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.
