MARYSVILLE—YMCA of Snohomish County cut the ribbon on its brand-new Early Learning Center in Marysville Tuesday, August 5, which, when it opens this September, will serve up to 68 children (aged 1-5), with 40% of them being from families below the poverty line.
“Quality, licensed, childcare providers aren’t just falling from trees. It turns out it’s really difficult to run a quality childcare center that’s affordable. That’s why they’re not running rampant. It requires a community, and a village, getting together and recognizing the need,” said YMCA CEO Peyton Tune. “The Y is not just a logo. It represents the collective needs of our community. It’s like good old-fashioned barn raising but we don’t use barns anymore, we build centers like this that will go on to serve youth.”
The Early Learning Center will have four classrooms, each delegated to a specific age, an outside playground, a full kitchen, administrative offices, and even a quiet room where overstimulated children can take a break. The Center operates within the Washington State Administrative Code (WAC) guidelines under the Department for Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).
A big issue with childcare centers across the county retaining workforce is often strict certifications and lower pay, compared to public schools, but the YMCA’s Marysville Early Learning Center plans to keep wages competitive in addition to offering several benefits including free childcare, free memberships, reduction on programs, and more.
“Our employee benefits alone are a huge piece of recruitment because staff knows they have a job that pays a great wage but also that their child can be provided for free-of-charge,” said Gina Casagrande, YMCA District Executive Director.
Another issue with childcare access in Snohomish County is affordability with the average cost of childcare being $30,000 a year, on par with Washington State University tuition. At the new Marysville center, however, the Y has committed to ensuring at least 40% of their children are supported by financial assistance either through state subsidies or the YMCA financial assistance programs.
“Childcare is a national crises because it’s really thin margins. We want to be able to provide the highest level of childcare, there are license requirements, ratios, staffing, but we never want to pass those costs on to families, to have a parent have to decide whether they go to work or send their child to daycare,” Casagrande told the Lynnwood Times. “It shouldn’t be such a financial burden on families to have a safe place to have their kids grow, and thrive, at. You can’t say access to all without serving the all.”
The YMCA has one of the largest free and reduced populations in the county.
The Y’s new Early Center will have a Lead Teacher role in every classroom, in addition to at least two Assistant Teachers per classroom, a Food Specialist curating nutritious and balanced meals for the kids, a Family Support Specialist assisting families with third-party subsidies or DSHS services, or identify early signs of neurodivergence and connect families to services within the community, and Mental Health and Behavioral Health Specialists.
“When I think about this space it’s really personal to me. My children used this particular building in elementary, in middle school, and high school, and now my daughter is working the outdoor summer camp,” said JJ Frank, YMCA Marysville Executive Director. “It’s truly a blessing to see this space be reenvisioned.”
The facility, located at 6518 60th Drive Northeast in Marysville, used to be a food bank, then converted to a Youth Development Center before opening as an Early Learning Center. Construction took about 10-months led by WestRock Construction.
Easing out of the pandemic, the YMCA Board of Trustees got together to organize their next Strategic Plan when they identified both all of the great services they’ve provided over the years but also the gaps of service within their community. During those conversations, early learning frequently rose to the surface.
“This is an example of that promise fulfilled in our community,” said CEO Tune. “It is our most recent, it is our newest, and it is far from our last.”
Larry and Linda Jubie, who built the original foodbank, were instrumental private donors to the remodel effort in addition to the Tulalip Tribes.
The YMCA’s new Marysville Early Learning Center could also not have been made possible without the support of the Washington State Department of Commerce – particularly Senator Patty Murray’s advocacy and her commitment to early learning in Snohomish County.
It’s the Y’s goal to eventually open an Early Learning/Childcare Center in every community it serves in Snohomish County, CEO Peyton Tune told the Lynnwood Times, hopefully at the rate of one a year. Though it’s too early to say for certain, Tune hopes the Y’s next Early Learning Center will be opening some time next year if everything goes according to plan. Though he didn’t mention a city, by name, examples given were Stanwood, Mukilteo, and Monroe.
Tune continued he hopes the Y’s commitment to early learning sparks the motivation of other community nonprofits to follow suit saying, “many hands make light work.”
Senator June Robinson, who represents the 38th district, where the new facility is located, shared a few words at Tuesday’s ribbon cutting stating:
“Childcare and a quality early learning experience is the best investment that we, as the public, can make,” said Sen. Robinson. “An investment in early learning pays enormous dividends throughout that person’s life, who is the recipient of quality early learning. They do better in school, they do better long term in their career, and they give back to the community they serve. There’s no better investment for the State of Washington.”
Other elected officials at Tuesday’s ribbon cutting include Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, Snohomish County Council members Nate Nehring and Jared Mead, Washington State Representative Carolyn Eslick, and Marysville City Council members Kamille Norton and Peter Condyles.
“Early Learning and Childcare is a huge need in Snohomish County so as a Snohomish County Council member, and a YMCA Board of Trustees member, I’m just thrilled to have this new Early Learning facility here in Marysville. It’s such a valuable asset to the community and it will serve so many families for generations to come,” County Councilman Nate Nehring told the Lynnwood Times.
The Snohomish County Council, including Council members Nehring and Jared Mead, invested its American Rescue Plan Act dollars to the YMCA which supported its Behavioral Health and Mental Health services which will be provided at the new Marysville facility.
“Statistically speaking, Snohomish County is a childcare desert county within a childcare desert state. I’m so grateful to be a part of this amazing project through the YMCA that aims to address this dire need of childcare accessibility,” County Councilman Jared Mead told the Lynnwood Times.
The YMCA is the largest, and oldest, social service nonprofit in Snohomish County celebrating 125 years of age next year.
The Y serves one in six families in Snohomish County and is also the county’s 20th largest employer, employing over 1,200 employees.
Snohomish County is one of the worst areas for childcare access in Washington State, comparative to the number of children who need them, according to Snohomish County Dave Somers. An estimated 80% of residents live in an extreme “child care desert,” said Somers.
According to Child Care Aware, there are 62 slots of childcare in the county for every 100 infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, which is far below the state average of 79 slots per 100 children.
Photo Tour of the YMCA’s new Early Learning Center
Author: Kienan Briscoe
