Hutch School was born more than 25 years ago, when teacher Betsy Presley began tutoring a few patients and siblings whose families worried about their missing school. Hutch patients had been taught for some years under the Seattle School District's homebound program, but this was the first time that siblings and children of patients were able to come to school. In the early days, Betsy and her students used waiting rooms and various other empty rooms at the old Doctors' Hospital, which had been provided them by the Hutch's Dr. Jean Sanders, an early supporter of the idea. At one point the fire department declared the space being used as unsuitable for a school, due to its close proximity to a lab. The fledgling Hutch School was evicted, so Betsy took the kids to a Campfire Girls camp on Samish Island for a week while a new space was researched.

Hutch School then moved into a space at the Northwest School in Seattle, where it remained for several years. Betsy and her growing staff worked hard trying to qualify as an "agency school" with the Seattle School District, in order to receive money and services for the kids. As there was no school like it in existence, Betsy tried to convince the district that the Hutch was most like the "remote and necessary island schools," the qualifying tenet being that there was no alternative for the kids. She filled out an application for this kind of recognition and sent it to the state. No answer came until she called the state and was told that they thought the idea frivolous. After Betsy explained the situation, they began to understand. They sent two staff members who decided that the Hutch School was not quite remote, but deserved to belong in the Seattle system. And so, finally, it came to be.

After three years at the Northwest School, Hutch School was moved to the lower floor of a dentists' office building. This finally allowed for some separation of kids according to age, although each morning began with a meeting of all students to introduce the newcomers of the day. Hutch School still begins every week this way, with an all-school Monday morning meeting. Other traditions started by Betsy and her staff that continue today are the many field trips we take throughout Seattle, from following the salmon through the Ballard Locks to the fish hatchery, to touring Coast Guard vessels, to ascending the Space Needle and Smith Tower, to enjoying ice skating and hot cocoa. The Hutch School greatly appreciates the generosity of these establishments, and others all over the Seattle area that allow us to bring our students out into the community.

In 1999, a space was designed specifically for the Hutch School, adjacent to the Pete Gross House, where many of our patient families live. While Betsy Presley retired in 1992, Hutch School now has a staff of seven and continues to serve the families of the SCCA with care and enthusiasm. The Hutch School is an extraordinary place; it is the only school of its kind in the country, a place where hearts and minds truly are nurtured.