Boyer was organized in 1942 by a group of doctors, parents and volunteers to provide services for children with cerebral palsy in a community setting. Today, nearly 80 years later, Boyer continues to be a leader and highly-valued resource in the community promoting services for children with neuromuscular disabilities and developmental delays.

Boyer is the largest provider of Early Support for Infants & Toddlers (ESIT) services in Seattle for children birth to teen (focused primarily on children age birth to three), serving nearly 1,200 children and their families annually. We have two locations: our flagship site in the Montlake neighborhood, and our new satellite clinic in Magnuson Park. Depending on each child’s unique needs, Boyer establishes an interdisciplinary team that may include therapists, a developmental pediatrician, nurses, educators, social workers and family resources coordinators to maximize identification, consultation and integration of services.

At Boyer Children’s Clinic, we celebrate each child’s unique abilities and embrace their individual needs. Through our high-quality therapy and education programs – strengthened by generous philanthropic donors and community volunteers – we partner with families to ensure they have the support, tools and confidence to help their children thrive, both now and in the future. We ensure all children in need of early intervention services receive equitable access to them, inclusive of cultural/linguistic diversity, and regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.

In the nearly 80 years that Boyer has been providing birth to three educational, therapeutic, medical and resource coordination services to children and families in the greater Seattle area, our goal has always been to uplift and empower people of diverse abilities.

But just as COVID-19 has altered how we now deliver services to families as we shelter-in-place, we are reminded that, unlike the coronavirus, racism and inequality in America have always been present, and the curve of racism has not been flattened.

Therefore, we feel it is necessary to express our solidarity with the Black, Indigenous and People of Color community, our commitment to equity and justice for all, and our willingness to listen and have courageous conversations with diverse communities so we can continually improve the services we provide to children and families at Boyer.

Boyer Children’s Clinic condemns all acts of hate, discrimination, and violence against all historically marginalized communities including, but not limited to the Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Disability, and LBGTQ+ communities. Our hearts and thoughts go to all who have been affected by hate, biases, and injustices motivated by discrimination.

Boyer’s mission is to provide equitable support and services for children and families of all abilities and backgrounds. Our core value is to actively stand against all forms of racism and discrimination. We strive to become a better ally each day by continuing to listen, learn, and advocate for all historically marginalized community members.

Throughout its history, Boyer staff, Board, parents and volunteers have played active roles in establishing services in the community for children with cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular disorders. Boyer promoted acceptance of children with cerebral palsy into the public schools in the fifties. It has provided trained staff in outlying areas through its professional education program, which began in the late sixties. Boyer was one of two programs (the other a hospital) upon which the state modeled its Neuromuscular Center Program. In the late seventies, Boyer trained doctors to identify infants at an early age so they could receive the benefits of early intervention.

Since 1968, Boyer Children’s Clinic has had a major impact on the treatment of children with cerebral palsy in the United States. In that year, Boyer became a leading training center for the NeuroDevelopmental Treatment Method (NDT), a standard therapy method for children with cerebral palsy. More than 1,700 doctors, nurses, teachers, physical, occupational and speech therapists have come from 46 states, 6 Canadian provinces, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden, Puerto Rico, Belgium, India and New Zealand, to be trained in the NDT method. In the Northwest alone, students have come from 66 separate cities in Washington, 14 in Oregon, 5 in Alaska, 5 in Idaho, and 17 in British Columbia.

In August of 1991, the original building at 1850 Boyer Avenue East was demolished and a new building was constructed. During the year of construction, the program continued at a temporary site. In September 1992, the new facility was opened and an Open House was held on April 18, 1993.

In 2015, a $1 million Capital Campaign was publicly launched to support the opening of a second clinic in North Seattle. Boyer had been operating at capacity for quite some time, and the expansion deemed necessary to meet the ever-growing needs of the community. In July of 2016, the Campaign was completed, and the new clinic in Magnuson Park welcomed its first clients.