Pierce Labor Purchases Willard Early Learning Center
The keys to the Willard Early Learning Center are changing hands, and a big idea for working families in Pierce County is becoming reality. The Pierce County Labor Community Services Agency (PCLCSA), the nonprofit arm of the Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO (PCCLC), has purchased the former Willard School from Tacoma Public Schools, marking one of the biggest milestones yet in the organizations' undertaking of creating a new model for childcare and workforce support in Pierce County.
For generations, Willard has been a place for children, families, and learning. Under labor's ownership, that story will continue. Over the coming year, the building will be transformed into Pierce Labor’s Childcare and Workforce Education Center: a home for affordable childcare during nontraditional hours, pathways into good careers for childcare professionals, workforce and apprenticeship education, and shared spaces where unions and community partners can learn and build together.
A School's Next Chapter
The purchase also marks a transition between two community institutions with a shared interest in working families of Pierce County. Willard was built in 1952, previously serving Tacoma students and families as an elementary school and then an early learning center. Its next chapter will build on that history by once again making children, education, and opportunity central to what happens inside its walls.
“The future of the Willard School is an example of what can happen when we work in partnership. We must work together across agencies and community to support our students in and outside of school hours," said Dr. Josh Garcia, Superintendent of Tacoma Public Schools. "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.”
Labor Builds for Local Needs
The vision for Willard grew from a national crisis that Pierce County feels deeply: finding affordable childcare is difficult. Current levels of childcare availability meet a meager 14.8% of Pierce County residents' needs, and many working families spend over 40% of their household income on childcare. And finding childcare that accommodates construction starts, hospital shifts, and other nontraditional work hours is nearly impossible.
The center will also invest in the people who provide that care, creating training and career pathways for childcare professionals while bringing workforce education and apprenticeship partners together under the same roof. The goal is to demonstrate what becomes possible when childcare is treated as the essential workforce infrastructure that it is.
The Childcare and Workforce Education Center has become a collaborative project involving unions, government, workforce organizations, education partners, and community organizations. Washington state provided capital funding toward the acquisition, and Pierce County has committed additional support toward renovations.
“Working families shouldn’t have to choose between a good job and finding safe, reliable care for their kids,” said Sen. Yasmin Trudeau. “Pierce Labor is investing in the people who make our community work. By bringing childcare, workforce education, and gateways to good careers together in one place, we are building the kind of infrastructure families need to thrive. I was proud to help secure state funding for this project, and I’m incredibly excited to see this community-driven vision become a reality here in Tacoma.”
“This milestone is the first step toward an innovative new approach to caring for our kids and creating pathways to careers in childcare,” Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello said. “We need to do everything we can to make childcare more accessible and affordable. This innovative solution is one way we are moving Pierce County forward together to support working families.”
Tacoma has also been part of the collaboration from the early stages. In 2025, the City helped move the vision toward reality with a planning grant, recognizing the potential of the investment in Tacoma's Eastside. Mayor Anders Ibsen said the purchase marks an important next step for a project grounded in both the needs and strengths of the community.
“The future of Willard reflects the kind of Tacoma we want to build: a city where working families have the support they need, people have real pathways into good careers, and historic community spaces continue serving the neighborhoods around them,” said Mayor Anders Ibsen. “The City was proud to support the early planning for this project, and it is exciting to see labor take this major step.
What's Next?
The next phase will focus on renovating and preparing the building for childcare, workforce education, and community use. PCLCSA will continue bringing together unions, public partners, community organizations, and supporters to help build and sustain the center.
For Pierce County's labor movement, the project is a chance to build an institution that belongs to the movement that serves the community around it, designed around the realities of working people's lives, and built to remain a resource for generations to come.
“With the acquisition of the Willard school, we will create something that working families can count on for generations, said Nathe Lawver, President of the PCLCSA. "This project opens doors to good careers and shows what’s possible when labor and community come together to invest in each other. We’ve reached an incredible milestone, and in many ways, the work is just beginning.”
Learn more about the Childcare and Workforce Education Center, follow its progress, or support the work at pclaborcares.org/childcare.
Comments