Vicki Focke
Orange/Yellow/Blue Classes
theodorefocke@comcast.com

Vicki Focke has been teaching at Westside Cooperative Preschool for fourteen years. Prior to that, she taught elementary school, served as an instructor at Le Leche League for seventeen years, and had four children: Katie, 32, Dan, 29, Tom, 26, and Ben, 22.

Her formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Humboldt State University in California, and a year of graduate work in Elementary Education.

As an involved parent, Focke feels right at home in a cooperative preschool setting. Focke says her children never attended cooperative schools growing up - they lived in Colorado and the tri-cities prior to moving to Washington - but she was aware of the benefits before she joined WCP as a teacher.

"One of the things parents frequently ask me at open house is how being part of a co-op benefits parents," Focke says. "I tell them that parents learn to be their child's advocates in the classroom. In public school, no one is your child's advocate. For the parents, that is one of the best things about cooperative preschool."

Focke says that the benefits for children are countless. "One of the most obvious things is that kids get used to working with adults and trusting adults...they also learn to see everyone as teachers - not just their teacher! It really show them a broader world."

When she isn't teaching, Focke enjoys being a grandmother to 11 - month -old Lucy, and lovees to camp with her husband of 36 years, Ted.

Caitlin Mason
Red Class
mason.caitlin@gmail.com

I am enjoying my first year teaching Red Class at Westside Cooperative Preschool. Before teaching at WCP, I taught preschool for three years in Boulder, Colorado.

I was born in Olympia and grew up on Lopez Island. I attended the Evergreen State College and graduated with a Bachelor's of Science degree in 1999. I currently live in East Olympia with my two sons, Isaiah and Nicolas and my husband Kephran.

I feel fortunate to have worked with children from 2 ½ to 5 years old. There are such amazing milestones reached along every step of their journey. I have learned, and continue to learn so much from each child that I have had the pleasure of teaching. I consider teaching to be my most valuable parenting resource.

In Boulder, I taught at a private school with two teachers per class room. I was astonished to see how capable two and a half year old children are. I was also excited to be a part of their first experience spending time with adults other than their parents. I enjoyed helping my students develop a community with other children their age.

After teaching in a private preschool for three years, I was interested in the inner workings of a cooperative preschool. The sense of ownership and community is a wonderful aspect of being a part of a co-op. I feel like I get to know not only the children in my class, but their families as well. The fact that the care and upkeep of the school and its property is the responsibility of the families enrolled in the program makes us all appreciate and care for the school that much more.

To learn more, call 360.866.7383

email westsidecp@gmail.com | a celebration of childhood