Center History

The Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children was founded in 1996 in the Seattle, Washington area, and became affiliated with the University of Washington’s Department of Philosophy in 1999. The organization's primary purpose is to introduce philosophy into the lives of young people. The center is an independent, not-for-profit organization, funded primarily by grants, tax-deductible donations, and workshop fees.

Our principal activities are the "Philosophers in the Schools" program, which brings people trained in philosophy into K-12 classrooms to do philosophy sessions with students, our teacher-education workshops, and our parent-education project. Since its founding, the Center has introduced philosophy to over 1,500 students in more than 30 schools around Washington State. Students in philosophy classes taught through the Center range from preschool through high school. Over the past decade, the Center has run over 25 workshops for teachers and parents about ways to facilitate philosophy discussions with young people. The Center is also a founding sponsor, with the American Philosophical Association, of Questions: Philosophy for Young People, a journal that publishes philosophical work by and for young people.

For more information, please contact us.