OUR MISSION is to strengthen the lives of children
with diverse needs and abilities through compassionate pediatric therapies and family-centered support.
OUR VISION is to create a community of thriving children and empowered families.
OUR CORE VALUES
COMPASSION · TEAMWORK · COMMUNICATION · SUPPORT · FLEXIBILITY
A message from the
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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Dear Friends, Three years ago, the Board and staff leaders set out to determine the Center’s strategic plan, and they chose a theme, “to prepare for growth.” Together we decided to focus on the areas of funding, staffing, and building. My work was to initiate action items that catalyzed growth in these areas. As we close this fiscal year, I’m proud to report that we have made meaningful progress in all three. Today, the choices of the Board’s decisions, my guidance, and staff implementation is bearing fruit in ways that fill me with both gratitude and possibility. Our funding efforts have exceeded expectations. In 2023, with the support of the Board, I created the Children’s Developmental Center’s Mission Endowment. In 2024, we established the Capital Endowment. From July 2025 to June 2026, these endowments grew by over $102,000, from $785,443 to $888,120. Your
investment in our Center is working every single day, multiplying, strengthening our foundation. Additionally, the Resources Development Team has exceeded its fundraising goals with community collaborations and Wine Fête 2026. Our staffing achievements reflect our commitment to attracting and retaining excellence. The Center employs specialized therapists, and to find these diamonds in the rough, we have increased our affiliation agreements with colleges and universities from Washington state and beyond. We have increased the number of career fairs we attend annually to meet upcoming and recent graduates on campus to invite them to see the joy of pediatric therapy in action. The Board of Directors implemented a Tuition Reimbursement Benefit to support staff pursuing advanced degrees. I advocated for enhancing our retirement benefits package, recognizing that our people deserve security and stability. These investments paid dividends. We were honored to receive the “Best Places to Work” award in both 2024 and 2025, a recognition from staff about the place and culture that we’ve built together with our dedicated team. We are continuing to invest in the people who make this work possible. Excellence in our programs depends on excellence in our people.
Our current building limits how we can serve children and families due to the configuration of the facility. Built in 1997, it was made for programs that have now evolved. We rely on our core value of flexibility to meet the needs of our patients and our staff. In February 2026, we completed a comprehensive building feasibility study to guide our expansion planning and make us eligible for public funding. Now, through a thoughtful design process (led by CKJT Architects) informed by this study, we’re creating an environment worthy of the transformational work that happens inside these walls. This expansion will directly increase our capacity to serve the Center’s mission. These initiatives aren’t separate projects. They’re one integrated strategy for sustainable, compound growth. The endowments proved we can steward resources wisely. Staffing initiatives have increased our mission impact while growing enrollment, and our building is the launch pad for our work. In March, our Board and staff leadership reconvened for a strategic planning retreat to chart the course for the next three years. Our strategic planning retreat produced initiatives that remained focused on funding, building, and staffing, as well as expanding to programs and community partnerships/ outreach. Community outreach will strengthen our connections
for the children and families we serve because we have the humility to know we are not experts in all areas. We want to ensure that children with diverse needs and abilities receive the compassionate care they deserve through our programs or our community partners’. This is what it means to lead with both intention and strategy when we are motivated by our mission to serve. It means believing that the children who enter through our doors today deserve an organization that will be stronger, more stable, and more impactful for decades to come. As we move forward, I want you to know this: you are not simply making a gift. You are co-creating a model of sustainable, compound impact. You are saying yes to the children and families of our community, today and tomorrow. With deep gratitude,
Children’s Developmental Center
Table of Contents
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03 Executive Director’s Message 05 Leadership 07 2025-2026 Timeline 09 Programs 15 Mission Moment 17 Events and Collaborations 21 Numbers and Financial Breakdown 27 Thank you, Sponsors! 29 How to Support
Our Leadership Zahra Roach
Executive Director
Cheri Montee
People & Operations Director
2025-2026 Board Members Ruben Mendoza Board Chair Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo)
Meiske Millward
Connie Ostrander Secretary State Farm
Geanine Frost
ReNae Pilgrim Treasurer Terra Blanca Winery
Program Director
Program Manager
Shasta Meyers Board Member Edward Jones Kat Waterbury Board Member OSC Technical Solutions Mike Winkel Board Mmeber Hanford Mission Integration Solutions
Paloma DeHaan
Claudia Lara Jim Kriskovich Board Member Board Member American Pacific Mortgage Veolia Nuclear Solutions
Kelly Koskie
Molly Connors Board Member Basin Gold Cooperative
Development Manager
Senior Staff Accountant
Ali Gould Board Member University of Washington
Timeline
2025
2026
Early Support for Infants and Toddlers
The largest program the Children’s Developmental Center provides is Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT), serving children between birth to 3 years old. ESIT offers three main services: Special Instruction, Physical and Occupational Therapy, and Speech-Language Pathology.
Special Instruction
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Our Developmental Specialists and Associates work one-on-one with children in supporting their individual cognitive, social-emotional, and adaptive developmental needs. They also work with children identified as demonstrating challenging behaviors. Our staff work in collaboration with parents and caregivers to increase opportunities for learning through a child’s typical daily routine.
Motor Therapy
Physical and occupational therapy helps children to be successful in their activities of daily living. Activities of daily living for a young child include playing, moving, engaging with others, and learning. The major areas commonly addressed are gross and fine motor skills, adaptive and self-help skills, and sensory integration and self-regulation.
Speech-Language Pathology
Speech therapy provides stimulation for children who need assistance with receptive and/or expressive language, articulation, and oral-motor function. They also assist children who are hard-of-hearing or deaf to develop their speech and language skills. In addition, SLPs address swallowing/feeding concerns.
ESIT Program Components Play Group
Play is led by Developmental Specialists throughout the week for children currently receiving services at the Center. In Play Group, children learn to make new friends and play with others, build language through songs, stories, and pretend play, and explore art, music, and movement in a fun setting.
Child Behavior Management Workshop
Throughout the year, the Center hosts several workshop sessions in English and Spanish to help families identify difficult behaviors, and increase positive behaviors within children.
Hospital-to-Home
This program supports families in the critical time when babies aged birth to 12 months transition home from a hospital stay. Our Family Resources Coordinators work in conjunction with hospital staff to ease the transition into receiving ESIT services.
Family Resources Coordinators (FRC)
When a child is referred to our Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program, their first contact with a Children’s Developmental Center staff member is with a Family Resources Coordinator. The FRC extends a welcoming hand to a concerned family, listening carefully to the family’s questions, priorities, and dreams. They walk alongside families through the entire ESIT journey, from start to finish at the Center. The FRC also helps families explore the resources they already have and what resources they may need in order to meet their child’s unique developmental goals.
Pediatric Pelvic Health (PPH)
The Pediatric Pelvic Health Program is specially designed to address your child’s incontinence-related dysfunctions, bowel/bladder challenges, pelvic or abdominal pain, or pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. This program also supports children with neurodevelopmental and sensory processing difficulties: anxiety, autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Ehler’s Danlos. What we assist with: Urinary Tract Infections, Bed Wetting, Fecal Incontinence, Urinary Urgency, Pelvic Pain, Daytime Wetting, Chronic Constipation, Hydronephrosis, and more. Our approach: Education, Healthy Habits, Manual Therapy, Exercise, Biofeedback, Physiological Quieting, Celebrating Success, and Interoception.
PPH Program Funding
Our Pediatric Pelvic Health Program relies on funding through insurance receivables, grants, and fundraising efforts to sustain this highly important and specialized service. In 2025 and 2026, we received grants through Women-Helping-Women Fund Tri-Cities and Battelle Philanthropic Fund.
MISSION MOMENT - THE MARTINEZ FAMILY
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JAMESON
When Ali Martinez looks back at photos of her son Jameson in the hospital, she is reminded of just how far he has come. “We found out about the Center in the hospital after Jameson was born at 24 weeks. One pound, nine ounces,” Ali recalled. “I was looking through pictures the other day of me holding him for the first time, and he was so small. He was 13 inches long, so he was a tiny, tiny little thing.” Born extremely preterm, Jameson faced significant developmental challenges from the very beginning. Through the Center’s ESIT program, Jameson and the Martinez family received early intervention services and support during one of the most uncertain times of their lives. For Ali and her family, every milestone became a hard-earned victory. “It took him a long, long time to crawl and to sit up,” she shared. “The day that he crawled for the first time was a huge emotional day for our family because we had been waiting and waiting and waiting. The same thing with standing and walking too.” Watching other children reach milestones first was difficult, but those moments made Jameson’s accomplishments even more meaningful. “The milestones that other parents talk about, for example, ‘Oh yeah, my kid’s crawling,’ man, mine’s still not,” Ali reflected. “To have that day come and be able to celebrate it with them was huge.” What stood out most to Ali was the genuine care and dedication shown by the Center’s staff and providers. “They’re not someone who comes in for 30 minutes and leaves. They’re more like, ‘Oh, these feel like my kids too, and I’m invested in them and love them.’” Even after services ended, that connection remained. “He has a big MRI coming up, and he no longer sees [his provider], but she still asks about him,” Ali said. “It’s those things that make you guys extra special.”
Today, Jameson is preparing to start preschool in the fall, a milestone that once felt uncertain. “ …knowing that he’s going to preschool at three, he’s making those strides and is where he needs to be,” Ali described. “Seeing him climbing over things and sliding down things that honestly some of the doctors said he wouldn’t be able to do—and now he’s doing them.” The impact of early intervention has been life-changing for Jameson and his family. “We have heard, ‘He won’t be able to do this, he won’t be able to do that,’ but getting started with him so early and helping him achieve his own personal goals has transitioned into him being able to do all these things that people said he wouldn’t be able to do. It’s made a huge impact, and it’s so important. It’s so important for kids that need that extra little nudge or extra love.” When asked what she would say to another family considering services, Ali shared, “One hundred percent do it, without any hesitation. I think sometimes it’s so daunting when you hear a diagnosis or hear something that a doctor says about your child. Not only did you guys help him, but you also helped us.” For Ali and her husband, the support extended far beyond developmental services. “The parent support was a huge thing for me and my husband because we didn’t know what we were doing with all of the information that was given to us. So, anybody who’s thinking about it, not only for the child but for the family, I think it has really helped and benefited us. The staff is unbelievable.” Thank you, Ali and the Martinez family, for sharing your story.
2023
2026
Summer Cuisine 2025
We hosted the 18th Annual Summer Cuisine at Terra Blanca Winery in August, raising more than $60,000. This year, we decided to put a pause on this event as we prepare for our 50th anniversary!
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Wine Fête 2026
The 24th Annual Wine Fête took place in February at the Three Rivers Convention Center. We raised more than $260,000, and can’t wait for our 25th annual gala on February 6, 2027!
Community Collaborations
This year, we’ve put an emphasis on local fundraising collaborations. Between our Barnes & Noble book fair, and our partnerships with TC Tee Time, 360 Automotive, local bakeries, Proven Winners Direct, Chuck E. Cheese, Goodwill, and several 5K races, the Center’s Development Department was able to exceed our fundraising goal for the fiscal year.
We’ve also been honored to take part in some larger collaborations, like Dutch Bros Buck 4 Kids giveback day, where $1 from every drink purchased that day was donated to the Center. Another fun partnership was the Cool Desert Kids Cup at Cool Desert Nights, where we hosted children’s electric car races. Local businesses sponsored the cars, and we had a giveaway at the end of the event.
Community Engagement
Our annual Trunk or Treat had a record 600+ community members and families in attendance!
Throughout the year, we make sure to show our faces as much as possible, because the more people who learn about our services, the better. We set up our booth at events, coordinate presentations with local education programs and schools, and support programs that advocate for children with diverse needs and abilities.
Impact at a Glance
21,847 direct service appointments 815 families served
59 monthly referrals 21
Benton, Franklin, Yakima, Grant, Walla Walla counties served
T I ES
765 number of children served per program
837
PPH 72
children served
46+ employees 10 Developmental Specialists/Associates 10 Family Resources Coordinators 5 Occupational Therapists/COTA 2 Physical Therapists 6 Speech-Language Pathologists/Assistants 13 Administrative Staff
Funding Breakdown $3,422,571
$5,337,210
$3,892,913
$4,937,435
Total Salaries, Wages, Benefits
Program Services & Operational Costs
Total Income
Total Expenses
100% Compliance Rate We meet all Washington state contractual obligations.
$4,034,624 DCYF $412,139 Insurance Billing $476,434 Events & Donations $97,987 Grants $260,265 Other Income (Rental Income & Interest) $86,898 Benton Franklin Developmental Disabilities Administration
Total Income Percentage
Every helping hand makes a difference.
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Community Partners 360 Automotive and Repair Barnes and Noble Beaver Bark Gift & Garden Center Brandi’s Bakes
Florecita’s Bakery Frost Me Sweet Goose and Rev Greenworks Landscaping and Maintenance
Proven Winners Direct Quail Ridge Dentistry Richland Fire & Emergency Services Richland Police Department
Century-21 Real Estate Chuck E. Cheese Crumbl Delfi’s Slushies Down Syndrome Association of the Mid-Columbia Dutch Bros Coffee Epique Realty Ethos Bakery
Grumpy Monkey Cookie Co. Gym Juice HAPO Community Credit Union Ice Harbor Brewing Iconic Brewing Linkup2us Tri-Cities Nothing Bundt Cakes Our Cookie House
Self-Help Credit Union Spectrum Studios The Spudnut Shop TC Tee Time Tina’s Tasty Treats Veronica’s Fresh Produce Viera’s Bakery Yakima Federal Savings and Loan
Sponsors Abadan Basin Gold Cooperative Bechtel National Inc. Ben Franklin Transit Benton REA
MMEC Architecture & Interiors Morfin Law Firm Mr. Squeaky Clean Cleaning Services Mustang Signs Numerica Credit Union
Bruchi’s Cornerstone Wealth Strategies Edward Jones - Shasta Meyers Eva and Jeff Swain First Response Counseling Five Star NTP Gravis Law H2C Hanford Mission Integration Solutions HAPO Community Credit Union Health First Urgent Care ICCU Kiona West Limitless Heating and Cooling Matthew Bullis
Ojeda Business Ventures OSC Technical Solutions Ostrander State Farm Insurance Pacific Edge Technology Petersen Hastings Investment Management Rafael Robles - Barrera Household Retter & Company Sotheby’s International Realty Rick’s Custom Fencing & Decking Ruben Mendoza Sageview Youth Psychology Spectrum Studios TNJ 5K - Tatum Strong Terra Blanca Winery and Estate Vineyard Tri-Cities Community Health West Coast Screen Printing & Embroidery
Ways to Support the Children we Serve Donate
When you provide financial support to the Center, you are helping to ensure that we can continue providing services that families need, regardless of their ability to pay.
Fundraise
Consider joining us for Wine Fête 2027! There are sponsorship opportunities, as well as smaller collaborations throughout the year.
Volunteer
The work we do is possible because of our volunteers! Whether it be set-up, registration at events, or something else, we appreciate your involvement!
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Join the Conversation
You can find our website, social media, donation link, newsletter sign-up, and referral form by scanning this QR code!
Follow us! @ChildrensDevelopmentalCenter @ChildrensDevelopmentalCenter Children’s Developmental Center
1549 SE Georgia Ave Richland, WA 99352