In good times and bad, we advocate for laws and policies that support our state’s most vulnerable children – especially those in low-income families and communities of color. Our key challenge during the 2010 legislative session was to protect vital services for children and families from budget cuts that could have erased decades of progress. We achieved remarkable success on many levels this year, preserving critical support systems for families weathering the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

Read our in 2010 Legislative Session Review for an in-depth look at our victories for kids across Washington state and the challenges that lie ahead.

Washington state is at a critical moment for children’s health. For five years, state leaders and community partners have been working toward the vision of covering all children in Washington by 2010. Apple Health for Kids: A Prescription for Economic Stability is a new report from the Children’s Alliance that examines where our state stands after five years of progress, highlighting our achievements in children’s health coverage and access, and outlining what remains to be done in order to fulfill the promise of covering all kids.

Of the 300,000 Washington children who got free or reduced-priced lunch on an average day in the 2008-09 school year, only 11 percent of them got summer meals through the federal Summer Food Service Program. While the recession is pushing the need for meals up, many programs sponsored by school districts, parks departments and other organizations cut the number of days they were open last summer.

Read the report.

A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms that hunger in Washington is on the rise as the effects of the recession take their toll on Washington families. The Children's Alliance's analysis of the data, Hungry in Washington, says that hunger was up 24 percent in December, 2008, compared to the prior year, and 13 percent more Washington households struggled to put enough food on the table.

The 2009 legislative session was defined by a mounting budget crisis. Holding the line against devastating cuts to the safety net for kids counted as success in this session.

Read the full report or click below for a specific section.

Thanks to passage of the new federal Children's Health Insurace Program law, Washington now has a guaranteed source of federal funding for children’s health coverage through 2013. The state will be receiving millions of dollars in extra money for children's health care in the next two years, Georgetown University's Center for Children & Families reports. Dowload the full report below.

Hungry In Washington 2008 Report sounds the alarm of rising hunger.

In 2007 the Washington State legislature passed the Cover All Kids law. Read this 2008 report on our progress including the stories of the children and families who are finding coverage, and the next steps to get every child covered by 2010.

Read the Executive Summary

Read the Full Report

Read the Recommendations and Progress Checklist

Nearly 300,000 children in Washington live in households that struggle to put nutritious food on the table every day. The issues these children face can be complex; solving their hunger is not: Feed children three nutritious meals each and every day.

Childhood hunger is a problem that is often hard to see, but its short-term and long-term effects on children’s health and well-being are clear. Childhood Hunger has no place in Washington. 

10 Point Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger in Washington

Ending Childhood Hunger in Washingtion Full Report

Executive Summary

Situational Analysis

Key Findings

10 goals

Conclusions and Timeline