$800,000 grant will fund additional child care spots at Triumph Treatment Services in Yakima

Feb. 25--An $800,000 grant awarded to Triumph Treatment Services in Yakima will go toward expanding child care for residents on campus and for members of the wider community.

Triumph Treatment Services provides care to individuals and families experiencing substance use disorders, homelessness and poverty. The agency provides behavioral health services and therapeutic child care in conjunction with parental programs at the Cottage Kids Children's Center, where children suffering from depression, mental health issues and trauma can receive specialized education and developmental assessment.

Robin Appling, program administrator of Triumph's residential women's programs, said the grant will allow the center to add 18 child care slots that will be open to eligible families in the community.

"We are very excited about this project," Appling said. "We want to take what we know works really well with our women who are suffering and share that with the community."

Triumph's grant was a small piece of $17.2 million in grants awarded this month to 39 early learning providers by the Washington State Department of Commerce, in partnership with the Department of Children, Youth and Families. The agencies anticipate the awards will impact more than 1,270 children statewide.

Washington Department of Commerce Director Lisa Brown said in a news release that the first years of a child's life are critical to long-term development and achievement.

"Too many working parents in Washington are either paying more than they can afford or are struggling to find quality child care and preschool in their community," Brown said. "These grants are a crucial step toward achieving a child care system that works better for all Washington families."

Expanding services

Appling said the center received a $1.2 million grant from Seattle'sGenesis Project several years ago that provided a boost for the center's vision of a building with a commercial kitchen, dining room, child care center and offices at their residents' fingertips. But the vision was bigger than the grant, so Triumph has continued to seek other funding opportunities, she said.

The new grant money will increase the Cottage Kids Children's Center capacity from 25 to 43, Appling said. The 18 additional spots will be open to children of community members who qualify for the program, while 25 spots will remain reserved for the program's families.

The grand plan for the center's expansion also includes staff providing an early childhood education assistance curriculum and an evidence-based Theraplay curriculum with additional qualified staff.

Other components include preparing nutritious meals for clients in the commercial kitchen and providing bus and van service for families lacking transportation.

Theresa Adkison, a clinical supervisor at the center, said the expansion's cost is estimated at $4.5 million. About 60% has been raised, Adkison said, and Triumph has invested $600,000 in the project. The center has contracted with Moen Construction and Traho Architects, with much of the planning and permitting already completed.

Construction could start in April, with anticipated completion in summer 2021.

Traho Architects asked the city in 2019 for a revised zoning classification that would allow changes to the Triumph property, including construction of a 13,000-square-foot campus with room for a child care area, counselor's offices, a multipurpose dining room, a commercial kitchen and additional parking spaces.

Under the proposed plan, a therapeutic child care center would be relocated to the triangle-shaped lot at the corner of North 28th and Jerome avenues. The new center would allow for all-day child care and additional opportunities for adult residential therapy, Traho said.

Blueprints show additional toddler and infant rooms and a preschool classroom, as well as observation and resource rooms.

Recovering families

Adkison said clients have told her that the center gives them hope to continue their journeys toward sobriety.

"The disease has killed off many, but what some of the women do with the program is remarkable," she said. "It's like they become completely new people. They come back to life."

Appling said the center plans to host a gala in May to raise additional funds for the project.

Wonder Kids LLC and Bertha's Day Care in Yakima also received grants for $71,817 for 20 child care spaces and $350,000 for 38 spaces, respectively.

Reach Lex Talamo at ltalamo@yakimaherald.com or on Twitter: @LexTalamo.

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