The number of children in Washington state being diagnosed with special needs continues to go up. But the funding to support these children isn't keeping pace. In fact, it's being cut at state and national levels.
 
Each year, the nonprofit Kindering Center in Bellevue center provides therapy, special education and counseling to more than 3,000 children from birth to 3 who are disabled, medically fragile, or vulnerable because they've been neglected or abused. And last year, they made room for another 100 children in their early intervention program - a commitment to the youngest children needing their help.
 
But last year, the gap between the cost of services and funding widened substantially because of drastic budget cuts from the state and county. The center is struggling to pay for uncompensated care given to developmentally delayed infants and toddlers.
 
Watch this Learning for Life as we talk with Mimi Siegel, the long-time director of the Kindering Center, about the increase in children needing their services, the current financial challenges of providing that help and what she thinks needs to happen to make sure children get the support they need.