Pateros Early Education Center hosts open house

PATEROS – The Pateros Treehouse took a big step toward its official opening with a well-attended open house last Thursday, March 30. Dozens of parents and children got their first look at the former Church of Christ building that is taking on a new life at 128 North Independence Street as an early education center that will accommodate up to 72 children from infants through school age.

Among those attending were most of the nine Pateros Treehouse Early Education Organization (PTEEO) board of directors responsible for guiding the project through its three-year development from a seed idea to the multi-faceted hub for care, nurturing and learning it has become.

Board members include:

• President Kailee Tanneberg, a financial account for Gebbers Farms in Brewster.

• Vice-president Gene Dowers, Executive Director of the Pateros-Brewster Community Resource Center.

• Treasurer Lindsay Vallance, office manager and legal assistant for Valor Law Group, PS, in Pateros.

• Secretary Kayla Johnson, school psychologist at the Brewster school District.

• Director Grace Larsen, a family nurse practitioner at Confluence Health in Brewster.

• Director Betty Hagenbuch, a retired teacher and long-time Pateros resident.

• Director Jesus Hernandez, CEO of Family Health Centers.

• Director Stacy Sikes, a former commercial and personal insurance specialist.

• Director Scotti Wiltse, a Pateros school teacher and sixth generation resident.

The group started working on the Treehouse concept as the local option for childcare and early learning when Carlene Anders and Gene Dowers, owners of Activity Based Childcare (ABC) wanted to transition out of the business after more than two decades of operation.

With funding and help from the state Department of Commerce (DOC) Early Learning Facilities (ELF) grant, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), and a generous contribution from Gebbers Farms, Chelan Fresh, and Apple House Warehouse & Storage PTEEO purchased the Church of Christ property and began renovations.

The parsonage quarters located behind the church was given over to Douglas Okanogan Fire District 15 in March 2020 that used the aging structure as a training burn for its volunteers. A year later AmeriCorps teams cleaned up the post-burn debris and were back in 2022 to install outdoor fencing, work on the playground area, and help with interior demolition. 

Former Pateros mayor Anders, PTEEO president Kailee Tanneberg, and Director Stacy Sikes were among speakers who welcomed the open house guests.

Representatives of DOC were also on hand to witness the completion of the multi-year project. Anders explained that the building renovation was designed to serve its new purpose while preserving historic elements of the original church.

 “We purchased this building outright, but the deed is held with the Department of Commerce for 20 years,” said Anders. “We have to fulfill this need for 20 years before it’s free and clear to us.”

The center is designed to handle 20 preschoolers, 30 school age, 14 toddlers and eight infants. The Treehouse has assumed ABC’s enrollment and staff but still needs several more certified personnel to be fully operational. Pending approval by the DCYF the school hopes to open by May 1.