The Pierce County Labor Community Services Agency shared in a press release today that it has bought the Willard Early Learning Center from Tacoma Public Schools.
The PCLSCA is the nonprofit arm of the Pierce County Labor Council. It’s planning, in the next year, to turn the resource into what it’s calling Pierce Labor’s Childcare and Workforce Education Center. The goal, the release said, is to offer affordable childcare during nontraditional hours, professional mobility for childcare professionals, workforce and apprenticeship education opportunities, and spaces in which community partners and unions can collaborate. It’s also looking to locally address the national childcare crisis: statistics cited by PCLSCA found that only 14.8% of Pierce County residents think that area childcare options are adequate.
“The future of the Willard School is an example of what can happen when we work in partnership,” Tacoma Public Schools Superintendent Josh Garcia said in the release. “We must work together across agencies and the community to support our students in and outside of school hours. From childcare to internships, it’s partnerships like this one with Pierce County Central Labor Council that support Tacoma’s families and embody the essence of One City. We know this project is in good hands and we can’t wait to see it come to fruition.”…