While the move-in date for our Early Intervention (ages 0-3) program in the Maple Valley community is still a few months away, classes have already begun in a temporary space on the property. “The need for expansion was so great that we had to take action,” says EI Program Director Karen Smith-Stedman. “We’re bringing EI classes directly to the community that needs them.”
CTC’s new Maple Valley Center for Early Intervention, expected to open in June 2018, will ensure that more Southeast King County children with special needs have access to the pediatric therapy services they need. It will serve the communities of Maple Valley, Black Diamond, Enumclaw, and Ravensdale.
“The southeast corner of King County, which includes these communities as well as portions of Auburn, Covington, and Kent, is one of the fastest-growing market areas in Washington,” says CEO Barry Gourley. “Since 2000, the total population in these communities has grown by nearly 30%.”
In spite of that growth, says Gourley, “EI services remain scarce and difficult to access. The closest EI center is CTC’s Kent location, which is 13 miles from Maple Valley and 20 miles from Enumclaw. Since all our EI services are delivered in the home, that means more time on the road for our therapists – and less time meeting with families. Having a home base in Maple Valley allows us to provide services more efficiently as well as reduce the transportation woes of families having to drive great distances for evaluations and classes.”
“We know that more growth means more children in need of Early Intervention services. Our expansion into Maple Valley is our way of saying, ‘We’re here to meet that need for the community.’”
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