Parents, kids play together at Whatcom Center for Early Learning

There’s nothing that quite matches playing with your kids.

Suzanne Wu, who’s worked at Whatcom Center for Early Learning since September 2009, says that she likes to think of parents as a special play partner.

“No one knows what excites a child like their parent. We at Whatcom Center for Early Learning want to support that bond.”

“I like to tell parents a quote I once heard,” Wu said. “When a parent plays with their child they become the best toy in the room.”

Wu, a certified early childhood educator and early interventionist, was hired to lead the classroom programs (now called Whatcom Center for Early Learning Friends programs) when Whatcom Center for Early Learning’s primary service changed to a home-based model.

The classroom programs are socialization opportunities for children with special challenges and their parents, and run mainly on Mondays at what’s known as “the big blue house” at 2001 H St. Whatcom Center for Early Learning provides a play environment that is appropriate for any child, both “typically developing” or those with challenges.

“We set up our classroom with a strong focus on motor, socialization and sensory development,” Wu said.

“Language development and communication skills are embedded in everything we do. We are highly attuned to what toddlers love, and we work to make our classes fun and engaging for children and their parents.”

The staff demonstrates in their daily activities one of their prime missions: that children do best when playing together with all the children in their community, without suggesting that children with special needs can only benefit from classes with only special-needs children.

In collaboration with Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department, Whatcom Center for Early Learning developed the Sensational Toddlers program, offered at Whatcom Center for Early Learning for eight weeks every quarter, with classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

The class mirrors what’s offered in the Friends playgroups. The registration is managed by Bellingham Parks and Recreation. It is open to any child and their caregiver in the community for the cost of $99 per quarter.

If a family has financial need, Parks and Recreation has some scholarship dollars families can apply for, Wu says.

The program includes any child who signs up through Bellingham Parks and Recreation as well as children who are getting services at Whatcom Center for Early Learning.

Wu says that one of the beauties of the class is the friendships children and parents make while attending the classes that continue outside of class.

“Many families come back a few years later with their younger child, who already has a friend in class because their families have been playing together since before the younger children were born,” Wu said. “The children love our specially designed play yard and we can go outside every day regardless of the weather.”

In addition WCEL has another class with a slightly different model: Ferndale Toddler Time. It’s a drop-in program that runs throughout the school year. There’s a $2 or $3 donation, but no family is turned away if they cannot afford the cost.

The Ferndale program is run in collaboration with the American Legion Post in Ferndale, at 5537 Second Ave., and takes place every Wednesday during the school year except the second Wednesday of the month. Each week a play space is set up in a room about the half the size of a gym. The activities including trikes, ball pit, mini tramp and scooters, ball ramp and basketball hoop, puzzles, play dough, doll house, a little kitchen and doll play set, two train sets and car mat, cardboard blocks, smaller blocks, a book corner and a kiddie pool filled with rice and pouring toys, plus there’s a large wool mat for babies with specially designed toys. Staff is available to support the children in their play or to talk with parents who have developmental questions.

When the program first opened in Ferndale, it was partnered with the Ferndale School District to collaborate in helping the district to reach out to families with children who might have special needs younger than 3. There is now a literacy option with Ferndale School District employees to increase opportunities for children who are not in child care or a preschool situation, with two story times and a literacy craft as part of Ferndale Toddler Time.

“We end the morning with what the many children most love at Ferndale Toddler Time, the parachute song time,” Wu said. “The joy of familiar songs sung together, the thrill of a waving parachute: it can’t get much better than that.”

Details: 360-778-7000, cob.org/gov/dept/parks (search Sensational Toddlers or Toddler Time), 360-671-3660, wcel.net

This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Parents, kids play together at Whatcom Center for Early Learning."