Washington’s 1.7 million kids had no part in negotiating the deal passed by Congress Tuesday to raise the debt ceiling. But their futures will be affected by it, profoundly and perhaps disastrously.

In a very short time, Congress now stands to make decisions with far-reaching effects on programs used by the one million Washington households accessing food stamps; or the nearly 700,000 kids on Medicaid; or the 11,000 children enrolled in Head Start.

This week we get to mark a great milestone: the first birthday of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But instead of collecting presents, the ACA is instead giving thousands of Washington kids the gift of affordable and accountable health care that can better meet their needs.

In the year since the ACA’s passage, there have been a number of milestones that we can take pride in. Here are just a few of those important provisions that are already benefiting kids in our state:

Many Washington families are facing challenges that make parenting difficult and stressful, and too few have access to the resources they need to raise healthy children.

If you’ve been following the news about health care reform this week, you’re probably well aware of some of the many changes on the horizon, like pre-existing conditions that will no longer prevent kids from getting coverage, or tax credits that will make coverage more affordable.

Tucked within health care reform, there’s a big win for kids and families that you probably haven’t heard much about: $1.5 billion in grants states will compete for over the next five years to improve home visiting programs, which provide new and expectant parents with valuable support services that help them get their children off to the best possible start in life.