Ribbon cutting of new United Learning Center in Centralia. posted on May 18, 2026 On May 14th, staff from Boys & Girls Club of Lewis County, as well as its very own Deputy Director, Lauren Day, attended the ribbon cutting ceremony of the long-anticipated United Learning Center (ULC) in Centralia. The ULC is made up of a partnership between Discover! Children's Museum, United Way of Lewis County, Boys & Girls Club of Lewis County and the Bezos Academy, a tuition-free Montessori-style preschool. The building is nearly 18,000 square feet and is owned by the City of Centralia. The aim of the ULC is to provide a collaborative learning hub and accessible childcare to families that identify as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). Support services like these are essential for families to better thrive. Discover! Children's Museum opened its doors late last month, while Boys & Girls Club of Lewis County will do so in June for their "Summer Art Series," a seven-week program that will run three days a week. Congratulations to the Boys & Girls Club of Lewis County Executive Director, Sarah Althauser, and the entire team for making this happen!

Forest board chair Brandi Kenner named Chief Learning Officer at Bezos Academy. Theforest is thrilled to celebrate an exciting new chapter for Dr. Brandi Biscoe Kenner, Board Chair of The Forest School and Institute for Self Directed Learning, who has accepted the role of first Chief Learning Officer at Bezos Academy, part of the Bezos Day 1 Fund. After seven years of leading Choice-filled Lives Network and serving many mission-aligned organizations, Brandi shared that this opportunity came to her serendipitously and could not be more aligned with her passions, life purpose, and work. She also expressed deep gratitude to Miguel Roque and the Bezos Academy team for entrusting her with leadership in such an important mission. At Forest, Theforest has been especially grateful for Brandi's leadership during an important season of growth and momentum. She joined its board in December 2024 and became Board Chair, helping steward the organization through a period of meaningful progress across both its schools and the Institute for Self Directed Learning. During her time as Board Chair, the Institute has reached significant milestones, including major work with the Indiana Microschool Collaborative and a promising new project with the Georgia Department of Education. Under the board's leadership, Theforest has also seen important progress across its broader Forest ecosystem. The Forest School Online expanded its partnerships in August 2025 to provide project-based middle and high school curriculum and academic support to like-minded communities. In November 2025, Dr. Tyler Thigpen and Dr. Caleb Collier launched the live webinar series A New Operating System for Raising Children to share self-directed learning insights with a broader public audience. Theforest also strengthened its team through key senior hires, including Chrissy Keck and Hadrian Pollard as Guides and Founders in Residence for the 2025-2026 school year, and Rhonda Perry as Math Guide to support the continued growth of its learning and leadership programs. Brandi also has overseen a season of growing demand, widening access, and sustaining stakeholder satisfaction. Ninety five percent of Forest families will return next year - the highest in school history. And its Open Houses in January and February were well attended and helped generate a strong pool of applicants for the coming school year. Theforest has continued expanding curriculum licensing and online curriculum services for multiple like-minded school affiliates. Theforest has also worked to increase financial accessibility for families, including helping parents prepare to access the Georgia Promise Scholarship during the March application window. Brandi's support and guidance have mattered tremendously in this season. She brings wisdom, steadiness, deep expertise, and the ability to connect mission, strategy, and learning. For those of Theforest who know her and have had the privilege of serving alongside her, this new role feels both extraordinary and deeply fitting. As Brandi shared, the opportunity to leverage her decades of knowledge, experience, and unique combination of expertise to impact the early childhood landscape at scale is a dream come true. Theforest is so grateful for her leadership at The Forest School, and Theforest is proud to celebrate this next chapter with her! Please join Theforest in congratulating Brandi!!! March 12, 2026