Seattle · Licensed center
Fiddleheads Forest School
At a glance
- Medium nature and outdoor center, licensed for 42 children.
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 March 2026 the state found it valid. The state cited no rules at any of its 3 licensing inspections since March 2024.
See each inspection and complaint
Complaints the state found valid
Received Feb 12, 2026Valid complaintresolved Mar 18, 2026
“A volunteer trained in the Benefit Risk assessment placed a child on a root climber resulting in the child falling leading to climbing natural feature concerns.”
The state’s description of the complaint
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
- Feb 25, 2026Nothing cited
- Nov 13, 2024Nothing cited
- Mar 27, 2024Nothing cited
The state cited no rules at any of this center's 3 inspections. Most Seattle-area centers inspected 3 times had at least one: 88% of 364.
How all 364 Seattle-area centers inspected 3 times compare
Of the 364 Seattle-area centers the state inspected 3 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- None12%This center
- 1 of 321%
- 2 of 335%
- All 333%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — Washington DCYF
- Last visit
- February 25, 2026
- On file
- 3 visits since March 2024 — all of them cited nothing · 1 complaint investigation
- Fixed?
- Nothing was cited, so there is nothing to correct.
- Most serious
- Nothing was cited at any visit on file.
Washington DCYF publishes each citation in the licensor’s own words, with a risk level.
Feb 2026 Complaint 1 valid issue
Complaint · Received February 12, 2026 · Resolved March 18, 2026
“A volunteer trained in the Benefit Risk assessment placed a child on a root climber resulting in the child falling leading to climbing natural feature concerns.”
The state’s description of the complaint
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
We couldn’t find it, so if you know, please share. We’ll publish it and work to confirm it with the provider directly too.
How they teach
Nature and outdoor
“Welcome to Fiddleheads Forest School, Seattle’s pioneering outdoor preschool.”
Details
- Phone
- (206) 616-5261
- Address
- 2300 Arboretum Drive E, Seattle, 98112
- License
- PL-81551
- Quality program
- Early Achievers Enrolled
We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, Working Connections subsidy, cost, hours and late pickup, ratios and staff, a typical day, sick and biting policies, and who owns it. 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.
How they teach
- Approach — Checked October 2026 botanicgardens.uw.edu
State record
From Washington DCYF’s published reports, last checked November 3, 2026.
Ages
Details
- Phone, Ages on the license — Checked September 2026 findchildcarewa.org
- Website — Checked July 2026 botanicgardens.uw.edu
- Address, Quality program — Checked June 2026 data.wa.gov
- License — Checked March 2026 data.wa.gov
- Ages they serve — Checked September 2026 botanicgardens.uw.edu
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.