First Years Children's Center

First Years Children's Center welcomes children ages 4 weeks in age up until they begin kindergarten. In 2013 we became a non-profit child care facility, and reaffirmed our commitment to providing affordable and comprehensive childcare for our community in Kitsap County. While First Years is located on Bainbridge Island, we provide care for children from all over Kitsap County including families from Suquamish, Poulsbo, Silverdale, Bremerton, and Port Orchard. We welcome families who are in need of financial assistance and qualify for DSHS subsidy payments so that quality childcare can be available for all. First Years offers scholarships and tuition relief for families, as well as employees, through a case by case basis.

We have a full staff of 35 employees, and we offer them a fully paid college education in early childhood education with our center’s access to the Early Achievers grant. We have three employees who have graduated using this grant, and seven more currently enrolled in the program.

We currently have 94 enrolled children, 103 children when at full capacity. We are the largest childcare facility on Bainbridge Island for children 5 years of age and under, and the only center that provides care for infants aged 12 months and younger. First Years provides breakfast, lunch, and three snacks daily to all children at no extra costs to families. All meals, snacks, and beverages provided to the children comply with the requirements contained in the most current edition of the USDA National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program standards.

Our childcare center was able to remain open during the COVID stay at home order, providing safe childcare for overwhelmed parents and essential workers. In addition, we retained our own exceptional teachers by providing continued full time employment to our very own essential workers.