Bezos Academy Centralia — the soon-to-launch, tuition-free preschool located in the United Learning Center of Lewis County — is now accepting applications for the 2026-27 school year.
Families must apply by 5 p.m., Monday, April 20. Applications for enrollment opened on Jan. 27.
Bezos Academy Centralia is available to families whose annual gross income is up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level, making it a potential option for many in Lewis County.
For example, a family of three can make up to $109,280 and still be eligible.
A family of four, meanwhile, can make up to $132,000 a year and still be eligible.
“This is a major investment in Lewis County families and our youngest learners,” said Annie Oien, executive director of United Way of Lewis County. “Bezos Academy Centralia represents what’s possible when community partners come together to create access to high-quality early learning.”
The four-classroom preschool will provide a Montessori-style learning environment five days a week, seven hours per day, for children ages three and four.
The Bezos Academy website writes that Montessori principles "include children having choice in their work, maintaining a prepared environment, and using a child’s interests and movement to support learning and cognition.”
The local program aims to provide a “high-quality early learning experience designed to help children enter kindergarten ready to learn and thrive,” according to a news release from the United Way of Lewis County.
Bezos Academy Centralia highlights United Way’s focus on Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) families. ALICE represents households earning above the poverty level but who nonetheless struggle to afford housing, food, childcare or other necessities.
Oien emphasized the tuition-free program offers a “huge opportunity for working families.”
To be eligible for enrollment, children must be either three or four years old by September 2026. Specifically, children born between Sept. 1, 2021, and Aug. 31, 2023 are eligible.
Enrollment will be decided by a lottery, with results announced by 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 5.
Eighty children will be selected, according to Oien.
Any applications submitted after April 20 at 5 p.m. will be added to a waitlist, according to the academy’s website. Additional seats may be offered based on availability.
The United Learning Center of Lewis County is located at 415 N. Pearl St., in downtown Centralia.
To learn more about eligibility or submit an application, visit https://bezosacademy.org/eligibility.
