Early Learning & Family Support Center

The Early Learning and Family Support Center is a joint community effort to address a severe childcare shortage in Jefferson County. The proposed center will be built on 1.16 acres of vacant land at Port Townsend High School and would be owned and operated by the Olympic Peninsula YMCA. The center could accommodate up to 40 children aged 6 months to 5 years. It would host six classrooms, a community meeting space, a commercial kitchen, and a playground. Funding sources will include Jefferson County, federal appropriations as well as grants.

On October 12, 2022, a Community Visioning & Information Session was held at Mountain View Commons about the new Early Learning and Family Support Center proposed to be built on the Port Townsend High School Campus. The session gave the community a chance to learn more about the proposal and provided opportunities for participants to contribute to concept and design ideas in this early phase of development.

In March 2023, a lease for the land at Port Townsend High School where the center is to be built was signed by Olympic Peninsula YMCA CEO, Wendy Bart, and Port Townsend School District Superintendent, Linda Rosenbury.

For more information about this project, please click the link below:

Project Fact Sheet