CHILDREN’S ALLIANCE ON THE ROAD: CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY IN SPOKANE
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.
Meeting with Representative Natasha Hill – a 2025 Champion for Children
Our Senior Policy Director Anni-Michele Jean-Pierre and Early Learning Policy and Coalition Manager Emily Mikkelsen were thrilled to connect with Rep. Natasha Hill in her home district. During their meeting, they discussed the intersecting challenges—from educational equity to housing affordability—facing families in Spokane, and what equity means for kids in eastern Washington.
They also presented Rep. Hill with her 2025 Champions for Children award! Read more about Rep. Hill’s work during the 2025 legislative session in our Champions for Children blog post.
Senior Policy Director Anni-Michele Jean-Pierre (left) and Representative Natasha Hill in Spokane.
Learning from our Partners
Catholic Charities Eastern Washington is doing innovative work for families in Spokane. Anni and Emily met with staff at their Spokane offices to hear about the early learning program at St. Anne's Children and Family Center, as well as early learning needs across the community—like child care needs that are outside of regular workday hours. We also talked about their integrated approach to help individuals and families through their Rising Strong program. This program helps connect families affected by substance use disorder to comprehensive services to support the whole family, including safe housing and clinical support.
Becca Schrack, our Mobilization Manager, met with Volunteers of America (VOA) Eastern Washington to take a tour of their brand-new Crosswalk Youth Shelter. VOA took a very collaborative approach to creating this new site, working alongside the youth that they serve to select everything from the new location to the furniture inside. The new site has increased their capacity to serve unhoused young people in Spokane and offer wraparound services to help them recover, rebuild and thrive.
These meetings provided us with important insights into how community organizations are working to address issues of housing insecurity. Safe and stable housing is crucial to child well-being and Children’s Alliance considers this a health equity issue. What we’ve learned from these visits will help inform our work as our state faces budget constraints and looming cuts from the federal government.
Bringing the Nancy Amidei Advocacy Camp to Eastern Washington
We were proud to partner with Washington Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC) for our second Advocacy Camp of the summer. Advocates from 10 legislative districts came together to learn about the legislative process and how to effectively advocate for the issues that matter to them, particularly around early learning and child care. In addition to our policy team, advocates learned from and engaged with staff from WAEYC, and Rep. Natasha Hill.
Advocacy Camp cohort in Spokane.
Feedback from our attendees was overwhelmingly positive. We are grateful for their engagement with us and look forward to advocating alongside them in the 2026 legislative session!