On Tuesday, January 20, advocates from across Washington gathered in Olympia to fight for our state’s children at Have a Heart for Kids Day. Children’s Alliance’s annual day of advocacy brings together community members at every level to connect, learn, and speak directly with legislators.  

In fall 2025, Children’s Alliance relaunched the Nancy Amidei Advocacy Camp with trainings across the state to inspire, educate, and empower communities to advocate for Washington’s children.

From August through September, we conducted our annual member survey to gather insight into the priorities of some of our most engaged community members.

As a statewide organization, it is crucial that Children’s Alliance regularly connects with communities across Washington. In August, members of our policy team visited Spokane to meet with lawmakers, visit partners, and hold our first Advocacy Camp in eastern Washington. 

We are excited to announce the 2025 recipients of our Champions for Children award! These lawmakers are being recognized for their outstanding service on behalf of children and families situated furthest from opportunity.

This year we welcomed Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown as our featured speaker, announced the return of our signature advocacy training program, and celebrated the leadership of our Executive Director Dr. Stephan Blanford. 

Advocacy training has been a cornerstone of Children’s Alliance’s work, most notably through our signature program, Advocacy Camp, which ran from 1995 to 2019. We are excited to announce our plan to reintroduce the program this summer.

Check out our photo gallery and recap of Have a Heart for Kids Day 2025.

Our policy team visited partners across Washington state to learn more about the issues impacting their communities.

Dr. Stephan Blanford, Senator Noel Frame, Representative Lisa Callan, and Reid Saaris discuss policy solutions to address the youth behavioral health crisis.

Stephan reflects on his time in Montgomery attending The Alabama Experience - the annual conference of the Alliance for Early Success.

Last month, we conducted our annual member survey and received 182 responses from engaged members of our community.

In what unique ways are communities in different areas of the state experiencing common issues? This was the question guiding our work as we embarked on stakeholder engagement activities across Washington state late last month.

This year, we selected eight legislators who demonstrated leadership and commitment in advancing policies that will promote racial equity, health equity, economic justice, and improved early learning and childcare.

Dr. Stephan Blanford reflects on our conversation with bestselling author Ijeoma Oluo at this year’s Voices for Children event.

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.

In the early hours of the morning of February 15, with a blanket of unexpected snow on the ground, hundreds of advocates from across Washington made their way to our state capital for Have a Heart for Kids Day.

Longtime Children’s Alliance donor, Steve Lansing describes the history of his involvement with the organization and why he chose to make a legacy gift.

Dr. Stephan Blanford recently traveled to Baltimore to connect with executive directors of statewide child advocacy organizations from across the country and learn from each other’s experiences.

Last month, Children’s Alliance conducted our annual member survey. It was a chance for community members, partners, and advocates that support the work of Children’s Alliance to weigh in on the issues that matter most to them, and for us to gather vital community input.