 110-300-0146(1)(a)(b)
Food allergies and special dietary needsSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.
“2 children with identified food allergies needing epi pen medications for those allergies, have no written plan that identifies food substitutes for allergic foods.”
WAC 110-300-0186(1)
MedicationSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.
“A child in the toddler room, had cortisone medication present with no signed consent from the parent to administer the medication.”
WAC 110-300-0215(3)
Dec 14, 20232 citations
Food allergies and special dietary needsSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.
“Written instructions are not current and the Epi Pen has expired for one child with an nut allergy. Food substitutions or changes in food plan need to be updated. The provider needs to arrange with the parents to update the need for a new medication that is not expired, complete new medication consent forms, and update any training staff may need depending on the Doctor's instructions.”
WAC 110-300-0186(1), WAC 110-300-0186(2)
MedicationSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.
“Current medication for a child is outdated and a new medication form consent form is needed from the family. Benadryl is present without the box and the measuring cup is not secured to keep it clean. Benadryl is present without an updated permission consent form from the parent.”
WAC 110-300-0215(3)
Jun 13, 20231 citation
MedicationSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.
“An epi per, had no prescription or prescription box. Epi pen is not labled with a prescription lable. No first or last name of the child. No date the prescritpion was filled. No name and contact information of the prescribing health professional. No dossage amount and length of time to give the medication. No instructions for the aministration and storage of the epi pen.”
WAC 110-300-0215(3)(a)(i)
The state cited rules at 3 of this center's 4 inspections. Seattle-area centers inspected 4 times split about evenly: about a third had fewer, a third the same, and a third more (272 centers).
How all 272 Seattle-area centers inspected 4 times compare
Of the 272 Seattle-area centers the state inspected 4 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- None7%
- 1 of 415%
- 2 of 417%
- 3 of 433%This center
- All 429%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — Washington DCYF
- Last visit
- January 8, 2026
- On file
- 4 visits since June 2023 — 1 cited nothing · 1 complaint investigation
- Most serious
- Serious —
Wood chips observed sparse in areas, ground observed at the base of the slide with very little wood chips noted, and wood chips observed not nine inches deep under the climber's fall zones.
· March 14, 2025
Washington DCYF publishes each citation in the licensor’s own words, with a risk level.
Mar 2025 Licensing visit 3 findings
Licensing visit · March 14, 2025
Equipment and surfaces in outdoor early learning space
WAC 110-300-0146(1)(a)(b) · Serious
Wood chips observed sparse in areas, ground observed at the base of the slide with very little wood chips noted, and wood chips observed not nine inches deep under the climber's fall zones.
Food allergies and special dietary needs
WAC 110-300-0186(1) · Serious
2 children with identified food allergies needing epi pen medications for those allergies, have no written plan that identifies food substitutes for allergic foods.
WAC 110-300-0215(3) · Serious
A child in the toddler room, had cortisone medication present with no signed consent from the parent to administer the medication.
Dec 2023 Complaint 2 valid issues
Complaint · Received December 14, 2023 · Resolved February 8, 2024
Dec 2023 Licensing visit 2 findings
Licensing visit · December 14, 2023
Food allergies and special dietary needs
WAC 110-300-0186(1) / 110-300-0186(2) · Serious
Written instructions are not current and the Epi Pen has expired for one child with an nut allergy. Food substitutions or changes in food plan need to be updated. The provider needs to arrange with the parents to update the need for a new medication that is not expired, complete new medication consent forms, and update any training staff may need depending on the Doctor's instructions.
WAC 110-300-0215(3) · Serious
Current medication for a child is outdated and a new medication form consent form is needed from the family. Benadryl is present without the box and the measuring cup is not secured to keep it clean. Benadryl is present without an updated permission consent form from the parent.
Jun 2023 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · June 13, 2023
WAC 110-300-0215(3)(a)(i) · Serious · No longer on the state’s site as of July 6, 2026
An epi per, had no prescription or prescription box. Epi pen is not labled with a prescription lable. No first or last name of the child. No date the prescritpion was filled. No name and contact information of the prescribing health professional. No dossage amount and length of time to give the medication. No instructions for the aministration and storage of the epi pen.
Shortlist replaces people’s names in the state’s text with initials. This is done by rule, not by hand, so it can miss a name or shorten a word that isn’t one. The state’s report, linked on each row, has the original.
What it costs
Beginnings SchoolMost Seattle-area prices (middle 80%)
Monthly, full time. The band is the middle 80% of Seattle-area full-time prices for that age; 56 infant programs publish one.
- Part time
- $1,360 to $2,718 a month
- Application fee
- $125
A day here
7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 5 days a week
Meals, schedule and closed
- Meals
- Meals are included in monthly tuition
- Schedule
- Full-day; part-week (Tuesday and Thursday, or Monday, Wednesday and Friday)
- Closed
- 12 holidays and breaks a year
Dates
New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day; occasional early closures for in-service training and the Annual Meeting
How they teach
Play-based
“We believe that children learn through play and exploration.”
Policies
- Enrollment
- Offered spots must be accepted within three days; $125 registration fee plus first and last month's tuition due at enrollment (non-refundable); tuition due in advance with no refunds for absences, vacations, holidays or closures; sibling priority
Details
- Phone
- (206) 707-5212
- Address
- 1821 15th Ave, Seattle, 98122
- License
- PL-77763
- Quality program
- Early Achievers Enrolled
- Established
- 1976
We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings and Working Connections subsidy. We can ask the program for you and copy you in.
Sources and dates
Where every fact on this page came from, and when Shortlist last checked it against that source. Anything Shortlist could not source is named here rather than left blank.
Children per adult
- Children per adult — Checked September 2026 seattlebegin.org
Washington’s limits: WAC 110-300-0356(5)
How they teach
- Approach — Checked October 2026 seattlebegin.org
What it costs
- Infant, Second price, Application fee — Checked September 2026 seattlebegin.org
State record
From Washington DCYF’s published reports, last checked November 3, 2026.
Washington’s four risk levels, highest first: Immediate, Serious, Short Term, Long Term. Deadlines from DCYF procedure PRO 10.1.21.
Ages
A day here
- Meals, Hours, Schedule, Closed — Checked September 2026 seattlebegin.org
Policies
- Enrollment — Checked September 2026 seattlebegin.org
Details
- Phone, Ages on the license — Checked September 2026 findchildcarewa.org
- Website — Checked July 2026 seattlebegin.org
- Address — Checked June 2026 data.wa.gov
- License — Checked March 2026 data.wa.gov
- Quality program — Checked April 2026 data.wa.gov
- Ages they serve — Checked September 2026 seattlebegin.org
- Established — Checked September 2026 seattlebegin.org
- Who runs it — Checked September 2026 data.seattle.gov
Medium means the middle half of Seattle-area’s 855 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 41 to 115 children. Small is 6 to 40; large is 116 to 323.
The ages on the license are what the state licenses it to care for, which can be wider than the ages it takes.