Small Faces Child Dev Center

Description

Chapter 1: 1969-2009 Nancy Talbott and Sheila Lyons are the co-founders of Small Faces Child Development Center. At 19 and 20 years old in 1969, they had a dream to provide a creative educational environment for children. Small Faces wasn’t the original name. Nancy and Sheila were operating Henny Penny Child Care out of a house on Queen Anne and, later, a house on Capitol Hill near Volunteer Park where they changed the name to Kiddie Carnival. The two were referred to as “those girls” around the neighborhood. “Those girls” were providing creative opportunities in an open and loving way for children. Sheila was the powerful organizer voice and Nancy was the nurturer. They organized Monday night community dinners at the center and coordinated family counseling services through the University of Washington. They became community activists recognized by City council members, the “Whiz Kids” and the mayor. The time came when City ordinances and childcare licensing regulations forced the move to Ballard. A couple from the Capitol Hill group purchased an old church at 1412 67th Ave NW behind Ballard High School (now condos). It offered a stage for children’s performances and large spaces upstairs and down. Sheila and Nancy had absolutely no money to pay for paint and repairs. The children had to use the old church tables for meals and play. Sheila had a parrot that rode around on her shoulders (birds were still allowed in child care settings at the time). Nancy remembered the parrot down on the floor after meals cleaning up the crumbs from lunch. At the time, Nancy was dating the Graeme Edge, drummer for the Moody Blues (!) who was friends with Rod Stewart of the band “Small Faces”. Graeme provided Nancy and Sheila with the funds to paint and upgrade the new building which they named “Small Faces Child Development Center”. Nancy and Sheila decided it was time to move on in early 1975, so the parents formed a non-profit organization and bought the business. Sheila and her husband, Deano the Clown, still own a magic shop in Pike Place Market. Nancy eventually moved to San Diego where she lived for 25 years. She moved back to Washington State recently and now works in Edmonds at the Aegis Senior Inn. In the early seventies, Nancy and Sheila hired Patricia Dewey as the art and sciences teacher. She went to her interview with her first child, Chris, in a back pack. Patricia became the director after the business sale. She raised 3 more children in the Center by 1985 and eventually moved to Texas. Her family returned to the Seattle area where Pat taught classes at the Pacific Science Center. In 1979 Pat hired two young ladies, Lynn B. Wirta and Kathy Brockman. Lynn was the Big Kids teacher (K-6!). Kathy taught in one of the three preschool classrooms. In 1980 the center moved into its current home, the Crown Hill Elementary School building. The school had eight staff members and 55 kids. Small Faces was just renting space in the building at the time (which did not include the Rainforest Room). Food was served in the auditorium (currently in use by ARC ballet).

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