Bridge Program

For a child with developmental delays and disabilities, the effectiveness of Early Services is clear: children make improvements in their functional daily living skills, parents increase their knowledge and confidence to support and advocate for their child’s unique needs, and school systems save millions of dollars over their educational lifetime.

Ideally, families with concerns about their child’s development would access ESIT services early on, but there are circumstances where this is not possible. Some children’s delays could be mild/go undiagnosed until later; there might be a language/cultural barrier; or the family might be facing sociological instability such as homelessness.

In other cases, families who plan to continue therapies following their transition out of ESIT Programs might face delays in accessing their next point of care, whether their children transition to the Seattle Public School System immediately prior to/during Summer Break, or are facing waitlists for private therapists.

That’s where the Seattle Developmental Bridge Program comes in, providing connections to:

• Service coordination and Developmental screenings
• Individualized Early Childhood Education
• Immediate access to Physical, Occupational, and Speech-Language therapies

The Bridge Program is for children between the ages of 34 ½ – 48 months. Services are customized, flexible and tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and family. Bridge Program services are temporary, lasting up to 6 months, and conclude with the connection to the child’s next point of care (private therapy, the Seattle Public School System, etc).

This innovative program was created in partnership between King County Developmental Disabilities & Early Childhood Supports Division and the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning. Boyer is proud to be the program’s “Host Site,” meaning all families new to services receive their initial screening by our team and are connected to the proper support and resources to respond to families’ immediate needs.

Thanks to funding through the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy, all Bridge Program services (including interpreters) are delivered at no cost to families. This vital offering provides the necessary resources to families to help create a solid foundation that will help ensure success in school and life.

Proven Program Impact:

• By bridging the gap between Early Services and a child’s next connection to the Seattle Preschool Program, Seattle Public Schools, or another community provider, they are better prepared for a strong start to kindergarten.
• By providing immediate support and connections to resources, families and caregivers have access to the tools they need to be their child’s best advocate.

Is Bridge Right for You?

• Do you have a child between the ages of 34 ½ – 48 months?
• Does your family reside within the City of Seattle?
• Do you have questions about your child’s development, growth & learning?
• Do you need continued support after ending ESIT/Early Supports?
• Is your child facing a gap between programs, and in need immediate developmental support?

VIEW BRIDGE PROGRAM FLYER

Family Testimonials:

“I have worked with other organizations, but I never felt or get the genuine support I got form the Bridge team. I am so grateful for all your help and support. I will miss having you as [my child’s] team.”

“The Bridge program helped us have enough time to determine the next steps in supporting our daughter’s social-emotional development. At the time she turned 3 we were already starting to feel much more confident, but the last few meetings both let us feel like we got to a really good place and helped us determine our options moving forward. We are so, so grateful to have had access to this service.”

“We are very happy about you and the bridge program in general. People we met are very nice, very kind and very helpful. [My child] loves his OT!  – we met only few times but [my child] made huge improvements! He is more confident and is able to try new things now. OT gave us amazing advices to help our daily life. Our life is so much smoother!!  Thank so much to OT and the bridge team!!!”

Would you like to make an investment in this critical program? Please contact Ellen Kuo, chief development officer, at (206) 325-8477 or email ellen.kuo@boyercc.org.