Holly Ridge Center

Mission, Vision, Values

The mission of Holly Ridge Center is to create opportunities to empower people with disabilities to reach their fullest potential.  Our vision is to create an inclusive community where we learn, work, & play together.  Our values are Respect, Inclusion, and Compassion.  

Description

Holly Ridge Center all with people with developmental delays and disabilities in two primary program areas: an Infant Toddler Program (ITP) Birth to Three Early Support Services and Adult Employment Services (AES). It has been providing services on the Kitsap Peninsula since 1963. 

The Infant Toddler Program (ITP) is the only neurodevelopmental center in Kitsap and North Mason Counties. We provide relationship-focused early support services to families with children, ages birth to three, who present with one or more developmental delays or disabilities or are medically complex. Holly Ridge Center provides these critical services for all children who qualify, regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

Early support works! Over 30% of kids who graduate from ITP need no additional specialized services.  We served over 1,300 children in 2023, and now serve more than 500 families per month, up from 315 a month in 2020.  

Nested within ITP is our growing Autism Services. Holly Ridge Center is an Autism Center of Excellence and among the few Early Support Centers providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). As practiced at Holly Ridge Center, ABA is a play-based, child-led learning method for children diagnosed with autism. Our recently created Autism Resources Navigator position is one of a few statewide, placing us on the cutting edge of Autism Spectrum Disorder support in the region. Autism services are severely underfunded and critically necessary.    

Meet Briar! A recent graduate of the Holly Ridge Center Infant Toddler Program.  At Holly Ridge Center, Briar had a whole team working with her: physical therapists, an occupational therapist, a vision therapist, a hearing specialist, and a speech therapist who also worked with her on feeding.

Today, Briar is attending adaptive preschool and is excited to ride the bus, in fact, "The Wheels on the Bus" is her favorite song!

"She's a fighter, and she has the sass to show for it! She'll tell you what for if we're doing something that she doesn't want to do. She's a girl who speaks her mind." --Kiley, Briar's mom

The Adult Employment Services (AES) program supports competitive, integrated, person-centered employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We have built a reputation for providing quality customer service to our job-seeking clients and the community partners who employ them.   

Austin is an Adult Employment Services client employed at the Bremerton Family YMCA in Bremerton.

“Austin was here two years ago when I first came to the Y, and I have seen him blossom into this outgoing individual.  He is part of our team. He goes up to our staff and is constantly fist-pumping, saying hello. He knows our staff by name. He has taken on additional responsibilities and just being able to see him grow as a human, and a professional, has been phenomenal" said Denise Landis, Executive Director of the Bremerton Family YMCA.

Your financial support to Holly Ridge Center will help support: 

• Critical services for individuals experiencing developmental delays and disabilities regardless of ability to pay 

• Services for adults with disabilities to develop skills and gain access to tools, preparing them for meaningful and lasting employment of their choosing. 

• Continued growth in providing more accessible services using technology for virtual appointments, telehealth, communication devices, and other assistive technology tools.   

• Innovative supplemental activities that provide families with a needed connection to the community and resources for the journey beyond Holly Ridge Center.  

More information about Holly Ridge Center and its programs can be found at www.hollyridge.org. 

Recognition

Thank you! Your generous support of Holly Ridge Center ensures all people can live to their fullest potential.