Washington Agencies and Programs with Respite for Children and Youth

  • Easter Seals Washington: a statewide organization that serves adults and children who have special needs. 800.678.5708. Respite programs include camps and family retreats.
  • WA State Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA): Serves children and adults who have an intellectual or developmental disability.
  • Crisis Nurseries: Crisis nurseries offer a safe, stable place for children. It’s a free service available to parents who have stress due to parenting, illness, domestic violence, homelessness and other crisis situations. Children age 6 and under can use a crisis nursery. Visit the “Other Child Care Programs” page at the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families to learn more about, and locate crisis nurseries which may be in your area.
  • Lifespan Respite Voucher program – a federally funded grant to meet planned (not crisis) respite needs for unserved and unpaid family caregivers. Respite for caregivers is provided through respite provider agencies, versus individual providers.

Military Family Respite

  • Exceptional Family Member Program: Provides all four military branches with care and respite support for families with a member who has a special need or disability.
  • Coast Guard Special Needs Program: provides Coast Guard family members who have special needs or a disability with care and support.
  • Your branch of service may have branch-specific resources for respite. Contact the Exceptional Family Member Family Support Office at your nearest installation or Coast Guard Special Needs Program by phone or email.

Other Support and Information

  • Kinship Caregiver Support Program: Over 35,000 people in Washington State are caring for a relative’s child. The services offered under DSHS Kinship Care include Kingship Navigators, health care, child care and other assistance. The child being cared for does not need to have a disability or health condition.
  • Parent Trust for Washington Children: Serves parents, relatives and others who care for children and youth. 880.932.HOPE
  • Parenthelp123: Serves children and families with information and resources. 322.2588
  • The ARC of Washington: Serves children and adults who have an intellectual or developmental disability. 888.754.8798
  • Parent to Parent: one-to-one emotional support from trained volunteer parents of children with similar conditions to those of your own child. Recreational events, support groups, free and local.
  • Child Care Aware: Provides information about child care and respite. 800.424.2246
  • Community Living Connections: search for benefits, support programs and information if you are caregiver to a child or adult with disabilities
  • Family to Family Health Information Center: Washington Family to Family serves families who have children and youth with special health care needs age birth to 26 years. We provide individual information on supporting your child in the health care system and refer you to resources that are available in Washington State that provide information on health care.
  • The Here and Now Project serves the Pacific Northwest Paralysis Community. They have created thousands of meaningful connections between hundreds of individuals living with paralysis all over the Pacific Northwest and built a community of support that the newly paralyzed have come to trust as a tremendous resource for how to move forward after a life-changing injury or diagnosis.