Kapka Cooperative School

I love this place. KapKa's community feels like a cast of hilariously different characters, which somehow join together and create a feeling of magic I don't even think I can describe. What I can say though, is that to us, KapKa is more than just a school. It feels like a hub of families and educators where learning is enhanced by the entire community.The teachers and administration are passionate, and my kids are treated by them as these unique inquisitive lights filled with endless potential. It's not just the teachers though - through the connections we have made as a community, my kids are also deeply known and seen by other families, just as I see and celebrate the uniqueness in all of their kids. There are diverse after-school programs (cooking, parkour, rollerblading, games, soccer and more), multiple community outreach programs (serving food at a shelter, kid led charity drives, park cleanup, etc), partnerships with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, exciting field trips (examining bridge structural designs, museums, plays and symphonies, etc), and plenty of outdoor adventures (annual backpacking trip for older kids, frequent zoo trips, daily outdoor playtime, etc). Project-based learning keeps the kids joyfully engaged, and the math program is excellent. My kids view school as fun and somewhere they love to be.As dual working parents with two kids, we worried before joining that the cooperative commitments could make us feel overwhelmed, but instead we've found they actually generate more support for us and replenish us. The commitments are also creatively assigned and have been respectful of our careers and time. Don't get me wrong, being part of a true community takes work, but it's the type of work that always fills my cup, and I've always looked forward to doing it.I want to end with a bit of a personal story - one of our kids was given a gifted label long ago, but that label has always felt superficial. All kids have gifts if you figure out how to really see and understand them. She's now in middle school and thriving, but there is a whole complicated process to access enriched programming there. At KapKa, just like every child there, individualized support and specialized materials are automatically given and she was always challenged. I don't think that is an easy task for any educator. I've come to understand the work it takes to see and know every child so deeply and therefore having a tailored and differentiated education is only possible through the power and magic of a strong and supportive community. It's been a privilege to be part of KapKa's.

Kapka has been such a source of community for our family and has taught both my son and my daughter multiple perspectives of the world, strength in the arts, and empathy towards others. The passion of the teachers is evident in the curriculum is they design for the kids and has enabled my older son to transition to middle school as a self advocate for his learning and maintain a driving curiosity. My daughter - who is currently at Kapka feeds her passion for math and learning about the world through their well thought out projects. We're looking forward to sending our 3 rd child there next year!

Our daughter and son both went to KapKa and we loved it. It is a small elementary co-op and I am convinced that KapKa is a shining beacon of what education should be. I feel for many children the attitude toward school is often 'It's too hard to think. Just tell me what to do!' And this is the notion that has gotten many of us adults through our schooling. However, pouring content into children's heads is an antiquated idea. And as a parent looking for a school, please consider what you want your school to do for your child. As simply as I can say it, at KapKa, they taught my children to be thinkers. The way that they did this was that the educators are thinkers. They were not conveyors of information. The teachers cultivated inquiry of the world, inquiry of the classroom, inquiry of the community and inquiry of the self as a learner. And it was inspiring to be a part of this community.

Our daughter spent six years at KapKa and was wonderfully prepared to enter middle school. The teachers are top-notch, devoted to the children, and committed to establishing a joy of learning in their students. The school's strengths are project based learning, art, music, multi-age groupings, and social emotional learning. As a cooperative, parents are heavily involved, creating a wonderful sense of community.

We are grateful that we discovered KapKa and are able to have our child (new in kindergarten this year) attend! We looked at several schools, but were struck by the strong supportive community at KapKa and the emphasis/recognition of individual styles/personalities. I`ve never seen a school take such incredibly great care in forging an active community among the kids, too-the first several weeks have featured countless cross-grade activities that have been remarkably effective at getting the kids to bond, to each other and into the community in general. We couldn`t have made a better choice for our son!