Ahead of his departure this summer, Dr. Stephan Blanford recalls some of the highlights of his time at Children’s Alliance.

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.

Our bill aimed at protecting kids online (SB 5708) has missed cutoff, meaning it did not receive a committee hearing in time to move forward this session.

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.

Our state faces an estimated $15 billion deficit over the next four years, and in response, our governor and legislators are proposing cuts to essential public programs to close the gap. But without a race equity lens, budget decisions risk deepening existing disparities. 

New legislation was introduced this week to help address the youth behavioral health crisis. HB 2038 would establish the Youth Behavioral Health Account and fund it with a 0.4% tax on the gross income of social media platforms.

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. 

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

Children’s Alliance collaborated with the State Attorney General’s Office and Representative Lisa Callan to introduce legislation which will hold digital media companies accountable for creating a safer online environment for kids.

The recent actions of the new Administration have already begun to have a negative impact on Washington’s kids. This is unacceptable and we must resist.

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

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.

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

Exploring the expansion, improvement, and promotion of school-based behavioral health solutions to address the youth behavioral health crisis.

Washington voters spoke up for kids in the 2024 election and roundly defeated I-2109, the ballot initiative that would have repealed our state’s capital gains tax and cut billions from early learning, child care, K-12 education and school construction.