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.

On Dec. 2, 2011, Children's Alliance gathered hundreds across the state on Capitol steps to issue a statement to lawmakers signed by Washington's kids.

Read our Proclamation by the Children of Washington State: For Us, By Us, For Our Future.  

Since the beginning of the recession, the number of Washington state families struggling with hunger has almost doubled, bucking the national downward trend and demonstrating the persistence of the economic downturn. Read our new report.

The 2011 legislative session had far-reaching consequences for the public systems and services we all rely on. Lawmakers made decisions that dimmed the prospect of a brighter future for our children. Yet thanks to smart and persistent advocacy by the Children’s Alliance and our partners, some vital services for kids were protected.

Together with families and allies across the state, we preserved health care, child care and anti-hunger programs that continue to make a difference in the well being of Washington’s children.

To learn more about our work this session, watch this short slideshow on what we accomplished:

More than 50 organizations from around the state joined the Children’s Alliance in opposing potential cuts to health coverage for kids. Read the letter here.

For a comprehensive look at all early learning programs affected in the 2011-2013 biennium, check out Children's Alliance's conference budget recommendations.

More than 367,000 households in Washington struggled to put food on the
table in 2009, according to the most recent report on food security in America. According to the report, released November 15, 2010 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service, food insecurity is on the rise in Washington state. 

Learn more about the report in the Children's Alliance analysis, Hungry in Washington 2010.

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 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.