Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Open New Child Development Center

SNOQUALMIE RESERVATION – The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe announces the opening of a new child development center located at 9575 Ethan Wade Way SE, Snoqualmie, Washington on the site of the Tribe’s administrative campus.

Operated in partnership with Bright Horizons, the country's leading provider of high-quality education and child care, the new child development center offers high-quality early childhood education programs for children ages six weeks to five years old, with enrollment priority given to Tribal Members, and employees of the Tribe, Snoqualmie Casino, and Salish Lodge & Spa. Completed in March 2023, the 7,790 SF Child Development Center has a capacity for 70 children and 15 staff members.

The Tribe secured 100% grant funding to finance the design and renovation of the facility and will also subsidize tuition for families who qualify.

Multiple departments of the Tribe primarily collaborated with two global organizations to provide expertise in the renovation design work, and in the development of the programming and curriculum. Architect firm studioMLA Architects served as the Tribe’s partner in redesigning the building that was formerly a hospital, and the Bright Horizons Education Development team worked closely with the Tribe’s Education and Culture teams to develop the daily program that children will experience at the center.

The Center was designed by studioMLA Architects in such a way to support and showcase a "cultural overlay" that was important to the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe. studioMLA Architects provided the infrastructure and framework that allowed them to represent their culture in ways that were meaningful for them through art, signage, and other elements.

"The Tribe's dedication to high-quality early education and finding creative ways to transmit Snoqualmie's culture and language to their children was inspiring. studioMLA Architects was thrilled to be able to collaborate on this unique project,” said Mike Lindstrom, AIA, LEED AP, Principal at studioMLA Architects.

“Bright Horizons is proud to partner with Snoqualmie Indian Tribe to provide a high-quality child care center for Snoqualmie Tribal Members, employees of Snoqualmie Tribal Administration and the local Tribal community at-large,” said Ashley MacDonald, Center Director at Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Child Development Center. “We’re excited to be a part of their children’s first stage of learning here at the center. All our programs are geared to ensure children have the language, math, science and social skills they need for elementary school, and we’re also able to help parents incorporate learning experiences in their children’s home life as well.”

"Building connections between our families and our communities is a keystone to the betterment of all our collective futures,” said Robert M. de los Angeles, Tribal Chairman. “It will bolster and cultivate a sense of identity in our tribal youth ensuring that they will never question who they are or where they belong."

To learn more about the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Child Development Center. visit here.

The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe is a federally recognized tribe in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Known as the People of the Moon, Snoqualmie were signatories to the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855. For more information visit www.snoqualmietribe.us