Description
Northwest’s Child was established by Darcy Doyle-Hupf when she began a search for care for a 13 year old boy named Max with severe Autism and Downs Syndrome. He was non-verbal, diapered and required a great deal of supervision to keep him safe. After all efforts to find a program that could meet his needs were exhausted, it was determined that there were no programs in existence that served the full day, year round needs of our communities most vulnerable and at risk population; children, teens and adults with moderate to severe disabilities.
In 1989, Northwest’s Child became established as a non profit agency and in 1991 the doors to the first-of-its-kind extended day program for school aged children & teens with severe/profound developmental and physical disabilities had begun.
The goal was simple; Northwest’s Child would be a non-profit, private program dedicated to the mission of serving not only the day to day primary needs of each student, but also the educational, social, and vocational needs as well.
This agency was created out of a very real gap in services for our most vulnerable and at-risk children in our community. It would be the first licensed agency in Western Washington to serve children well beyond the typical after-school age of 12, and continue well into early adulthood..
