Four out of 10 children in our state use Apple Health for Kids to see a doctor, dentist or other medical professional. Click here to see how many children are enrolled in Apple Health for Kids in each of Washington’s 39 counties.

More than half of children entering kindergarten classrooms across Washington have not had the opportunities they need to be ready for school. We know that for low-income children and children of color, this is more likely to be true. But quality early learning can help close the opportunity gap. Read a policy paper by the Early Learning Action Alliance.

New estimates from the Children’s Alliance reveal that Washington state is in line to receive $80 million in federal Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) Performance Bonus funds in the next two years. Congress has appropriated funds for these bonuses through 2013. Read more about it here.

Apple Health for Kids— Washington state’s children’s health insurance program — has won a $17.6 million performance bonus from the federal government for its outstanding efforts to enroll children in health insurance and help them retain coverage. Washington, a long-time leader in health coverage for children, is one of just 15 states to be awarded a bonus. The award is a boost to the Apple Health for Kids program that many families are relying on to help them through the economic crisis.

The federal Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization (CHIPRA) law—the second bill signed into law by President Barack Obama—created performance bonuses to help states meet the cost of enrolling low-income children. The bonus structure set aggressive targets for enrollment and set a high bar for policies to promote enrollment, efficiency, and retention.

Frequently asked questions and responses from public officials and health advocates here. 

The Annie E Casey Foundation has created a Race Matters Toolkit. The toolkit is designed to help decision-makers, advocates, and elected officials get better results in their work by providing equitable opportunities for all.

16% (approximately 226,000) of Washington’s children under 18 live below the federal poverty level. The 226,000 children living in poverty would form a continuous line along the entire length of I-5 in Washington. Read the Child Poverty Fact Sheet.

In 2008, the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (JRA), where youth committing serious offenses are held, reported that more than 60% of youth held in JRA facilities have “significant mental health issues,” and 85% of the youth in residential care are substance abusers or chemically dependent. Click on the attached fact sheet to read more about juvenile justice in Washington.

Many low-income parents skip meals so that their children can eat. At one Spokane food bank, 60% of parents said they skipped meals to give their children food. Click on the attached fact sheet to learn more about childhood hunger in Washington.

The number of Washington children without health insurance dropped from 167,000 children in 2001 to 73,000 in 2006. In the first year after the Cover All Kids law went into effect in 2007, 40,000 of those children were covered. Click on the attached fact sheet to read more about children's health in Washington.

Washington State’s foster care system is currently subject to improvements mandated by the settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed in 1998. Under the direction of an outside panel (the Braam Oversight Panel) created in 2004, the state must meet agreed-upon benchmarks for improving placement stability, mental health services, foster parent training and information, safety and appropriateness of foster care placements, sibling separation and services to adolescents. Click on the attached fact sheet for more information about foster care in Washington.