The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON —YWCA Walla Walla will open the waitlist on for its new childcare center, RoseMary’s Place, coming to Dayton in Columbia County.

The waitlist for the YWCA-operated childcare facility will open promptly at 7 a.m. on November 15, 2023, at ywcaww.org/rosemarys/. Families in Dayton, Waitsburg, and neighboring areas needing childcare services this spring are encouraged to make note of this date and add their names to the list. The center is set to officially open its doors on April 1, 2024, and the first names on the time-and-date stamped list will be offered the first chances to apply for the 40 available spaces.  

The childcare center will be located in the renovated Booker Rest Home facility on the Columbia County Health System (CCHS) campus. It is the result of a collaboration led by Shane McGuire, CEO of CCHS, and Tabitha Haney, longtime Dayton resident and YWCA Director of Childcare.

The CCHS has taken on the cost of renovations, and YWCA will operate the center. Significant help with the YWCA’s startup costs for equipping, furnishing, and staffing the center has come from community grantors.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support from Sherwood Trust, Wildhorse Foundation, and Columbia REA. Their generous grants totaling more than $250,000 make them important partners in providing these vital childcare services to our community,” said Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin, YWCA Executive Director.

Tabitha Haney emphasized the impact of the grants on the children. “The grant money will provide tools the kiddos need to thrive, like safe cribs for infants, tiny tables for the toddlers, and a reading corner for preschoolers,” she noted.

YWCA Walla Walla believes investing in early childhood education is crucial for building a prosperous community. Families who join the waitlist will have the first opportunity to enroll at RoseMary’s Place for the planned opening in April 2024.

More information about the center, including the waitlist link, is available at ywcaww.org/rosemarys/. Those without internet access can pick up forms, available at the Columbia County Health Department or the Dayton and Waitsburg libraries on November 15, to submit by mail.