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Monday 9am - 8pm Tuesday 9am - 8pm Wednesday 9am - 8pm Thursday 9am - 8pm Friday 9am - 8pm

Backside Learning Center

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United States
Louisville, KY
Backside Learning Center

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Providing support and resources in a safe, welcoming environment to backstretch workers & families.

Our doors opened in June of 2004 thanks to the advocacy of a few visionaries within the Kentucky Derby Museum and Churchill Downs who identified the need to provide educational opportunities and other resources to backside workers. Seeded with an initial grant from Louisville Thoroughbred owners and breeders Richard, Elaine, and Bert Klein, and Bill Casner with WinStar Farm, this initiative began with the renovation of the old racing offices, which still house the BLC. In 2008, an 800-square-feet expansion took place, which was fully funded with in-kind support. Originally the Klein Family Learning Center and Winstar Library and Classrooms, the name was changed to the Backside Learning Center in 2010. Six years later, the Backside Learning Center gained independent non-profit status! Churchill Downs graciously continues to provide our building and its maintenance at no cost. Since its inception, the BLC has evolved into a comprehensive resource center, providing an array of educational programming, an after school program for the children of backside workers, social services and referrals, and translation and interpretation. Of equal importance, we serve as a community center and a “home away from home” for the nearly 1,000 workers at Churchill Downs racetrack who find themselves far from family and friends.

10/15/2026

We're ending Hispanic Heritage by Celebrating, Yai Malave, our Community Engagement Coordinator.

"Working alongside volunteers who genuinely care about making a difference in the lives of the track workers and their families is one of the best parts of my job. Their passion is contagious!"

10/13/2026

Look at all those smiles! ☀️It's moments like these that make us happy to be a safe space for backstretch kids.

10/08/2026

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Today we're celebrating Daniela Chiriboga, Adult & Family Programs Manager at BLC. Daniela is a big part of what creates our "home away from home" for backstretch workers.

"Working with the Backside community at Churchill Downs and their children has been a great honor for me.
In our Early Childhood Program, Spanish is our bridge for communicating, playing, learning, and expressing ourselves. Keeping our language alive also means keeping our identity, culture, and heritage alive. For children, growing up hearing and using two languages is a wonderful opportunity to develop bilingualism while staying connected to their roots.

With adults, we create spaces to learn skills that support their everyday lives, from English to health, nutrition, finances, and well-being, but also spaces where they can feel supported, heard, and part of a community.
For me, that is what makes this work so meaningful: creating spaces where language, culture, and people can grow together."

10/06/2026

Thank you to Grant Forster and Rick Hall for hosting the 3rd annual Billy Cook Classic Golf Scramble! Events like this help power the programs that support the Backside workers and their families every day. We're grateful for friends who show up for our community, on and off the course.

10/01/2026

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Today we're celebrating Josefina Richardson and her work as our Youth Services Coordinator. “Working with children has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life. Over the years, I’ve learned just how important it is to give children a strong foundation, encouragement, and someone who believes in them. I truly enjoy working with the children of the racetrack community and getting to know their families. It means so much to me to be able to play a small part in helping these children grow, learn, build confidence, and create a strong foundation for their future. I’m grateful for every opportunity to support and be a part of this special community.”

09/29/2026

Did you know that bikes are the main mode of transportation on the backside?

Backside workers use bikes not only to travel around the Churchill Downs backstretch to places like the track kitchen, the recreation center, or our offices but they're also used for grocery trips at Kroger across the street.

09/24/2026

This Hispanic Heritage Month we want to celebrate and uplift the Hispanic Backstretch community. Today we're celebrating our wonderful Social Services Manager, Luz Valdespino. "As the social services manager, being able to speak in my native language everyday is a privilege, because when I see the relief on the faces of the clients we serve, its the most rewarding part of what I do, whether that’s navigating a difficult time, interpreting or making referrals. To me it might feel like I made a small contribution, but really it made the biggest difference to them."

09/22/2026

Fall semester of Front Runners is off to a great start!
This semester we'll get to promote more STEM exploration with our students, thanks to the Boys & Girl's Club and The Justin Thomas Mobile Learning Lab.

09/17/2026

If you're a fan of golf and thoroughbred racing, join us on Sept 29th for the 3rd Annual Billy Cook Classic Golf Scramble. All proceeds will go towards supporting backstretch workers and their families.

09/15/2026

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

Enjoy these beautiful works of art that our English Class students created during a special workshop with Gloria Arteaga-Hinton.

Gloria went beyond and above for our students ❤️

She not only provided artistic help but words of encouragement as a fellow immigrant and ESL speaker.

Address

3131 S 2nd Street, #389
Louisville, KY
40208

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 8pm
Tuesday	9am - 8pm
Wednesday	9am - 8pm
Thursday	9am - 8pm
Friday	9am - 8pm

Telephone

+15026346543

Website

http://www.backsidelearningcenter.org/

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