PRESS RELEASE- June 27, 2016

Contact: Marsha Quinn- Community Outreach Manager

Ph 435-888-2777, marsha.quinn@encompassnw.org

Encompass: a Celebration of 50 Years

Founded in 1966, Sno-Valley School for Special Needs, Inc., was created by a group of dedicated parents to address the need of support of special needs children in the Snoqualmie Valley. Funded by personal donations, they operated on a shoe string budget out of local churches.

In the 1980s the organization renamed itself Children Services of Sno-Valley and operated out of a home purchased near Mt. Si High School. They offered programs for children with special needs, as well as a preschool for all children. The Four Seasons Preschool initiated as a government funded Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) for low income families. A staff of 8 committed employees operated out of the garage, while the home served as the preschool.

In the 90’s an evaluation of the agency brought the realization that program expansion was a certainty, a new facility was needed and a capital campaign was launched. A steadfast capital campaign committee successfully raised over $1 million and with the help of Dick & Rosanna Zemp and the Weyerhaeuser Mill of Snoqualmie, Children Services of Sno-Valley moved into its current Early Learning Center site on Boalch Avenue in North Bend.

Needing a name that reflects the varied services the organization had come to offer, the agency was renamed Encompass in 2005.

Twenty plus years later, Encompass has opened a second location that is home to our Pediatric Therapy Clinic and now serves kids and families in the Snoqualmie Valley, Issaquah, Sammamish and Greater Eastside communities.

Programs at Encompass focus on Early Childhood Development and fall into two core areas of education and pediatric therapy:

• Education: Early Learning Programs that promote the social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of children. Early learning programs at Encompass are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and include preschool classes for three and four-year-olds as well as toddler playgroups for children ages 18-36 months. Encompass offers preschool through the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) for families who cannot afford to pay and provides scholarships and collects tuition from middle income families. Parent Education also an important component of educational services we offer.

• Encompass Pediatric Therapy Services and Birth to Three Early Intervention Program: Our Birth to Three Program supports optimal growth and development of infants and toddlers with developmental delays through comprehensive services that include in-home therapy and assessment, family support and individualized programs for each child. The Encompass Pediatric Therapy clinic provides services on a fee-for-service basis for children from birth until the age of 12, who have a documented developmental delay.

At Encompass, our mission is to partner with families to build healthy foundations for children. We envision a community where ALL children thrive. For more information please visit us at www.encompassnw.org.

Join us to celebrate on August 27^th, 11am-2pm for our 50^th Birthday Bash at Centennial Field in Snoqualmie.
A FREE family festival including food, bounce houses and live entertainment.