Twenty years ago, the Children's Alliance began with the merger of three statewide networks of children's advocates and service providers. By joining forces, we created a statewide voice for children that is louder, stronger and more strategic than ever before.

Since then the Children's Alliance has worked to shape state public policy to benefit children. We have historically stood up for ALL children, zero through 18, even when it's been unpopular.

In 1984, we lobbied the state to provide education for troubled youth in juvenile detention. In 1985 and '86 we successfully led campaigns for the first set aside funding for children's mental health services and early childhood education for migrant children. We also pressed for the establishment of the children and family services division within the Department of Social & Health Services.

In 1989, when shrinking revenues made budget cuts inevitable we led an initiative campaign to raise new revenue for children. The Initiative failed, but only at the ballot. A child of the campaign, the Children's Budget Coalition, still pushes for budget priority for kids in Olympia. The Children's Campaign Fund, a political action committee that supports candidates who truly work for children, was also born.

The tragic death of Lauria Grace from child abuse inspired the Alliance to spearhead an effort to create a new independent investigative office at the Department of Social and Health Services, the Ombudsman for Families and Children. The Ombudsman has saved children's lives in Washington.
At the same time, the Alliance lobbied successfully for $5 million in new funds - called Meals for Kids - to support school and community meal programs for kids in Washington.
In 1994 we opened an office in Spokane and children's advocates in that region began a series of successful campaigns to heighten community awareness and advocacy for children.

When the city of Bellevue refused to allow new group homes for troubled youth to break ground in their residential areas, the Children's Alliance filed a lawsuit bringing national attention and focus. Today, group homes operate in Bellevue. The lawsuit set an important precedent for the rest of the state and country.

The Alliance has always worked to dispel myths and prejudice about who benefits from welfare programs. In 1999 we successfully pushed for new state budget language that required welfare reform to be measured by its ability to reduce poverty, not merely reduce the number of families on the rolls. We studied and issued a report on customer service in welfare offices, Room to Improve.

We led a coalition that pushed for the state's adoption of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that insures over 7,000 children today. We successfully secured $125,000 in start up funds for Summer Food programs while pushing the state to restore federal cuts to food stamps for 40,000 legal immigrants.

After welfare reform, 90,000 families - including 40,000 children - were illegally cut from health insurance, even though they were still eligible. The Alliance fought, threatening a lawsuit, until their health care was reinstated.
Our efforts started 75 new summer food sites for kids and a toll free multi-lingual hotline connected over 25,000 families to free summer meals for their children. As a result, the program has grown 500% since 1988.

The Alliance worked for four years to create a juvenile violence prevention fund that spreads $1 million statewide to innovative community anti-violence programs. We pushed for the HOPE Act that provided new services for homeless youth as well as campaigning to secure $7 million in new funding for after school programs for middle school youth.

Putting the internet to work for kids, our email Action Network has grown from 1,000 to 4,000 voices for children statewide. We developed a web-based tool called Parent Power that has connected 25,000 families, in English or Spanish, to services that help them make ends meet for their children.

In 1986 we authored the first-ever report dedicated to examining conditions for children of color in Washington. In 2001, we co-authored a landmark report, The Real Facts of Life for Children of Color, that resulted in local initiatives in King County and Spokane.
Alliance leadership in regional and national reform of the food stamp program culminated in the reauthorization of the federal food stamp program with $6 billion in new funding.

Last year we joined forces to support a lawsuit that would reform our foster care system. We await the results from the state supreme court.

Children's Alliance current initiatives include a focus on new revenue for children - Kids Not Cuts!, stepping up to protect ten years of progress in health care for our most vulnerable children and parents, new alliances to fight junk food in schools, preserving programs that prevent youth from turning to crime, and support for child care for working families.