Jefferson Healthcare is seeking an early childhood program partner interested in developing, owning, and operating an early childhood development and learning program in East Jefferson County. Individuals or programs with the desire and capacity to serve infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and wish to partner with Jefferson Healthcare are encouraged to submit a Letter of Interest (LOI).

The LOI will identify community partners who wish to increase the county’s availability of high-quality early childhood services. Interested providers will demonstrate their ability to provide services for a program capacity of 40 children and their commitment to a long-term lease agreement and help identify funding sources for operational expense gaps for the program. Jefferson Healthcare will assist the partnership through grant procurement as a public hospital district.

The need for childcare in our community has been known for years. The Jefferson Healthcare Population Health Department partnered with Peninsula College and the Olympic Peninsula YMCA to obtain a Washington State Department of Commerce grant to fund a needs assessment, feasibility planning, and program development to address gaps in childcare availability which was published in April 2021. Findings reinforced the need for an increase in childcare capacity in Jefferson County to support the population of young, working families in the community.

“Jefferson County’s childcare options are wonderful, but waitlists are long, particularly for infants. Over the past seven years, Jefferson Healthcare explored options to expand access to full-time early learning for our patients and employees through task forces, needs assessments, and community partnerships. We are hopeful that providing support for an independent early learning center operator will allow more childcare capacity for the county,” stated Molly Parker, MD, MPH and Chief Medical Officer of Population Health.

Programs to increase childcare capacity in Jefferson County are essential to support the population of young families in the community. Economic development that relies on a consistent workforce also requires improvements in childcare availability. As the largest employer in the county, Jefferson Healthcare is committed to the creation of high-quality childcare as well as supporting the growth and sustainability of existing childcare providers to meet the needs of the community workforce effectively.

Please submit letters of intent and related questions by email with Operator Name – LOI in the subject line to Molly Parker at mparker@jeffersonhealthcare.org cc: Nicole O’Hara at: ne-nohara@jeffersonhealthcare.org. Submissions are due no later than April 1, 2022.