The University of Washington has announced a $30 million gift from the Sunderland Foundation for a renovation of the Haring Center for Inclusive Education.

An interdisciplinary hub for education, professional development, and research in the areas of special education and early learning, the center is home to the Experimental Education Unit (EEU), a school that serves children from birth to kindergarten who are not well served by traditional education, including those on the autism spectrum. The gift will support building renovations and updates, including a new roof, beams, headers, and columns, as well as an upgrade of its surveillance and heating and cooling systems. The project also calls for the construction of new meeting space, updates to office and support areas, and a restructuring of classroom layouts to create more opportunities for outdoor and movement activities. Construction is slated to begin later this year.

Sunderland Foundation trustee Bill Sunderland and his wife, Alyssa, helped shepherd the gift from their family's foundation. All three of their children attended the school.

"The fact that we're going to have a building that is going to take this program forward is both humbling and amazing," said Ilene Schwartz, faculty director at the Haring Center. "We've always been underfunded, and we've grown accustomed to being in run-down spaces. To think that we're going to have a brand-new building that is designed for us, with children and families first, and our researchers and professional development staff first is — it gives me goosebumps. This was so individualized to the uniqueness of our program and the uniqueness of our needs."

"We hope through our gift that the building is better from all perspectives," said Bill Sunderland. "It definitely needs to improve in terms of efficiency, both in how people work together, and environmental efficiency."