May 28, 2026
Chronicle Excerpt
Community leaders and project partners recently welcomed U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, and state Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, to tour the newly completed first phase of the United Learning Center (ULC) in downtown Centralia, highlighting the transformative investment in early learning, youth development and family support services in Lewis County.
“I’m so glad I was able to secure funding for ULC — United Way and their partners have created an important hub for the community to offer high-quality, affordable child care, early learning opportunities, and fun summer programs for kids. Having access to this center will be nothing short of life-changing for so many families,” Murray said. “I hear constantly from families across the state about how they can’t afford child care or they can’t get off the waiting list — that’s just wrong. Tackling the child care crisis is a top priority for me, so not only will I keep working to support local initiatives like this, I’ll keep pushing for a national investment to make high-quality, affordable child care a reality for every working family in America.”
“It has been a great experience joining Senator Murray in support of this project and the amazing partnership the United Learning Center has created for Lewis County,” Abbarno said.
“The ULC will help lift the community up, reduce intergenerational poverty, and create better community outcomes through early learning and early intervention, education, discovery, family resources and economic development.”
The tour included representatives from United Way of Lewis County, Bezos Academy, Discover! Children’s Museum, Centralia School District, Boys & Girls Club of Lewis County and project manager Todd Chaput, who helped oversee the development and construction of the collaborative community facility.