Washington state lawmakers are considering a massive cut to the state’s Working Connections Child Care program. Losing this subsidy would be devastating to thousands of parents who are working hard to lift their families out of poverty. It could force them to quit their jobs or stop looking for work.

In this edition, you'll find stories and editorials about continued efforts to balance the state budget, including how Oregon voters’ approval of a tax hike has given some Washington lawmakers hope that they’ll be able to raise new revenue to protect vital state services.

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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. 

In this edition you'll find stories and editorials about the latest proposals for cuts and new revenue that state lawmakers are weighing, including how cuts to the state budget could cost Washington federal money. You'll also read a story featuring the daughter of Children's Alliance member Vicky McIntyre highlighting the importance of protecting our state's investment in Apple Health for Kids.

In this edition you'll find an editorial calling on state lawmakers to pay attention to the framework around quality early learning proposals. You'll also find articles and editorials exploring the most recent possibilities for balancing new revenue with cuts. 

Editorial: Early start on early learning | Seattle Times I 1-19-2010

More than half of the children in Washington state start

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In this edition you'll find news stories and editorials about the push to balance new revenue sources with difficult cuts. You'll also read about the governor's "All Start" preschool proposal and a call to follow the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s advice on addressing racism and poverty.

Children's Alliance lends a voice to the call for new revenue I Children's Alliance No Kidding! Blog I 1-15-2010

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At a news conference convened by the Rebuilding Our Economic Future Coalition, the Children’s Alliance joined parents and teachers in urging our state lawmakers to raise significant new revenue to protect kids and schools.

In this edition, you'll find news stories and editorials about Gov. Gregoire's revised budget and efforts to balance painful cuts with new revenue. You'll also find a story about possible changes to childhood vaccine availability.

Gregoire looks for balance in new budget | The Spokesman-Review | 1-13-2010

Saying that many of the cuts she proposed last month are

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January 13, 2010 — Gov. Chris Gregoire’s revised budget rightly protects Apple Health for Kids, Maternity Support Services and some other vital programs that are helping Washington families weather this grueling recession. But many critical investments remain in jeopardy.

Today’s edition has an op-ed by Children's Alliance Executive Director Paola Maranan urging lawmakers to protect kids this legislative session. You’ll also read about 14,000 petition signatures that the Rebuilding Our Economic Future Coalition (the Children’s Alliance is a member) delivered to Gov. Chris Gregoire and legislators asking them to seek new revenue to blunt proposed budget cuts.

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The Seattle Times invited the Children's Alliance and a handful of other organizations to write an oped giving state lawmakers advice for the upcoming session.

We urged them not to turn their backs on the children and families who need them most. "If we do," Executive Director Paola Maranan wrote, "we would only create problems that become costlier to solve down the road."  

If Congress winds up repealing the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), families in Washington and other states could face significantly higher costs and lose coverage that’s better for low- to moderate-income kids than anything that’s been proposed so far as part of federal health care reform.

In this edition, you'll find articles and editorials about the state budget crunch and solutions some lawmakers have proposed. You'll also read about a successful early learning model from our state and federal support for child care that is failing to reach many low-income families.

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