Governor Chris Gregoire’s revenue proposals are a step in the right direction. If passed by voters in March, a half-penny sales tax increase would help protect children from further harm. Closing tax loopholes makes our state government more accountable and makes sure wealthy interests do their part to build a healthy future.

Still, even if all of the tax changes Gov. Gregoire is advocating are enacted, they would still fall short of protecting crucial education, health care and public safety programs. And that would put children at risk.

In this edition, reporters and commentators size up the consequences of another state budget shortfall, while one paper considers the idea of ending tax loopholes instead of basic services. A public safety leader urges a vote against Initiative 1183. A new agreement will curtail the number of times a foster child moves from home to home; and a Spokane organization starts an initiative to enroll thousands of uninsured teens in Apple Health for Kids.

A state rule starting early this month has inspired public debate and a lawsuit making national headlines.

The consequences of this policy will threaten the safety and health of Washington’s Medicaid families. The rule imposes harmful and confusing limits on benefits for care received at the emergency room that could have severe consequences for children covered under Apple Health for Kids.

Figures released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau paint an alarming picture of poverty in America. But there’s a slice of positive news for Washington families: Our state remains a good place for kids to get access to the health care they need.

Washington state’s award-winning children’s health coverage plan, Apple Health for Kids, can take the credit.

In this week’s edition, the Children’s Alliance, anti-hunger partners, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction launch the Fuel Up First with Breakfast Challenge, motivating schools across Washington to make sure more students can focus on their studies, not their stomachs. Also, new figures show the impact of the recession on the state’s children, and hunger threatens up to 17 million kids across the country.

State schools superintendent Randy Dorn joined the Children’s Alliance this week to ask school officials to think about how kids start their day: with their minds on their studies, or on their empty stomachs?

Members of our staff joined Superintendent Dorn and the outstanding educators and students of Auburn’s Washington Elementary School Monday morning to demonstrate a simple route to academic success: school breakfast.

The Children’s Alliance, Dorn and other anti-hunger allies have launched the statewide Fuel Up First with Breakfast Challenge. The Challenge aims to increase participation in school breakfast programs by 50 percent over the next two years.

One leading indicator of hard times – joblessness – is chiefly considered a problem for adults. But when parents are without work, it impacts the entire family.

Last year, nearly 1 in 8 kids (169,000) in our state had at least one parent who experienced the fear and anxiety of unemployment. That marks an increase of 90,000 since the beginning of the recession in 2007.