The 2026 Legislative Session came to a close last week. Children’s Alliance is proud to have worked alongside many powerful advocates and partners to create positive change for kids and families this session.

Children's Alliance is committed to protecting key programs, advocating for progressive revenue solutions that compel corporations and the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share, and fighting against efforts to balance the budget on the backs of Washingtonians with low or middle incomes.

Our 2026 legislative agenda prioritizes the communities most impacted by systemic racism and economic exclusion, advancing policies that sustain early learning, health equity, and economic justice.

We’re excited to share our first set of state issue briefs focusing on early learning and child care. These briefs explore child care provider rates, the number of young children (ages 3-4) not in school, and other critical factors that affect families with young children.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book show’s that Washington leaders must do more to provide the support and resources children need to thrive in school and life.

Despite a $16 billion budget shortfall, we were able to celebrate some victories for kids and families this year. Read our full legislative report to learn more about the progress we made.

Katrina, a Head Start parent, shares her experience and highlights the program’s full arc of support, from home visiting in pregnancy through pre-K graduation.

 The federal government is seeing unprecedented cuts to program funding and staff, and there are drastic cuts proposed that would make it harder for families access early learning, health care, and nutrition. 

Children’s Alliance urges the United States Department of Health and Human Services to immediately restore regional support for Head Start programs to Region 10, which serves four states including Washington.

The executive order directing Secretary McMahon to dismantle the United States Department of Education will result in significant harm to children across the country, including in Washington state.

Washington is facing a severe budget crisis this session, and funding for early learning programs is at risk. We are particularly concerned about proposed cuts that will impact kids who are furthest from opportunity. 

We are 43 days into the 2025 legislative session, with 62 days left.  A lot has happened so far, including some major successes that we are thrilled to share with all of you. 

At Children’s Alliance, we see a future in which all of Washington's children have an abundance of what they need to grow up to be the people they dream of becoming.  Our 2025 legislative agenda highlights policy priorities in our three primary issue areas: early learning, health equity, and economic justice.

Earlier this month, the Annie E. Casey Foundation published its 2024 KIDS COUNT® National Data Book, which ranks states in overall well-being and across four categories.

Washington is making progress in terms of overall child wellbeing. However, our state still has plenty of room to improve, especially in terms of education and economic well-being.

Every legislative session, Children’s Alliance works with advocates from across the state to advance policies that support Washington’s kids and families. On June 6, many of the bills we advocated for during the 2024 legislative session will go into effect.

To celebrate Child Care Provider Appreciation Day, we spoke to Lois A. Martin, MA, Director of Community Day Center for Children, about what brings her joy, the importance of racial equity in early learning, and the challenges that child care providers face.

Our state’s preschool programs score highly in the National Institute for Early Education Research’s State of Preschool report. Now lawmakers need to take steps to ensure more families can access them.

We made important steps forward this legislative session, particularly in the areas of youth behavioral health and child care affordability. Read our full report to learn about the progress of all of our top priority legislation.

Session is wrapping up, and bills are starting to reach the finish line. We are excited to highlight some of the significant bills that passed the Legislature in 2024.

We are midway through the 2024 legislative session! Our policy team provide an update on the status of our priority bills.