Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The annual report “The State of the States in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities," Washington ranked 45th in the nation in 'fiscal effort' for the developmentally disabled population. The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) estimates 81,000 people in our state have a developmental disability and that “of those, 26,610 receive at least one state-paid service from DDA, while 14,126 people with a developmental disability are on a waiting list and receive no services".
More than 1,500 babies are born each year in Snohomish, Island and Skagit Counties with some type of disability or delay. Today, only 60% of those born with a disability or delay receive early diagnosis and treatment.
Many employers are unaware of the contributions that people with disabilities can make to their companies. The unemployment rate of people with disabilities is 80%.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Early Intervention
Our birth-to-three program provides a full range of in-person and telehealth services for infants and toddlers birth-to-three. We utilize a parent coaching model encouraging family involvement in the child's natural environment. The first three years are the most critical in shaping brain development yet only 60% of children born with a disability or delay receive early diagnosis and treatment. The best way to help these infants and toddlers is to identify disabilities and delays as early as possible while the brain is still developing. Sherwood specialists meet with the family to assess the child’s abilities and then work together to develop a plan to achieve the best outcome for the child. The ultimate goal is to provide supports to help the child reach their developmental milestones. Even those that do not reach developmental milestones by age 3 are further prepared for kindergarten and are more independent in adult life. By working closely with school districts, it ensures a better transition for 3-year old into the school system.
Vocational Services
Sherwood supports high school students and adults with disabilities who are seeking employment. Sherwood strives to not only place people in jobs, but to ensure they are in jobs they love. Employment specialists assist with the job search, seek employers, assess and train adults, and provide support for integration into the workplace. They first assess his/her abilities and goals and work with employers to find a successful fit for that individual’s unique abilities and skill-set. Ongoing coaching to the employee and employer is available to ensure long-term success. Sherwood believes that every individual with a disability should have an opportunity for meaningful employment that uses his or her abilities to the highest level and offers a competitive wage. Employment also leads to increased economic independence, community integration and greater self-worth. People with disabilities are too often unemployed and underemployed. Employers can commonly be unaware of the contributions, talents, and skills of people with disabilities and overlook them during the hiring process. In the United States, only 28% of people with disabilities are employed and in Washington State about 40% are employed. Adults with disabilities are 2.5 times as likely to live in poverty due to unemployment or underemployment. A person with a disability has a 10% chance of gaining employment without vocational supports. By choosing to partner with Sherwood that same individual has a 78% chance of gaining employment.
Where we work
Awards
Best Non-Profit 2020
The Daily Herald
Affiliations & memberships
Association of Fundraising Professionals - Member 2021
Washington Nonprofits - Member 2021
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children with disabilities receiving early intervention services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Families, People with disabilities
Related Program
Early Intervention
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Unduplicated number of infants and toddlers with diagnosed delay or disability receiving critical, life-changing therapies.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people, People with disabilities
Related Program
Vocational Services
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Unduplicated number of high school students and adults with a disability receiving employment supports.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Sherwood provides innovative and inclusive services for children and adults with disabilities in their communities. We continue to address challenges such as loneliness, isolation and low expectations that society has for people with disabilities. We take pride in serving all people with disabilities and their families, including individuals with significant disabilities, those in rural areas and non-native English speaking communities. We bring our mission to life through our Early Intervention and Vocational Services programs.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Through our programs we provide services to meet the needs of children and adults with disabilities and their families in our community.
Early Intervention - therapy and education for infants and toddlers who have developmental disabilities or are diagnosed with a medical condition known to place a child at risk for developmental disabilities. Services are provided in the child's natural settings including the family home, daycare, or other community setting. We utilize a parent coaching model encouraging family involvement. Specialists meet with the family to assess the child's strengths and needs then work together to develop a plan to achieve the best outcome for the child. The ultimate goal is to help the child reach developmental milestones. All infants and toddlers who receive early intervention benefit greatly. In Washington State, 32% of children who received early intervention services enter the general education system instead of costly special education programs. Every child who avoids a special education program results in a total savings of $105,000 to taxpayers over their entire education.
Vocational Services - Sherwood assists adults with disabilities, including students graduating from high school who are seeking employment. We assist with the job search, find employers, assess and train adults, assist with transportation, and provide support for integration into the workplace. When Sherwood begins working with someone, we first assess his/her abilities and goals. Then we work with employers to create positions tailored to their unique abilities. Sherwood provides ongoing coaching to the employee and employer to ensure long-term success. Sherwood strives to not only place people in jobs, but to ensure they are in jobs they love. A job leads to increased economic independence, community integration and greater self-worth.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Sherwood was recognized by the community for our dedication to our clients as was named “Best Non-Profit" in Snohomish County by The Daily Herald. We lead through advocacy and community education and have increased the number of people receiving services by 25% over the last year. Through our three programs: Early Intervention (birth to 3) and Vocational Services (adults) in fiscal year 7/1/16-6/30/17, we served 1,117 people with disabilities.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Client services can be for short periods or stretch into years depending on the program, updates, and growth. People with developmental disabilities deserve an opportunity to realize their potential and be productive members of society. Sherwood is entering Year 5 of a 5 Year Business Plan with goals to the number served in each service area by 2021; we are currently on track to meet the increasing needs of our community.
At Sherwood, success looks like:
Everlee an Early Intervention client who began services at 8 months old when her mother and doctor had concerns over her motor development. At 14 months Everlee began crawling, she can now walking and climb independently. During services delays in Everlee's speech were also identified and she began receiving speech therapy; at two and a half years old she continues to work hard and has acquired a vocabulary of nearly 30 words.
Mira, a Vocational Services client finding a job that allows her to do what she loves most: helping people. As a receptionist at a local college, she spends her day helping students navigate the online platform for classes and IT issues. More recently she has started to serve as resource to professors at the college needing assistance with making their instruction materials accessible – something she has first-hand experience with because she is blind. Mira uses a Braille Display to translate the writing on her laptop computer to braille and quickly zips through her work.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
SHERWOOD COMMUNITY SERVICES
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Mrs Melissa Hemrich
Coastal Community Bank
Term: 2020 - 2022
Mr Jason Thompson
Moss Adams
Term: 2019 - 2021
Gary O'Rielly
Retired
Tracy DeLorm, DDS
DeLorm Family Dentist
Sam Reed
Washington Federal Foundation
Kacey Kemp
Premera
Linda Adams
Retired
Mohamed El Souessy
Hawk's IT
Craig Brewster
Marysville School District
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: