Groundbreaking Celebration

Joya Child & Family Development held a groundbreaking ceremony on March 31 for our brand-new home in Spokane’s University District. The facility will allow Joya to double annual enrollment, improve the quality of care, increase support for parents and caregivers, and expand professional education and research in the field of early intervention.

The new construction is slated to officially start in April and marks a major milestone in the organization’s long history in Spokane County. For the past 60 years, first as the Spokane Guilds’ School, now as Joya Child & Family Development, Joya has been dedicated to helping the most vulnerable and marginalized in our society.  The move comes as the demand for early intervention services is growing and Joya’s lease in its current facility on Garland Avenue is set to expire in June 2022.

Joya Executive Director Colleen Fuchs said she’s excited for what the new facility will make possible for children and families in our community.

“If we have flourished in a church basement and an old surplus school building, what unimaginable breakthroughs are we capable of in an environment created specifically for infants, toddlers, and their families,” said Fuchs at the ceremonial groundbreaking. “This is so much more than a building. We have an opportunity to have a lasting impact on our community. Through partnerships with the universities, the medical community, and others, I have no doubt we will achieve things that no one thought possible. Just like all the stories you have heard about Joya alumni who exceeded all expectations.”

Joya is working with Bouten Construction and NAC Architecture on the design and construction of the facility. The new building will be home to a centrally located (with improved bus and central line access) children’s center that provides physical, occupational and speech therapy as well as special education services for children, from birth to age three, who are impacted by developmental disabilities and delays. The facility will also offer support services and classes for parents and families. The new center will total 40,000 square feet with approximately 10,000 square feet of shelled space for anticipated future expansion. When completed, the center will include rooms that integrate therapy and educational activities for groups of children, individual therapy treatment rooms and shared gross and fine motor skills and sensory rooms. The building will also include a large gym area for functional movement and gross motor play, and a medical clinic. The grounds will include an adaptive playground that is fully accessible to toddlers, including young children with special needs.

“This is an important milestone in Joya’s journey to develop a new facility,” said Bill Bouten, President of Bouten Construction Company. “The entire construction team is thrilled to be building a new home for Joya that will benefit children and families in our community for years to come,”

The new building is part of a multiyear $18.5 million capital campaign effort. To learn more about the project, including naming opportunities in the new facility, please visit Our New Home.

Missed the ceremony? Look for a link to more photos and a recording of the event posted here soon. Special thanks to Clement Lye and Mike Wootton of Wootton Photography for sharing their talents to help us capture our special day.