PORT ANGELES — The Olympic Peninsula YMCA hopes to open its early learning center for children up to 5 years old by the first or second quarter of 2024, according to YMCA CEO Wendy Bart.
“We are in the process of getting design work done and then once we get a design firm, we’ll quickly move into finding a general contractor,” she said.
The 8,000-square-foot structure, plus a playground, will be located on the same block of East Fourth Street as the Y.
“We own a couple of houses on same block as the Y. We have the opportunity to buy a third house so we will have the size we need on East Fourth Street to build it and establish a playground,” Bart said.
One house can’t be used so it will be demolished. YMCA officials hope to move at least one of the remaining houses to avoid demolition, she said.
“It’s a beautiful site. It’s near the YMCA and five minutes to the largest employers, so it’s an ideal location,” Bart said.
The anticipated cost is $4.5 million. The Olympic Peninsula YMCA is contributing $1.025 million, including the land. Another $1 million is coming from the state Department of Commerce. Clallam County is contributing $500,000 from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and the city of Port Angeles is contributing $250,000 in ARPA funds. Private gifts total $65,000 and the Y will continue pursuing grant funding.
Operating costs will be covered by fees and private philanthropy, Bart said. The YMCA works hard to make their childcare affordable, she added.
“We are anticipating one third of families will meet the requirements for Working Connections Childcare, which is a state program that provides additional assistance for those who need it,” Bart said.
They won’t know the details until the design phase is completed, but YMCA officials anticipate a building of two stories that, with a playground, can serve up to 92 children up to 5 years old, Bart said. They anticipate hiring 15 early learning and childcare professionals, she said.
Current licensed childcare in Clallam County is available to less than 30 percent of children under 6 years old whose working parents need childcare, Bart said.
That means that nearly 400 children are in need of services, she said.
“The need is significant. So while we are excited at being able to build this, it really only makes a dent,” Bart said.
According to ChildCare Aware of Washington, 24 percent of licensed childcare sites have closed since 2020. As of March 2021, the state Department of Children, Youth and Families estimated that of the 1,118 children eligible in Clallam County, only 476 were enrolled in licensed childcare.
A 2021 Clallam County Economic Development Council survey on childcare discovered that 78 percent of parents not currently working would return to work if they could find affordable, reliable childcare.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@soundpublishing.com.
Terry Ward, publisher of the Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum, serves on the Olympic Peninsula YMCA board of directors.
