Seattle · Licensed center

Northgate KinderCare

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Worth knowing

Now open 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; was 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Seen in September 2026.

Is this normal? No other Seattle center we checked shortened its day this fall.

Based on 153 Seattle centers whose own websites listed their hours this summer and again this fall.

Why this usually happens: A center’s hours depend on its staffing. Washington requires enough qualified staff to meet teacher-to-child ratios during all operating hours, and the state’s 2026 child care cost study found many providers short of staff.

Ask them: whether the new hours are permanent, and whether the price changed with them.

Is this out of date?

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 3 of its 4 licensing inspections since October 2023.

Of the 239 Seattle-area centers with 4 licensing inspections, 33% had rules cited at 3 of them, as this center did. 29% had rules cited at all 4, 7% at none.

Complaints the state found valid

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

Received Aug 12, 2025Valid complaintresolved Nov 10, 2025
The state’s report (PDF)

Of the 215 Seattle-area centers licensed for 115 to 323 children, 105 (49%) have no valid complaint in the last three years; 110 (51%) have one or more, as this center does.

Licensing inspections

Jun 25, 2026No rules cited
May 11, 20265 citations

  • “In a preschool and a toddler room, there is a green button that must be pushed to exit or else the door is locked.”

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

  • “Food Handler's permit expired for M.F., V.R. O.M.”

    WAC 110-300-0106(12)

  • “Unable to locate fire drill logs this year or last, and re-vamping forms, so licensor cannot verify the drills were done.”

    WAC 110-300-0470(4)(a)

  • “Unable to verify disaster drills were completed this year or 2025.”

    WAC 110-300-0470(4)(b)

1 more from this inspection

  • “One child reviewed does not have a completed Certificate of Immunization status (CIS) form.”

    WAC 110-300-0210(1)(2)

Feb 13, 20253 citations

  • “It was observed that left over diaper creams were kept onsite for children who no longer need them, or no longer attend. An EpiPen was observed to be stored without the label.”

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

  • “It was observed that the older playground had approximately 1" depth of wood chips in good condition.”

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

  • “It was observed that a play structure on the playground had chipped paint in areas.”

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

Oct 10, 20231 citation

  • “2 Epipens were not accompanied with a medication authorization form and one was expired.”

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

Read every record and the state’s reports

Across KinderCare's 33 locations in the Seattle area, it cited something at 81% of 135 visits.

State record — Washington DCYF

Last visit
June 25, 2026
On file
4 visits since October 2023 — 1 cited nothing · 1 complaint investigation
Most serious
Serious — In a preschool and a toddler room, there is a green button that must be pushed to exit or else the door is locked. · May 11, 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.

Jun 2026 Licensing visit nothing cited Report (PDF)
May 2026 Licensing visit 5 findings

Licensing visit · May 11, 2026

Emergency preparation and exiting

WAC 110-300-0166(3)(a) · Serious

In a preschool and a toddler room, there is a green button that must be pushed to exit or else the door is locked.

Training requirements

WAC 110-300-0106(12) · Serious

Food Handler's permit expired for M.F., V.R. O.M.

Immunizations and exempt children

WAC 110-300-0210(1)(2) · Long Term

One child reviewed does not have a completed Certificate of Immunization status (CIS) form.

Emergency preparedness plan

WAC 110-300-0470(4)(a) · Short Term

Unable to locate fire drill logs this year or last, and re-vamping forms, so licensor cannot verify the drills were done.

Emergency preparedness plan

WAC 110-300-0470(4)(b) · Short Term

Unable to verify disaster drills were completed this year or 2025.

Report (PDF)

Aug 2025 Complaint 2 valid issues

Complaint · Received August 12, 2025 · Resolved November 10, 2025

The state’s report (PDF)

Feb 2025 Licensing visit 3 findings

Licensing visit · February 13, 2025

Safety requirements

WAC 110-300-0165(3)(g) · Short Term

It was observed that a play structure on the playground had chipped paint in areas.

Medication

WAC 110-300-0215(3)(a)(i) · Serious

It was observed that left over diaper creams were kept onsite for children who no longer need them, or no longer attend. An EpiPen was observed to be stored without the label.

Equipment and surfaces in outdoor early learning space

WAC 110-300-0146(1)(a)(b) · Serious

It was observed that the older playground had approximately 1" depth of wood chips in good condition.

Report (PDF)

Oct 2023 Licensing visit 1 finding

Licensing visit · October 10, 2023

Medication

WAC 110-300-0215(3)(a)(i) · Serious

110-300-0215(3)(a)(i) 2 Epipens were not accompanied with a medication authorization form and one was expired.

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, teaching approach, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.

Who cares for your child

Jenny Titsworth (Center Director) since 2006.

Of 2,387 Seattle-area providers, 74 publish how long a named staff member has been there; the longest tenure at each of those has a median of thirteen years.

What it costs

Siblings
sibling discounts

A day here

Hours
6:30 AM to 6:00 PM, 5 days a week
Meals
Meals and snacks provided, developed by a registered dietitian; vegetarian option available and menus adapted for food sensitivities
Outdoors
Outdoor play decided by KinderCare safety guidelines using temperature, humidity and wind chill, plus state licensing rules
Sleep
individualized nap support for all ages, no fixed single nap schedule described
Diapers
diaper changes provided as-needed until child shows interest in toilet learning
Screens
screen-free during School Break Programs (ages 5-12)
Updates for parents
KinderCare App: daily photos, updates on what the child is learning, and messaging with the center (all KinderCare schools)
Schedule
part-time and full-time

Details

(206) 362-7164

Website
kindercare.com
Address
11395 5th Ave NE
License
PL-11258, active
Quality program
Early Achievers Level 3
Ages they serve
6 weeks to 6 years

Nearby

The eight closest of the 15 other licensed centers in ZIP 98125

All in ZIP 98125

Run Northgate KinderCare? 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.

Who cares for your child

What it costs

State record

From Washington DCYF’s published reports, last checked October 11, 2026.

A day here

What changed

kindercare.com/…/wa/000534, saved between June 16 and July 20, 2026, and again September 26, 2026

Washington rule on center ratios and group sizes (WAC 110-300-0356), read October 9, 2026

Washington Cost of Quality Child Care and Market Rate Study, Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families, June 17, 2026

Details

From KinderCare's quarterly report to the SEC, filed August 13, 2026. sec.gov

Large means the biggest quarter of Seattle-area’s 859 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 115 to 323 children. Small is 6 to 40; medium is 41 to 114.

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 11, 2026.