Stronger Foundations: A legacy of care, a future of possibility.
Our Capital Campaign seeks to raise funds for a new, purpose-built office and community hub that will enable us to expand therapy spaces, host family programs, collaborate with partners, and provide Stronger Foundations for families and staff. We firmly believe this space will help fulfill our vision of a community that embraces and integrates children of all abilities and treasures the unique gifts each child possesses.
A letter from the director
For 25 years, A Step Ahead in Pierce County (ASAPC) has walked alongside families during some of the most important and often most uncertain moments of their lives. Every day, we witness the incredible potential of infants and toddlers when they receive the right support early. We also see the growing challenges families face in accessing those services. Referrals to our early intervention program have increased steadily over the past ten years, and the number of families we serve who are low-income or receiving public benefits has nearly doubled over time.
These trends tell a clear story: the need is greater than ever, and children cannot afford to wait.
That is why we launched the Stronger Foundations Capital Campaign, to create a permanent centralized home where more children can access life-changing services, more families can find support and more opportunities can be created for every child to thrive. This campaign is about far more than a building. It is about investing in brighter futures during the most critical years of development, when early intervention can change the trajectory of a child’s life.
With your support, we will build an inclusive, accessible community space that expands access to therapy, early learning, family resources, and caregiver support for generations to come. Your generosity will help ensure that every child, regardless of ability or circumstance, has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.
Together, we can build Stronger Foundations for children, families, and our entire community.
With gratitude,
Lindsey Hartman, MA, SPED
Executive Director
our story
A Step Ahead first opened its doors in 2001, and over the past 25 years continues to be recognized as a collaborative leader in early childhood services. We were the first organization in the region to provide speech therapy services directly in the homes of the children we serve; and we’ve played an instrumental role in supporting the development and expansion of Language Preschools within the community. We’ve led the charge in working alongside community partners to advance inclusive practices, strengthen systems of support, and deepen regional understanding of what children of all abilities need to thrive.
this long-standing commitment to innovation, accessibility and collaboration continues to drive strong outcomes for children and families throughout Pierce County, while demand for services continues to rise.
our programs
A STEP AHEAD, our original and namesake program, supports infants and toddlers with developmental delays by working with families to identify their individual strengths, priorities and concerns to provide meaningful services in a natural environment in collaboration with Pierce County to provide Washington State’s Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT).
BOOST supports the social emotional needs of children birth to three in all of Pierce County by emphasizing the importance of caregiver relationships, education, and empowerment with specialization in foster care and infant mental health.
PLAYFUL CONNECTIONS supports children and families by hosting a variety of playgroups, field trips and other mission-based family events to promote child development, community inclusion and caregiver involvement and peer-to peer interaction for both caregiver and child.
BOUNTIFUL BENEFIT supports the educational, therapeutic, and basic needs of ASAPC enrolled children and families with essential resource closet items at no cost to the families thanks to generous sponsorships from local community partners invested in our mission.
the need
We asked ourselves, "Why Now?" That answer came to us very quickly, community demand has outgrown our space with rising enrollments and lengthy community waitlists. The challenges facing young children and families are urgent and growing, incremental change is no longer enough. The earliest years are the most critical period of brain development yet increasing numbers of children are identified with developmental delays and complex needs. As demand for our services grows, ASAPC is committed to expanding capacity, deepening impact, and removing barriers to access.
We know that the impact we have within the Pierce County community we serve speaks volumes about the work we do. Annually, we serve over 1,000 families of infants and toddlers with developmental needs. We continue to implement evidence-based services to enhance a child’s learning by leveraging their natural motivation and individual interests to promote development and inclusion within everyday routines and environments alongside their first teachers, their parents and caregivers.
Our Capital Campaign seeks to raise funds for a new, purpose-built office and community hub that will enable us to expand therapy spaces, host family programs, collaborate with partners, and provide Stronger Foundations for families and staff. We firmly believe this space will help fulfill our vision of a community that embraces and integrates children of all abilities and treasures the unique gifts each child possesses.
our goal
Property Acquisition and building
Therapy and meeting room build-outs
Furnishings
Technology, safety, and child-friendly design
Increased family service capacity
Long-term sustainability
Campaign administration, planning and transition supports
AI Rendering of our vision
call to action
Join us in building Stronger Foundations, a home where potential thrives and a place where hope can take root and grow for every child, every family, every day. Through this Capital Campaign, ASAPC will lay groundwork to strengthen our physical foundation to foster and shape the developmental foundation for Pierce County’s infants and toddlers through expanded early support services for families.
You are invited to be a founding partner in this transformational effort. Your investment will help ensure that families receive the support they need early on, creating stable, nurturing beginnings that lead to lifelong success. Together, we can build Stronger Foundations today that will support generations to come.
The Stronger Foundations Capital Campaign will create a centralized, sensory responsive, inclusive community hub where therapy, early learning, and family support services come together; giving infants, toddlers and their caregivers the strong start they deserve, regardless of their ability to pay
We are seeking to raise $6 Million to support:
Donors can support the campaign in a variety of ways, look to the left to see examples or make a donation today by using this form:
ways to give
One-time gifts
Recurring Monthly Gifts
Multi-Year pledges
Donor-advised fund accounts
Corporate/Employer Matching Programs
Bequests and beneficiary designations
IRA Qualified distributions for eligible donors
Naming Opportunities
For additional information and questions please reach out to Michelle Smith, Development Director at A Step Ahead in Pierce County.
253.471.2727 Ext 135
michelles@asapc.org