South Sound Parent to Parent hired three Spanish-speaking staff members in Thurston, Mason and Grays Harbor counties for fall 2026.

The Olympia-area nonprofit, which has served families with children who have disabilities or illnesses since 1987, said about 15% of the families it supports speak Spanish.

The new hires will work across its Helping Parent, Birth to Three and Peer Mentor Information and Support programs, the organization said in a sponsored post on ThurstonTalk.

In Thurston County, Alejandra Heredia joined as a bilingual family resource coordinator for the Helping Parent and Birth to Three programs.

Heredia, a mother of three whose oldest son has cerebral palsy, previously worked as a substitute teacher with the ESD 113 Head Start program and spent more than 19 years in community health as a dental supervisor.

"I'm excited to be joining as a Bilingual FRC/HP … I'm a proud mom of three amazing kids, including my oldest son, who is a cerebral palsy warrior, making this opportunity even more meaningful," Heredia said.

Samanta Quintana Alonso will support the Peer Mentor Information and Support coordinator in Grays Harbor County.

She is enrolled in college to become a medical assistant. Ani Andrade joined the Helping Parent and Birth to Three programs in Mason County. Andrade recently moved to Washington.

Sylvia Davenport, the nonprofit's Helping Parent program director, said the hires will let the organization reach more Spanish-speaking families.

She said demand has been growing, with more families reaching out for support.

The expansion also includes new support groups. A Spanish-speaking Mom to Mom group will launch in Thurston County in January 2027. Davenport described it as a space for mothers to connect and support one another, modeled after existing Mom to Mom groups in Mason and Grays Harbor counties.

A separate group called Create and Connect, focused on crafting and socializing, will start in Mason County in September 2026.

In Mason County, the bilingual hire also opens access to events like a Date Night planned for October 2026. In Grays Harbor, it means expanded support for the Brick-to-Brick program, where children who need social communication help receive it while playing with LEGO.

The local expansion comes as the statewide Parent to Parent program faces a 10% budget cut from the state Department of Social and Health Services. The program's budget for the coming year is about $877,000, the Washington State Standard reported. Part of that reduction will trim spending on multicultural coordinators who help parents overcome language barriers. Whether the state cut directly affects South Sound Parent to Parent's local funding is not clear from available information.

Families can learn more about the organization's programs at ssp2p.org. The Thurston County Mom to Mom group is set to begin in January 2027, with meeting times and location still to come.