What is “interim”? In the Washington state advocacy and policy sector, the “interim” is the time period in-between legislative sessions. Typically, our elected senators and representatives, state agencies, and other organizations use this time to engage with their communities to identify and respond to issues in preparation for the next legislative session. Our team at BrightSpark has been engaging community members from around our region about early learning issues. Over the past few months, we’ve been focused on:
- Supporting and engaging the Child Care for Washington Campaign with Child Care Aware of Washington;
- Educating the community about the Capital Gains Tax and Initiative 2109 (see below for more information);
- Convening listening sessions and meetings to discuss the Washington Stem State of the Children Data Dashboard (in partnership with the King County Early Learning Coalition); and
- Connecting with state and federal elected officials to educate them about the initiatives and platforms listed above, and learn about what they might be focusing on in the upcoming 2025 Legislative Session.
Vote NO on Initiative 2109 and Retain the Capital Gains Tax!
BrightSpark Staff and Board are proud to be endorsers of the No on Initiative 2109 Campaign that is working to retain the Washington State Capital Gains Tax. The Capital Gains Tax generates hundreds of millions of dollars that support children throughout the state, especially through early learning programs.
This tax is only paid by approximately 4,000 Washingtonians every year, and yet it stands to support access to early learning supports and services for children and families statewide.
More specifically, this funding helps to support programs such as the Working Connections Child Care subsidy, early intervention and mental health support for families, and quality recognition/ improvement support for providers.
This November, voters will decide on Initiative 2109 which is a proposal to eliminate the Capital Gains Tax.
DCYF Releases Cost of Quality Care Report
DCYF recently released its 2024 Cost of Quality Care Report. In summary, the report confirms that providers need to be paid more to keep up with costs necessary to provide quality care. The information shared in this report provides additional data and justification for raising provider wages.
Report Highlights:
- Even with private pay and subsidy rate increases, we know that families cannot afford the true cost of quality care. While subsidized child care rates have increased substantially in recent years, they have in most cases fallen behind the increases providers report in the private market.
- Current subsidy rates are inadequate to support the cost of quality care in most regions and for most child age groups even assuming current low wages and are well below the level needed to support living wages and benefits for child care workers.
This report will be a great asset for our state senators and representatives as they consider the basis for subsidy rates moving forward during the upcoming legislative session.
Advocacy Pods & NEW Statewide Network
If you are interested in developing your skills to be an advocate and activist, connecting with your elected officials, speaking up for community led solutions, then BrightSpark’s Advocacy Pods are for you! Advocacy Pods are made up with individuals who live in the same legislative district who have a drive to make change in the early learning system. Each Pod will have an opportunity to meet virtually with their state senators and representatives to discuss challenges and solutions. Beginning this Fall, we will also launch a NEW statewide Advocacy Pod Network. The network and its monthly meetings are open to all Advocacy Pod members and will exist to learn together about various policy topics and foster relationships to ensure early learning policy includes community engagement and voice. These sessions would occur monthly leading up to the legislative session, and would not take the place of advocacy pod meetings with elected officials.
Sign up for an Advocacy Pod today!
Mobilization Corner
It’s Time to Register to Vote!
This year is an election year! Many seats, from president to governor, and many initiatives that affect Washington’s revenue sources, are on the ballot this year. Your voice matters!
If you’re unsure if you’ve registered to vote, never registered before, or maybe need to update your voter registration information, click the button to the right to make sure you can use your voice!
Child Care for Washington Campaign Updates
The family and provider cohorts have been continuing to gather to share their thoughts on the Child Care for Washington Campaign, build media skills, and connect with other advocates. Last month, both cohorts were invited to BrightSpark’s Renton office to share their advocacy story for the statewide campaign storybank.
Their stories will help build out important messages for elected officials that share the importance of the campaign and its goals. We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all the cohort members for their continued work as we build towards the legislative session! We anticipate a policy platform to be shared with us that will inform our work for the 2025 Legislative Session later this summer.
Living Wage Proviso
Washington Communities for Children (WCFC) has recently completed a series of listening sessions across Washington state to listen to child care providers about what a “living wage” means to them. Through these sessions, WCFC has determined several themes that will guide the creation of a policy that supports providers being paid a living wage. Please check out the recording of the Living Wage Proviso updates and the slide deck that was shared at the update meeting for more information!
Register Now for BrightSpark’s Annual Event!
We are thrilled to share that our team at BrightSpark is gearing up for our 2024 Annual Event, which will take place on Saturday, October 5th, in Renton, WA. We are excited to bring together the BrightSpark community of providers, donors, staff, board, sponsors, community supporters, elected officials, and you for a truly dynamic evening! This is our largest fundraising event of the year, bringing in funds to support our work with children and families. AND thanks to friends and advocates like you, BrightSpark can continue to make an impact and ensure that all children have access to high-quality early learning experiences.
Join us on October 5th for an exciting evening featuring a cocktail hour with fun games and activities for children and adults, a family-style dinner, live music, raffle prizes, and more!
Our Team is Here to Support You!
We are here to provide you with the tools, opportunities, and experience so that you have everything you need to get involved in the legislative process. Your voice matters, and we want to help amplify your message!
Don’t hesitate to contact us at advocacy@childcare.org if you have any questions or want to get involved.
Did you know that Brightspark’s advocacy work is almost entirely funded by donors? Help us continue to organize, mobilize, and advocate for a more equitable early learning system by supporting our Bloom Together Fundraiser today!