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Seattle · Licensed center

Northwest Center Kids at Chinook

nwcenter.org

At a glance

  • Medium Creative Curriculum center, licensed for 63 children.
  • Tuition Infant $2,995, toddler $2,545, preschool $2,175 a month, full time. See costs
  • Run by a nonprofit. A board oversees it, and there are no owners taking profit.

What to know

License: 1 month to 6 years (state). They serve: infants through Pre-K (their website).

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 November 2025 the state found it valid. The state also cited rules at 2 of its 3 licensing inspections since August 2023.

See each inspection and complaint

Complaints the state found valid

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

  • Nov 20, 20252 citations
    • Safety requirementsSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.

      • “Licensor observed wipes that have "Keep out of reach of children" gloves, other plastic that are suffocation hazards accessible to children.”

        WAC 110-300-0165(2)(d)

    • Safety requirementsShort Term. Fix within 10 business days. Rechecked within 15.

      • “Licensor observed the play stucture has cracks and is in poor condition, located on the left side of the outside play area.”

        WAC 110-300-0165(3)(g)

  • Jan 22, 2025Nothing cited
  • Aug 10, 20232 citations
    • Storage of hazardous and maintenance suppliesSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.

      • “Power tool type equipment observed stored in an upstairs area to the outside play area, observed accessible to children.”

        WAC 110-300-0260(5)

    • Equipment and surfaces in outdoor early learning spaceSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.

      • “Newly installed groundcover does not have documentation that verifies meeting CPSC ASTM F1292 Standards for critical fall height ratings. Newly installed groundcover does not have a certificate of compliance or label provided in the documentation available to the Licensor., unable to verify ground cover meeting CPSC ASTMF1292 Standards.”

        WAC 110-300-0146(1)(a)(b)

The state cited rules at 2 of this center's 3 inspections. Seattle-area centers inspected 3 times split about evenly: about a third had fewer, a third the same, and a third more (364 centers).

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%
  • 1 of 321%
  • 2 of 335%This center
  • All 333%
Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Washington DCYF

Last visit
November 20, 2025
On file
3 visits since August 2023 — 1 cited nothing · 1 complaint investigation
Most serious
Serious — Licensor observed wipes that have "Keep out of reach of children" gloves, other plastic that are suffocation hazards accessible to children. · November 20, 2025

Washington DCYF publishes each citation in the licensor’s own words, with a risk level.

Nov 2025 Licensing visit 2 findings

Licensing visit · November 20, 2025

Safety requirements

WAC 110-300-0165(2)(d) · Serious

Licensor observed wipes that have "Keep out of reach of children" gloves, other plastic that are suffocation hazards accessible to children.

Safety requirements

WAC 110-300-0165(3)(g) · Short Term

Licensor observed the play stucture has cracks and is in poor condition, located on the left side of the outside play area.

Report (PDF)

Jul 2025 Complaint 1 valid issue

Complaint · Received July 24, 2025 · Resolved November 3, 2025

Reported to the state by the program

Serious injury, valid issues and self-report are Washington’s own fields on its complaint listing.

The state’s report (PDF)

Jan 2025 Licensing visit nothing cited Report (PDF)
Aug 2023 Licensing visit 2 findings

Licensing visit · August 10, 2023

Storage of hazardous and maintenance supplies

WAC 110-300-0260(5) · Serious

Power tool type equipment observed stored in an upstairs area to the outside play area, observed accessible to children.

Equipment and surfaces in outdoor early learning space

WAC 110-300-0146(1)(a)(b) · Serious

Newly installed groundcover does not have documentation that verifies meeting CPSC ASTM F1292 Standards for critical fall height ratings. Newly installed groundcover does not have a certificate of compliance or label provided in the documentation available to the Licensor., unable to verify ground cover meeting CPSC ASTMF1292 Standards.

Report (PDF)

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

Infant$2,995
Toddler$2,545
Preschool$2,175

Northwest Center Kids at ChinookMost 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, 82 toddler and 113 preschool programs publish one.

Part time
$1,275 to $2,250 a month
Application fee
$100

A day here

Meals
Vegetarian breakfast, lunch, and two afternoon snacks provided to all children, prepared in-house by a chef; USDA CACFP participant
Outdoors, calendar and schedule
Outdoors
Ample daily playtime in classrooms plus two dedicated play spaces: an indoor motor room and a rooftop playground
Calendar
School year
Schedule
Full-week, part-week

How they teach

Creative Curriculum, play-based and developmental

“A Play-Based Curriculum that Fosters Learning”

What staff are paid

Assistant Teacher
$23.18 to $29.75 an hourJob posting, September 2026

Details

Phone
(206) 286-2390
Address
401 5th Ave, Seattle, 98104
License
PL-27128
Quality program
Early Achievers Level 5
Established
2010

We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, Working Connections subsidy, ratios and staff, and sick and biting policies. We can ask the program for you and copy you in.

Run Northwest Center Kids at Chinook? Correct or add anything here, free.
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

What it costs

What staff are paid

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

Age groups as Washington defines them: WAC 110-300-0005 (infant to 11 months, toddler 12 to 29 months, preschool 30 months to 6 years, school age 5 to 12 years).

A day here

Details

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.

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