Olympia School District partners with community organizations on child care grant 

To increase access to affordable, high-quality child care, the Olympia School District (OSD) is partnering with local organizations to assess community needs through Child Care Partnership Grants. 

The approximately $60,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce will let the district examine the possibility of offering licensed child care in district facilities. 

“We as a society need to do more to support our young children and families,” said OSD Early Learning Coordinator Tom Parnell. “Every child deserves access to high-quality early learning opportunities, and every parent should be able to seek employment if they choose.” 

The district wrote on its website that early learning refers to programming for children ages 0 to 5, including preschool, Pre-K, child care centers and home-based care.  

Parnell wrote in an email to The JOLT that the district will receive the grant over the course of the next few months..  

“This is going to cover staff time, subcontracts with partner organizations for their support, advertising, and outreach activities to gather family and child care provider feedback,” Parnell said. 

The district will conduct a Community Needs and Capacity Assessment, which will explore the child care situation and identify specific areas where gaps exist. 

More information about all options in the community is being gathered, not just from the child care options operated by the district, which will set the direction for future child care initiatives. 

“Working alongside our community partners, including the Child Care Action Council ... South Sound Parent to Parent, and the City of Olympia, we will examine the needs of our families and child care providers to guide our path forward,” the district stated on its website.

Information from the assessment will be summarized and shared publicly in the summer of 2026.