Seattle · Licensed center

Ballard Community Center

Save programs to compare them in ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.

What the state has found

Someone reported a concern to the state, and in December 2023 the state found it valid. The state also cited rules at all 3 of its licensing inspections since November 2023.

Of the 405 Seattle-area centers with 3 licensing inspections, 33% had rules cited at all 3, as this center did. 11% had none cited.

Complaints the state found valid

Someone reported a concern. The state investigated and found reasonable cause to believe a licensing rule was broken.

Received Oct 30, 2023Valid complaintresolved Dec 8, 2023
The state’s report (PDF)

Of the 205 Seattle-area centers licensed for 41 to 70 children, 157 (77%) have no valid complaint in the last three years; 48 (23%) have one or more, as this center does.

Licensing inspections

Feb 26, 20262 citations

  • “Licensor found that a child's Individual Care Plan (ICP) required albutirol, but the medication was not at the site.”

    WAC 110-300-0215(3)(a)(i)

  • “Licensor observed the plastic fence in the Pre-K outdoor play area as having gaps greater than three and one-half inches along the bottom.”

    WAC 110-300-0145(8)

Mar 17, 20252 citations

  • “The outdoor area has 2 different fences surrounding it. The temporary chainlink fence surrounds the entire play area so that the only exit from the space is one door into the building. There is not a 2nd exit. There are multiple areas where the fence is farther than 3.5 inches from the ground. The 2nd type of fence is plastic mesh fencing attached to movable poles in concrete filled buckets. This fence does not enclose the entire playground area. It is loose and laying on the ground in places.”

    WAC 110-300-0145(6)

  • “Fire door is blocked and has items hanging on it.”

    WAC 110-300-0166(3)(c)

Nov 7, 20233 citations

  • “Janitorial equipment was observed to be accessible to children in the licensed area at the time of inspection.”

    WAC 110-300-0260(5)

  • “The center director was unable to provide the teachers' background check statuses at the time of inspection.”

    WAC 110-300-0105(2)

  • “MERIT reflected that 2 staff members' bloodborne pathogen training were missing at the time of inspection. MERIT reflected that 1 staff member's CPR and first-aid training were missing at the time of inspection. MERIT reflected that 2 staff members' food worker cards were missing at the time of inspection.”

    WAC 110-300-0106(12)

Read every record and the state’s reports

State record — Washington DCYF

Last visit
February 26, 2026
On file
3 visits since November 2023 — all of them cited findings · 1 complaint investigation
Most serious
Serious — Licensor found that a child's Individual Care Plan (ICP) required albutirol, but the medication was not at the site. · February 26, 2026

Washington DCYF publishes the licensor’s own observation and a risk level for every citation it issues at a licensing visit, with the inspection report attached as a PDF.

Feb 2026 Licensing visit 2 findings

Licensing visit · February 26, 2026

Medication

WAC 110-300-0215(3)(a)(i) · Serious

Licensor found that a child's Individual Care Plan (ICP) required albutirol, but the medication was not at the site.

Outdoor early learning program space

WAC 110-300-0145(8) · Short Term

Licensor observed the plastic fence in the Pre-K outdoor play area as having gaps greater than three and one-half inches along the bottom.

Report (PDF)

Mar 2025 Licensing visit 2 findings

Licensing visit · March 17, 2025

Outdoor early learning program space

WAC 110-300-0145(6) · Serious

The outdoor area has 2 different fences surrounding it. The temporary chainlink fence surrounds the entire play area so that the only exit from the space is one door into the building. There is not a 2nd exit. There are multiple areas where the fence is farther than 3.5 inches from the ground. The 2nd type of fence is plastic mesh fencing attached to movable poles in concrete filled buckets. This fence does not enclose the entire playground area. It is loose and laying on the ground in places.

Emergency preparation and exiting

WAC 110-300-0166(3)(c) · Serious

Fire door is blocked and has items hanging on it.

Report (PDF)

Nov 2023 Licensing visit 3 findings

Licensing visit · November 7, 2023

Storage of hazardous and maintenance supplies

WAC 110-300-0260(5) · Serious

Janitorial equipment was observed to be accessible to children in the licensed area at the time of inspection.

Preservice requirements

WAC 110-300-0105(2) · Serious

The center director was unable to provide the teachers' background check statuses at the time of inspection.

Training requirements

WAC 110-300-0106(12) · Serious

MERIT reflected that 2 staff members' bloodborne pathogen training were missing at the time of inspection. MERIT reflected that 1 staff member's CPR and first-aid training were missing at the time of inspection. MERIT reflected that 2 staff members' food worker cards were missing at the time of inspection.

Report (PDF)

Oct 2023 Complaint 3 valid issues

Complaint · Received October 30, 2023 · Resolved December 8, 2023

The state’s 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.

Openings, Working Connections subsidy, tuition, and ratios and staff aren’t on this page.

How they teach

Creative Curriculum

“Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) utilizes Creative Curriculum for Preschool from Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG).”

What it costs

Application fee
$50

A day here

Hours
7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, 5 days a week
Meals
Morning and afternoon snack provided; families asked to pack lunch (the brand’s policy for all its schools)
Schedule
full-day (the brand’s policy for all its schools)
Closed
9/7 Labor Day; 10/9 State In-Service Day; 10/12 Indigenous Peoples' Day; 11/11 Veteran's Day; 11/26-11/27 Thanksgiving Break; 12/21-1/2 Winter Break; 1/18 Martin Luther King Jr. Day; 2/15 President's Day; 2/16-2/19 Mid-Winter Break; 4/12-4/16 Spring Break; 5/31 Memorial Day (the brand’s policy for all its schools)

Policies

When a child is sick
Return when symptoms are improving and fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication (the brand’s policy for all its schools)
Special needs
Additional forms completed for children with special needs or disabilities (the brand’s policy for all its schools)

Details

(206) 684-4093

Website
seattle.gov
Address
6020 28th Ave NW
License
PL-80504, active
Quality program
Early Achievers Enrolled
Ages they serve
Ages 5-12 (school-age care), grades K-5 for the 2026-2027 school year

Nearby

All in ZIP 98107

Run Ballard Community Center? Correct or add anything here, free.

Add what is missing
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

State record

From Washington DCYF’s published reports, last checked October 10, 2026.

A day here

Policies

Details

Medium means the middle half of Seattle-area’s 859 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 41 to 114 children. Small is 6 to 40; large is 115 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.

Nearby

The other centers’ visit lines are from Washington DCYF’s published reports as Shortlist read them on October 9, 2026.