As Janice Jacobson walks down the streets of Ballard, she’s like a local celebrity. One-by-one she can’t help but stop and chat as past and present students yell out at her, “Teacher, Janice.”

“My boys don’t want to go on walks with me anymore because they know I always run into someone and we’ll have to stop,” she said.

For the past 20 years, many families have witnessed the impact Jacobson has had on their lives and children as she’s led toddler and pre-three programs at Loyal Heights Community Center and Northwest Co-op in Crown Hill.

With experience as a teacher for a K-6 grade gifted program in the Shoreline School District, Jacobsen moved into the Loyal Heights neighborhood in 1982 after she became pregnant with her first son, Joel.

There she ran a home daycare business as she cared for Joel and her second son Nick, who was born two years later. It was in 1990 that a neighbor told her of an advertisement for a preschool teacher at Loyal Heights Community Center.

This started Jacobson’s infamous reign of Ballard’s ultimate preschool teacher.

“I started the toddler program at Loyal Heights Community Center so the year before Nick went to Kindergarten he was there for preschool and I did the toddler preschool program there,” she said.

The following year, Jacobson was told there was a need for a co-op preschool teacher at Loyal Heights pre-three program, which was a collaboration with the North Seattle Community College Co-op system.

“I finished my second year with Loyal Heights Community Center and started that year with the Co-op, where I taught there for the next four years,” Jacobson said.

In 1995 an opening came up in Crown Hill, where Jacobson then began teaching the Northwest Co-op pre-three and toddler programs at Our Reedmer’s Lutheran Church.

“Our program was so successful that we’d have a waiting list for an entire class,” she said. “ They let us start another toddler program seven years ago and this will be our fourth year starting another pre-three program.”

As a whole, the programs have accumulated 80 families with 20 families in each group.

The toddler program for 1 year olds, meet once a week and parents stay with them the whole day. During the toddler's free play, parents take parenting classes with an instructor from North Seattle Community College.

The pre-three program is for 2 year olds. It meets twice a week. Parents also stay for this class and attend a once a month evening parents education meeting with the same North Seattle Community College parent educator.

“I joined the Northwest Toddlers Preschool Co-op last year and we’re continuing on with Northwest pre-three this fall,” said Shelley Curtis, mother of Koen, 3. “Janice is Koen’s first teacher and one of his favorite adults. Koen has learned to trust another adult and I think his interaction with Janice has increased his self-esteem and self-confidence. These are gifts you can’t buy!”

Many parents admire Jacobson because of her ability to communicate to both children and parents and reminding them to appreciate the small moments in their child’s lives, said Curtis.

“The thing I loved about her was that she had a really gentle, simple way with the kids, but she was still able to talk to me like an adult.” said Jen Minear, mother of Austin, 3. “She can one second relate to a 2 year old and the next second relate to a 33-year-old mom.”

Jacobson said what she enjoys about teaching is how fun it is to see kids go through the program and then running into them later because Ballard is like a small little town.

“It’s fun to watch and be a support group for families and getting to know each other,” Jacobson said. “Because I’m in the neighborhood I can answer questions about the grade schools, middle schools and different programs.”

Jen Lemmer said Jacobson is a great foundation for the rest of her son’s education.

“I noticed that he really has been developing a joy of learning and has really great expectations from all the teachers he encounters,” Lemmer said. “I attribute it to Janice entirely and her ability to connect with her students.”

Jacobson will begin the first classes for the toddlers and pre-three program at Northwest Co-op on Sept. 14.