Identify the community that you wish to serve. You will tailor the class times that you offer to the people that you plan to serve. If you will offer classes for senior citizens, you can run the classes during the daytime, but if you want to have classes for younger people, you must schedule the classes in the evenings and on weekends when they have free time after school and work.
Survey your community to determine which subjects people in the community want to learn. Place surveys in local supermarkets, churches, community centers and other areas where people gather to find out what type of classes people would like to see. Offer them options to check off in the survey including arts and crafts, basic car or home maintenance, exercise, studies towards a General Educational Development (GED -- High School Equivalency) exam, current events or hobbies. Ask community professionals such as librarians and local educators for their input.
Locate a place to hold the classes. Community centers, religious institutions, libraries or schools may allow community learning centers to use their facilities for free or for a nominal cost as part of their own mandate to serve the community.
Identify teachers and facilitators who can lead classes. States have different laws regarding who can teach certain subjects, especially technical subjects or classes towards a GED. On the other hand, many subjects need only a dynamic leader who has a background in the subject matter and who can convey the material in a lively and stimulating manner.
Fund raise or set class fees to obtain the needed funds to start your learning center. If you start with volunteer instructors and donated space, you won't need a lot of capital, just materials' fees for the projects. If you will need to pay instructors and rent space, you will need capital to begin the project. The amount depends on your start-up costs, number of classes that you plan to run, and salaries.
Register to pay taxes if you will collect payments for the classes. You will need to register for federal and state taxes, either as a non-profit (if your learning center will not earn profits) or as a business. States' tax laws differ, but all have options to register as a non-profit organization if you have registered as a non-profit 501(c)(3) with the IRS.