We have been working to develop WSLI over the last 4 years. Currently our “membership” is very broadly defined as family leaders and family organizations who have participated in our committees and workgroups, and/or attended training and were offered a sign up form to receive information about leadership opportunities and events.
Please send any input you have on how the Washington Statewide Leadership Initiative could be helpful to support robust and meaningful leadership opportunities around our state and supportive infrastructure to organizations who support family leaders to cbradley@wapave.org
Organization Name: CYSHCN Program, Department of Health
Location: Statewide, main office in Tumwater
Purpose: To promote access to comprehensive, coordinated systems of care for children and youth with special health care needs. To empower families. To collaborate with families, policy makers, health care providers, agencies, and other public-private leaders to identify and improve health system issues that impact this population.
Areas of Expertise: Collaboration, Nutrition, Connection to local P2P coordinators and LHJs
Contact information: Nikki Dyer; (360)-236-3536
Organization Name: Dads MOVE
Location: Statewide, based in Tacoma
Purpose: Dads M.O.V.E. seeks to provide every parent/caregiver (especially dads) with the tools, support, and training needed to be fully engaged in the recovery of their children.
Areas of Expertise: Providing trainings and resources for parents raising children with behavioral concerns. Advocate for fathers to be more involved in the family and the systems that serve our families.
Contact information: Nelson Rascon; (800)-736-0979
Organization Name: Kindering Center
Location: King and Snohomish Counties
Purpose: Embracing children of diverse abilities and their families by providing the finest education and therapies to nurture hope, courage, and the skills to soar. Kindering has been serving families for over 50 years.
Areas of Expertise: Early intervention, Neurodevelopmental Center, Center of Excellence
Contact information: Marcee Merriam; (425)-984-2636
Organization Name: PAVE (Partnerships for Action, Voices for Empowerment)
Location: Statewide, main office in Tacoma
Purpose: PAVE provides support, training, information and resources to empower and give voice to individuals, youth and families impacted by disabilities.
Areas of Expertise: Special Education, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, Special Needs healthcare navigation
Contact information: Main office line (800)-572-7368
Organization Name: PEACE – Parents Empowered and Communities Enhanced
Location: Vancouver, WA
Purpose: PEACE advocates for families who have children of all ages who experience disabilities or other developmental delays. They can help families and their children with schools, therapy, employment, housing and other resources, questions or issues. PEACE is a free service, whose goal is to help individuals have a full and meaningful life.
Areas of Expertise: New Diagnosis, Transition, Adult Life, Trainings, Multicultural Outreach, Resources, Advocacy, Special Education, Parent to Parent, Parent Coalition, Peer Connections, Locate Resources, Community Engagement and more!
Contact information: Theresa Van Pelt; (360)-823-2247 ext. 109
Organization Name: Pierce County Parent to Parent (A program of PAVE)
Location: Tacoma
Purpose: Provides support, training, information, and resources to empower and give voice to individuals, youth and families impacted by disabilities.
Areas of Expertise: Parent Support, person-centered planning and practices, Developmental Disabilities Administration system
Contact information: Pierce P2P Team; (253) 565-2266 ext. 115
Organization Name: WA State Fathers Network (A program of Kindering)
Location: Statewide, main office in Bothell
Purpose: Support and Connect Men Who Have a Child with Special Health Care Needs in Their Life Through Support Groups, Social Activities and Providing Resources and Information
Areas of Expertise: The male perspective; Advocacy training; Inclusion in the community
Contact information: Louis Mendoza; (425)-653-4286
Organization Name: WA State Medical Home Partnerships Project for CYSHCN
Location: Seattle, at the UW Center on Human Development & Disability
Purpose: To support and promote comprehensive, coordinated, integrated, family-centered and culturally and linguistically appropriate systems of care, particularly as they impact children and youth with special health care needs and their families.
Areas of Expertise: Patient and family-centered medical home; community coalition building and development around health and developmental issues; primary care- community-specialist partnerships; health care transformation to value based payment; community resources for children and youth; training, organizing conferences; health education and information; distance learning including Zoom videoconferencing; needs assessments; collaboration to improve coordinated accessible systems of care for children and youth with special health care needs and their families.
Contact information: Kate Orville; (206)-685-1279
Organization Name: Washington Hands & Voices
Location: Statewide
Purpose: We provide information and support to our community of families whose children are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing without a bias of communication. It’s our goal that families be offered information to build on their knowledge that will increase their confidence, and in doing so can feel a sense of well-being to advocate for their child.
Areas of Expertise: Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH), New DHH Identification, Advocacy Support for families of DHH children, Parent/Family Support, Access to Communication, Family Involvement and Leadership
Contact information: Christine Griffin; (425)-268-7087
Organization Name: Washington State Community Connectors
Location: Statewide
Purpose: Our Mission….Uniting Washington State family leaders in behavioral health care to strengthen children, youth, families, and community partnerships.
Areas of Expertise: Washington State Community Connectors networks with organizations across the state in order to provide or organize a variety of training’s and technical support for family-led organizations and system partners across the state. Training’s focus on helping individuals or groups develop the skills they need for effective advocacy, leadership, and community level practice. Technical support focuses on helping organizations meet the needs of youth and families in their communities by assisting with the development of sustainable, family and community focused practices.
Contact information: Kim Runge; (206)-294-6194
Organization Name: Washington State Parent to Parent
Location: Stateside
Purpose: To provide social, emotional and informational support to parents/caregivers raising children with developmental disabilities and/or special health care needs… for parents and caregivers BY parents and caregivers.
Areas of Expertise: Parent and family support, resource navigation, parent training
Contact information: Tracie Hoppis; (509)-907-0873 or (360)-357-3259