Just in time for the new school year, the Tiny Tots Development Center unveiled a first-of-its-kind outdoor learning classroom at its new location at Othello Square, which opened earlier this year.

Kids will play and learn in an outdoor, natural environment with garden beds, bench seating and more. According to Tiny Tots staff, this type of set up encourages students to learn with hands-on activities and accelerates early childhood learning.

Tiny Tots CEO Angelia Hicks-Maxie led the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the classroom. She said the outdoor learning area is not exactly a playground—it’s an extension of the indoor classrooms. The outdoor area stimulates children’s curiosity to learn and improves their physical and emotional health, she said.

Hicks-Maxie said the children love the outdoor space and it’s hard to get them back inside after being outside.

“Once they get out here, they find so many different interest areas, and they’re learning so many different things that it’s hard to pull them away,” she said. “But lunch is one that gets them inside. Lunchtime—they’ll come in! But it’s been very rewarding to see them learn.”

Students are 2 to 3 years old. They get to play with learning tools and interact with each other as they learn about the environment. Supporters and staff brought in twigs, sticks, dirt and garden tools.

Hicks-Maxie said she was initially worried that the children would fight and hit each other with the sticks, but that was not the case. She said that the staff received training on how to overcome such fears.

“Their first instinct was not to hit, not to fight with the sticks. They were genuinely curious about it. Think about it: how many times do they get to have that in a play space? We usually have a lot of manufactured things for them,” Hicks-Maxie said. “A lot of times they started to really explore what it was, and that gave us an opportunity to teach to it.”

The center is in Seattle’s southeast side—easily accessible by existing Light Rail in the Othello neighborhood. Funding for the development center came from PNC Bank, Seattle Children’s, the City of Seattle and other organizations.

South Seattle historically has lacked the type of investments that downtown receives, but one representative for the city said that that is changing.

Leilani Dela Cruz, director of Early Learning Division in Seattle’s Department of Education and Early Learning, said Tiny Tots is one of the city’s long-time pre-school partners. She said the city invested about $900,000 in the outdoor expansion, and there are more investments to come to South Seattle as part of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s “One Seattle” vision.

“This development that you see here with affordable housing, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Tiny Tots to provide preschool and child care is an example of some of the public-private partnerships that can revitalize a neighborhood like south Seattle,” Dela Cruz said.

Hicks-Maxie said south Seattle has been neglected for a while, but she hopes the investment in the development center is only the beginning.

“There has not been significant investment dollars in this neighborhood. This project is amazing. The urban renewal that’s going to happen in Othello Square is going to be amazing,”

Hicks-Maxie said. “And it is the start of something that I think will be lifelong investments for a neighborhood that is so diverse. Diversity should be respected and not neglected. I’m extremely excited about this project and what it means for the future.”

At a press conference that preceded the ribbon cutting, De la Cruz acknowledged that opportunity is not equal, and education is a good example.

“Disparities still exist for children of color and for children with English as a second language,” De la Cruz said. “High-quality, early learning experiences are a great equalizer and create a strong foundation for life-long learning. This is why we are excited that Tiny Tots is here in this neighborhood.”

Hicks-Maxie said the center has 80 students enrolled, and there are 15 others who are on the waiting list.