Elma now has a new childcare and early learning center. Without support from many people, it wouldn’t have happened. For all who helped make it happen, Stephanie Smith of Learning to Grow Inc., is thankful.

While it took a lot of money to construct the center that will serve from 2-month-old infants until they turn 13, including a $752,000 grant from the Washington state Department of Commerce Early Learning Facilities Fund, $500,000 from state direct appropriations funds, and “close to” $800,000 private funds from Learning to Grow, it took a lot of teamwork to make the dream work.

That was the overarching theme of Smith’s speech to a well-attended event on Tuesday at Learning to Grow’s new facility, which shares a wall with Abundant Life Church — 535 E. Main St.

“This project would have been impossible without the collective work, advocacy and contributions of literally countless people!” states the Learning to Grow brochure that staff passed out before the event.

Lynnette Buffington, CEO for Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. (GGHI), who spoke to lead off the event, referred to the opening of the center as a “very, very big deal for Elma and for Grays Harbor County.”

“The importance of us being here today is childcare is an essential part of economic development,” Buffington said. “We can’t recruit employers, we can’t create good, family-wage jobs, we can’t build a thriving community if we don’t have things like robust, accessible and quality childcare in the community. So Learning to Grow’s expansion and growth in this county is incredibly celebratory and I couldn’t be happier to be here to acknowledge that.”

From the short tour, it’s a clean facility. Just as important as a facility with all the needs — think decorations you’d see in a school, brand new bathrooms, an expansive blacktop and large wood-chipped area with a jungle gym outside — were the many smiles seen on the children’s faces.

Buffington acknowledged the politicians in the room, including Sen. Kevin Van de Wege and Rep. Mike Chapman, who both shared a few words celebrating the project and the hard work of Stephanie Smith and her husband Eric. Buffington also thanked Summit Pacific Medical Center (SPMC) — the foundation and hospital — for being “a huge advocate and I guess loudspeaker for the need of this and advocating heavily for the appropriateness and trying to support Learning to Grow in all of their advancements.”

Chapman shared a few words to mark the occasion.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever gone to a grand opening in such a beautiful facility like this, beautiful sanctuary, beautiful building and a gracious host,” Chapman said in celebration of the future of the children who will be served at the center.

Learning to Grow has been in business in Elma since Oct. 31, 2005. Tuesday also marked its 18th year of operation. The facility celebrated on Tuesday has been open since Oct. 16. It has a licensed capacity to serve 99 children, including eight infant and 25 toddler spots. The center has a staff of more than 20 people to cover its classrooms. And then the cafeteria space is licensed for 29 children. Currently, the center serves 85, which mean only 14 openings remain. Tuition ranges on average between $700 and $1,100 per month.

“It actually depends on the age of the child and how many days we have them,” said Smith, who also said the center works with parents who might only need three, four or five days of childcare. And then there’s a discount for a 3:30 p.m. early pick up. “We try really hard with our private paying families to help offset the costs of tuition, because it’s the cost of a car payment for lots of families.”

Chapman also shared how a song by the band Alabama came to his head during his long drive to Elma, and how the song made him think of Stephanie Smith.

“It’s a song that’s kind of been near and dear to my heart over the years,” Chapman said. “Truly I think for this community, you are an angel among the community of Elma, McCleary and surrounding (areas) and soon Montesano. You’re one of the great partners we have in Olympia on policy and helping us get it right.”

He shared his respect for Smith’s “heart of love” of the children.

“You’re changing lives, you’re giving these kids every opportunity to feel loved and educated. Chapman said. “Today, to me, to you as a partner, for the work we do I just want to thank you for being truly one of the angels among us.”

Sen. Van De Wege briefly remarked about how it was nice to see “this many folks” show up to the grand opening. He also thanked the “big players” who made the project happen, including SPMC and its foundation, the Smiths and other people who played a part in getting the facility up and running.

Mike Mueller, pastor at Abundant Life Church, spoke about the project. The church is why there was available land for the facility.

“This property and this building that we’re in is really a testimony of collaboration and agreement,” Mueller said. “There’s been a lot of agreement and collaboration to make this day happen.”

Mueller said a “healthy, growing, civilized society like we want” thinks beyond immediate survival.

“It focuses on how it can make the world better, or at least this little chunk of the world better for its children and for their children,” Mueller said. “That’s truly what we have here.”

Mueller talked about how some of the youth in the community are struggling.

“But every young person starts with a thought process, regardless of the socioeconomic demographic that they’re a part of,” Mueller said. “They start to think about ‘I think I want something different. Can it be different? And how can I get there? And asking the question of ‘what could this become about your own life or any situation’ is truly the seed of hope. Our desire with this property, with this facility, with two organizations who have come together to make this happen is to help those hope seeds find firm ground to grow in.”

The dream of this facility started in 2007, Mueller said. It took hard work to make it happen.

“There’s two separate buildings, that wall is literally a dividing wall between two separate buildings,” Mueller said. “They have one purpose, but it’s two buildings. During the construction … how fussy it was to have two separate plans, two separate buildings, everything was separate. Every subcontractor who came in (we told them) ‘no no no, this is this project and that’s that one.’ There was a lot of integrity with that but also there was unity. Two separate functions or how we do what we do, but there’s one big why. It’s that collaboration and agreement.”

But mostly, Mueller said “it took risk,” but it also took trust from all bodies, the city of Elma, SPMC and its foundation, the Smiths and the church.

Then Smith spoke with her husband alongside her.

“I get a lot of credit, but I have a second half that makes everything that I do actually function,” Smith said. “I dream big and he works hard.”

She also thanked many people, including Rep. Steve Tharinger, and a host of other people who made the facility’s construction and opening possible.

Smith said she’s envisioned Tuesday’s celebratory moment for “literally thousands of hours collectively.”

“If you know me at all, you know I’m pretty passionate about the thought that it takes a village,” Smith said. “We have our own five kids and we collectively said ‘our kids would never be who they are without the village that we have.’ And so we are village people. We are very thankful for our village. My heart for Learning to Grow is to be that village for the rest of the families that we serve. And I view you all as an extension of that village.”

Smith thanked the people in attendance for being a part of the village that made Tuesday possible.

“I see in everyone of you the tangible proof that when Eric and I were too weak to keep pressing on, in one way or another, each of you (said) ‘you’ve got this. We’re right behind you.’” Smith said. “We will forever be thankful for that.”

Josh Martin, CEO of SPMC, spoke highly about the joint efforts to make the facility happen.

“I love this,” Martin said. “It was me and Rep. Chapman and Stephanie when we wanted to address the childcare shortages here in our community. It was over six years ago when I heard Rep. Chapman say childcare was one of the most important things on his initiatives. It was for our hospital too, because we were losing staff. There was no access. More of our workforce was staying at home or not working at all, or competing for the same childcare spot in Hoquiam. There was a desert.”

Research from GGHI showed the feasibility and projections of the demand and need, and acknowledged there was a shortage, Martin said.

“Being Summit Pacific, one of the largest employers in East County, we felt responsible to do something about it,” Martin said. “We considered even standing up and building our own childcare facility, but then were introduced to Stephanie. At the time with their facility burning down (in 2016) and needing access, we started to work on partnerships and what we could do to work together. That led us to a pathway to state legislation to apply for a grant.”

Its original building was destroyed by a fire. Since then Learning to Grow has “moved and reconfigured locations six times in efforts to continue our ability to serve families while trying to find, finance and build our permanent home that you are sitting in today.”

Martin said SPMC has supported the organization through advocacy ever since then. SPMC’s support has given their workers up to a 20% discount for the services. On the low end that’s a $140 discount per month.

“For us, we look at it from recruitment and retention,” Martin said. “The loss of one turnover of that employee due to childcare or not having access to childcare, the benefit to us is greater than that loss. We look at it … childcare in general is expensive and it’s just increasing. There’s not good incentives for childcare providers, in fact quite the opposite. I think some of the new regulations have become more complex and more challenging, so a lot of the independent childcare providers have closed their doors, which then puts more pressures on agencies or organizations like Learning to Grow to step in to fill the vacancy or void. They can’t do that without good community support from either legislation or big employers or healthcare providers to try to identify solutions, otherwise it won’t be sustainable.”

Martin is glad to hear from what his employees, who have children who use the facility, have said about the facility.

“They’re just over the moon, and just to think about the smiles on their faces knowing that their kid is right across the street,” Martin said. “They can come over and visit them on their breaks or lunch. We have a great relationship with Learning to Grow.”

Stephen Dunk, community engagement specialist for the Department of Commerce, spoke about working for Grays Harbor. The county is part of Dunk’s region, which serves Southwest Washington.

“This is the kind of project that commerce loves to be a part of,” Dunk said. “We have multiple programs with the Department of Commerce. And what I wanted to say was this is the start and we want to build strong, working relationships. We have a bunch of different departments. We have energy, housing, community services and more local government for senior centers and community centers. And I can get here in a heartbeat from Olympia. I wanted to emphasize that, make sure folks here in Elma know I am their person for them to work with and hopefully be a warm hand-off for more programs, funding and different things here in Elma.”

Dunk, who was on the first tour of the facility, provided a sterling review.

“It’s absolutely wonderful is what I see,” Dunk said. “And knowing what the situation of daycare was here before this facility, it’s incredible. I mean it’s brand-spanking new. It looks gorgeous. And not only that, but for the kids, it’s one thing. But also for the parents, the local businesses, and the region, it’s just incredible.”

Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Many people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Learning to Grow Inc.’s new childcare and early learning center — 535 E. Main St, in Elma. The speeches took place inside Abundant Life Church, which helped Learning to Grow get the land needed for the facility.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, left, observes the fun environment inside the Sharks room on Tuesday during a tour of Learning to Grow Inc.’s opening of its new childcare and early learning center, which cost a little more than $2 million of public and private funds to build. The facility is licensed to serve 99 children.