TCC Magazine - Tacoma Community College

The center also has a place where
parents can do homework between
classes; and a large kitchen where
full, hot meals are prepared and
students can eat with their children.
“We planned this into our budget,”
says Webstad. “Parents haven’t
always eaten breakfast either.”
Says Webstad: “Being in a college
setting, we can hire teachers who
have training in early childhood
education.” Classrooms are
arranged around a series of
“observation pods” where students,
teachers, and parents can view the
children through one-way mirrors
without disrupting classroom
routines. This arrangement
facilitates teacher education
programs, including TCC’s Early
Childhood Paraeducation program,
the English as a Second Language /
Childhood Development Assistant
program, and parenting classes for
our students whose children attend
the Early Learning Center.
Project funding includes
$1 million in capital funds from
the State of Washington, matched
by local donations secured through
efforts of the TCC Foundation.
Donations include the largest
single anonymous gift in the
history of the TCC Foundation.
TCC Associated Students are
also providing funds over several
years that total more than $2
million. Many other contributions
were received from individuals,
foundations and companies
throughout the region.
“We have student activities fees
supported by our students; and
we get United Way and ECEAP
funding, which allows us to educate
our parents in early childhood
education,” says Webstad, but
we couldn’t have done all of this
without the Foundation going out
and raising money to support this
kind of early childhood education,”
says Webstad. The Foundation
is continuing to raise funds to
complete the building – with
$420,000 still needed to cover the
new building’s construction costs.
To learn how you can help
support TCC’s new Early Learning
Center, contact Foundation
Executive Director Mel Zanjani
at 253.566.5002.
Design by:
McGranahan Architects
Construction by:
Pease Construction, Inc.
Landscape Architect:
Cascade Design Collaborative
Celebrating
our ‘new’ campus
Last year Tacoma Community College celebrated
the grand re-opening of the ‘new’ TCC campus.
New buildings, new public gathering spaces, a new
central College Way and bridge linked new with old,
transforming the campus look and feel—and the
college’s ability to serve a large, diverse population.
In the year since, new spaces have become familiar
and landscaping has softened the edges. For entering
students, the well-designed features—both utilitarian
and aesthetic—are the TCC they know.
Plans for our future
The campus continues to grow and evolve to
better serve student and community needs. In the
pre-design stage is the new Health Careers Center,
which is planned for completion in 2013.
The college continues its drive toward becoming
a more sustainable campus. In addition to building
and grounds design, campus vehicles are moving
off the gas-powered grid to electric power, to be
provided by a solar power station mounted on
the roof of the new Science and Engineering
building. A food recycling program will be
inaugurated to enhance TCC’s award-winning
waste recycling program, beginning at the new
Early Learning Center.
Sustainability, which includes environmental
issues along with elements that sustain the
cultural, economic and social fabric of our
community, continues to move into the classroom.
“We want faculty to become really excited
about sustainability so they will try new ways to
incorporate it into their programs of study,” said
Sue Habeck, TCC biology instructor.
Fall 2008 TCC Magazine 5