A diagram by the city shows one potential alignment for the United Learning Center at the corner of Maple Street and Pearl Street in Centralia.
The United Learning Center (ULC) fills an essential role in our community The ULC has the potential to serve families with children ages 18 months to teens in high school by providing year-round learning and childcare opportunities through the collaboration and cooperation of the United Way of Lewis County, City of Centralia, Centralia School District, Boys and Girls Club, Cascade Community Health and the Discover! Children’s Museum. The ULC helps children and students build the educational and social foundation to be successful and transition to kindergarten, learn in a safe environment, and explore the world. The ULC is an early learning center, museum, childcare community center, and so much more!
Why Do We Need It?
According to the Washington State OSPI Report Card, only 56 percent of children in Lewis County enter Kindergarten ready to learn. In Lewis County, only about 25 percent of children under 5 years of age participate in a quality pre-kindergarten program. The lack of childcare centers playing a large part in low participation rate. Statistics from organizations like Childcare Aware of Washington evidence that childcare centers are on the decline, while the need for access to quality programs increases.
Parents of infants and young children across Washington struggle to find and afford high-quality, licensed childcare, often paying more for childcare than the cost of college tuition. On average, the cost of childcare for families in Lewis County represents 35 percent of their budget. Quality, affordable childcare is one of the most important – and most expensive – budget items for ALICE families. (avg. cost between $598-$754 per child)
Quality learning experiences have social and economic benefits for children, parents, employers and society, now and in the future. Early learning enables young children to gain skills necessary for success in kindergarten and beyond. In addition, it enables parents to work, which enhances the family’s current and future earning potential.
A safe place to learn and play should not end after school, either. With 3,500 children in the Centralia School District, the Boys and Girls Club provides safe space for after-school activities; including programs focused on nutrition, sportsmanship, and mentorship. Many children have limited options for safe after school environments. With only 57 percent of ninth graders on track to graduate, this could provide help. The returns are in the data. Every $1 invested into a Boys and Girls Club in Washington state generates $12.30 in positive economic impact for the local community.
The Bigger Picture!
Not everyone learns the same way. The holistic approach described above is completed with Discover! Children’s Museum. Its mission is to encourage early learning and improve school preparedness by providing exhibits that serve a child’s need to learn.
Children’s Museums stimulate early learning with the use of interactive, hands-on exhibits that encourage children to use all their senses to better understand the world around them. The museum provides experiences to the children in our community with state-of-the-art interactive exhibitions inside the museum, as well as a trailer with portable exhibits to bring DISCOVER! Children’s Museum to the community.
Community
Each of these organizations brings something unique to the center that will improve the lives of the residents of Centralia and Lewis County. The Community will have a state-of-the-art learning facility, museum, community kitchen and recreation center that compliments Historic Downtown Centralia’s Fox Theater, Evergreen Playhouse, School of the Arts, restaurants, and shops.
The ULC collaboration provides seamless learning experiences for children of all ages, ignites cultural and economic development in historic downtown, and helps end intergenerational poverty among the people in our community that need it most.
As Board Members of United Way of Lewis County, Boys and Girls Club of Lewis County and Discover! Children’s Museum, we support this collaborative effort of building the United Learning Center in Centralia.
United Way of Lewis County Board of Directors
Court Stanley
Gretchen Moore
Christian Bruhn
Angie Brown
Richard DeBolt
Donna Olson
Lynn Braun
Doris Brumsickle
Derek Burger
Dianne Dorey
Amy Howlett
Brandon Johnson
Mary Catherine McAleer
Sue Muller
Gerda Stafford
Dr. Richard Stride
Sandy Yanish
Jeff Davis
Andrea Culletto
Heather Pinkerton
Boys & Girls Club of Lewis County
Kelly Johnston
Amanda Singleton
Garth Haakenson
Otto Rabe
Jessica Babka
Dr. Jennifer Polley
Franklin Taylor
Robert Pehl
Andy Alexander
Brett Ellingson
Todd Thornburg
Stephen Dotson
Holly Mencke
Amy Roberts
Erin Hillier
Shane Wood
Discover! Children’s Museum
Joe Clark
Britany Hastings
Vanessa Horning
Larry McGee
Jakob McGhie
Andrea Roe
Annalee Tobey
Kelly Vanasse
