José Martí Child Development Center (JMCDC)
(206) 957-4619

JMCDC is a bilingual, multicultural and early childhood educational center serving Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley communities. The primary goal of our program is to build stronger children, youth, adults and community. JMCDC offers childcare services to families with children ages 1 to 5 years. We also train teachers and parents to use bilingual and materials, techniques and audio-visual images. We named our center after José Martí, an organizer, educator and author of children’s stories, who led the Cuban War of Independence against Spain in the late 1800s. He believed, as we do, that our future lies in our children, and that our future is secure only if they are adequately educated. Based on that belief, we seek to provide an educational environment that will:

1.Enhance the physical, emotional, social and intellectual potential of our children

2.Build self-awareness, self-esteem and cultural pride

3.Involve families in efforts to build stronger communities of diversity

The center was completely renovated in 1998 to establish what is now a national model. It reflects creative efforts in design and construction, with complete accessibility for the physically disabled, as well as cultural murals and bright colors and spaces. Our four class rooms: El Agua (Water), El Sol (Sun), El Arcoiris (Rainbow) and El Viento (Wind) are joined in a common circle room where the words of a modern Cuban song honoring José Martí proclaim:

            “All the children of the world, let us make a circle, and in a thousand languages, sing: we want to grow up in peace.”

The central focus of JMCDC’s entrance is a carpet with an inlaid map of the world. Its message to our children is that they are an integral part of the world and citizens of a planet that must be cared for and loved.

The JMCDC recognizes that a creative, nontraditional learning environment is essential to foster the development of young children and all who share in the learning/teaching process. Because of our unshakable belief that we can learn as much from the children as they can learn from us, the world within the children’s center reflects this philosophy. The environment is nurturing and homelike. Expressions of racism, sexism, violence and ageism are eliminated from all materials and activities.

We are a bilingual program, using Spanish and English everyday. We stress communication in both languages among students, parents, community members and staff.

JMCDC is unique among child development centers in that the children’s participation in organizational projects is an essential part of their education. Every day we have music, dance, stories and other activities that involve each child and family. It is a vital curriculum that integrates day-to-day celebrations, holidays, festival, events and visitors into the classroom. In this way, our young people learn through diverse cultural experiences.

Parent participation is fundamental to the success of our educational goals. Parents work with us to create toys for use in the classroom, raise funds, coordinate cultural events, staff art exhibits, spend time with the students and teachers, and provide role models of serving our community. We encourage and depend on parents, community volunteers and representatives to be engaged in all aspects of our center.

Our program opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. We offer preschool and toddler programs. Parents may apply for a childcare subsidy through various programs-Department of Social and Health Services, Department of Health and Human Services and JTPA.

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Donate While You Search the Internet! - Go to GoodSearch.com every time you search the internet, select El Centro de la Raza as your organization of support and search the web just as you normally would. El Centro will receive about a penny per search, which adds up quickly! www.GoodSearch.com.