Champions for Children: 2017 Legislative Session
July 2017
View (PDF) of ELAA's 2017-19 Operating and Capital Budget Draft Analysis for Early Learning Priorities.
Champions for Children are state lawmakers recognized by the Children’s Alliance for their outstanding service on behalf of children.
To be honored as a Champion for Children, a state lawmaker must provide significant leadership in protecting or advancing state policies or investments that improve the well-being of children in Washington.
Every child in our state should have the opportunity to thrive: a quality education supported by parents and community from cradle to career; enough healthy food to eat each day; and access to comprehensive, affordable health care that optimizes their well-being.
I. Short-Term Opportunities: Now through November 2017
A new report ought to prompt state lawmakers to further our kids’ education and economic security—starting in the earliest years.
Print out this sign (PDF), add your name, take a selfie and submit it to us. We'll deliver it to your legislators.
We recently gathered our thoughts about what works to persuade lawmakers to act in kids’ interests over the course of special session. Now that the Legislature has begun its special session to complete its work on the two-year budget, we share these three tips in the hopes that they can help us all be more effective advocates for kids.
The Washington State Legislature is on the verge of taking unprecedented action on behalf of Washington’s children and families by establishing a cabinet-level Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).
A new analysis by KIDS COUNT in Washington shows the power of the state’s quality preschool program, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), to reduce the opportunity gap in the first five years of a child’s life.
We all have a stake in making sure that, from the day they’re born, kids can have the enriching experiences they need to get off to a great start in life. Research has found quality early learning can give children the tools they need to thrive academically and emotionally throughout their young lives and beyond.
This post is our contribution to the Cradle Through College Coalition’s #MyEdPath project. Check out MyEdPath and share your own experience on Twitter or Facebook.
Congress seems to be on the verge of toppling one of the pillars of financial support for Apple Health for Kids.
The Senate proposed budget won’t work for Washington’s kids.
This budget proposal falls short of what children in Washington need to be successful in school and in life.
It puts the brakes on our steady progress to ensure that Washington kids enter kindergarten ready to learn.
It’s a little past the midpoint of the 2017 legislative session. Every legislative session contains numerous opportunities to advance good policies for kids. Here’s how Children’s Alliance’s legislative priorities and additional issues we are working on have fared.
Town halls are public meetings lawmakers host in their districts to hear from constituents and share updates on their work.
Children’s Alliance is very pleased to see a number of our priorities reflected in 2SHB 1661. This brief outlines the provisions in the legislation a
The nationwide momentum for greater access to dental care surged forward today in Washington state: House Bill 1364, the Dental Access bill, passed a major hurdle in the House of Representatives, emerging from the House Health Care & Wellness Committee.
The creation of a Department for Children, Youth and Families is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to structure government for positive outcomes for children.