Vision and History

Treehouse is uniquely committed to improving the lives of our kids living in foster care. No other agency in our region responds to the needs of our foster children like Treehouse.

Treehouse was founded to help foster kids just be kids.

In the late 1980s a group of DSHS caseworkers, frustrated by the lack of resources for extras for kids in their care, started raising money in their spare time to fund normal childhood experiences. Their small collection funded birthday presents and paid for extracurricular activities.

In 1988, these volunteers teamed up with community leaders to create the Children’s Fund, a public-private partnership that was later renamed Treehouse. With the help of generous donors, Treehouse hired its first staff members in 1993. These professionals devoted their attention, full-time, to developing programs to meet the unique needs of children in foster care. Over time, these evolved into the current suite of enrichment and education programs and acquired a track record of success in helping foster children thrive – now and in the future. In its 20 years, Treehouse has grown tremendously, but its core has not changed. It is still a community effort that depends on the dedication and support of volunteers and donors. 

Last year, more than 4,300 foster kids in our community used Treehouse services.