Capitol Courier: Shaping the Future: Priorities for the 2025 Legislative Session 

Yesterday the Washington State Legislature adjourned ‘sine die’* and completed the final day of the 2024 As the back-to-school season begins, BrightSpark’s Advocacy Team is in the midst of determining our policy and funding priorities for the 2025 Legislative Session. This work involves compiling the feedback we’ve received throughout the spring and summer from the early learning community, advocacy pod members, BrightSpark staff, state legislators, state agencies, and partner organizations. Before being released to the public at the end of October, the priorities are reviewed and approved by BrightSpark’s Board of Directors.

In terms of specific policy proposals that will inform our agency priorities, we wanted to highlight that Washington state agencies recently released their “decision packages” – documents that communicate their policy and funding priorities. These documents provide us with insight and information as to what the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and Department of Commerce will prioritize around early learning during the upcoming legislative session. These priorities are important because they seek to make big strides towards additional access to care and subsidies across the state. Click here to read a synopsis assembled by Logan Noel-Endres, our Advocacy and Policy Director. 

Additionally, our team remains focused on:

• Supporting and engaging the Child Care for Washington Campaign with Child Care Aware of Washington

• Keeping early learning conversations focused on access and quality, the two pillars that guide all of our work;

• Spreading the news about the importance of voter registration and the upcoming deadline of October 28.

• 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

Supporting Native Communities

Yesterday was Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day set aside to honor, remember, and recognize the history and strength of native people in the face of centuries-long oppression. As antiracist advocates, it is our duty to learn about and support native communities. 

This cause is specifically important for early learning advocates in Washington state, as our state was home to many native boarding schools. These schools tore native children away from their homes and families; stripped them of their tribal language, values, and culture; and subjected them to horrific abuse and neglect. 

Only collection action will enable healing. Check out these resources to get involved!

It’s Time to Register to Vote!

Did you know that 2024 is an election year? Many seats–from president to governor–as well as many initiatives that affect Washington’s revenue sources are on the ballot this year. Your voice matters! All elected officials gain their seats through votes. You can make real change happen in our community by casting your vote.

If you’re unsure if you’ve registered to vote, never registered before, or maybe need to update your voter registration information, please follow this link to make sure you don’t miss your chance to use your voice!

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–created by the Washington State Legislature in 2021–generates hundreds of millions of dollars that support children throughout the state. 

This tax is only paid by less than 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 (WCCC) subsidy, early intervention and mental health support for families, and quality recognition/improvement support for providers.  

BrightSpark is strongly connected to this work. In the last year, we are proud to highlight that our Family Access Team has connected countless families to Working Connections Child Care and our Holding Hope Team is currently supporting 31 providers with infant and early childhood mental health consultation across King and Pierce counties. 

These are critical pieces in ensuring that families are supported across the state, and that is why this November, we are asking voters to VOTE NO on Initiative 2109 and help us maintain the Capital Gains Tax to support early learning programs across the state. For more information, we’ve created this resource. 

Share Your Voice! At BrightSpark, we believe we are teaching and coaching the advocates and activists of the future. People who will continue bringing community-based change in legislation for all our children and families. We want to encourage you to share your voice! Consider sharing your voice in the following ways provided by the No on I-2109 Campaign:

• Child Care Community Letter: The campaign has written a sign-on letter for the child care community to commit to stand in opposition to the initiative. If you are so inclined, we encourage you to sign on here.
• Phone Banking: The campaign is seeking volunteers to help talk to voters about why they should oppose I-2109. Each phone bank will be staffed by a local organizer who will walk participants through the script, show participants how to use the phone banking tool, and show participants how to log calls. Read more and/or sign up here.

Unsure about how to do this, or maybe you don’t want to do this alone? Reach out to us for support! We want to make sure you feel supported and ready to share your voice!

• Bellevue
• Carnation
• Duvall
• Federal Way
• Issaquah
• Kirkland
• Renton
• Seattle (specifically Central District, Columbia City, Rainier Beach, and White Center areas)
• Shoreline
• Snoqualmie

Mobilization Corner

Business Engagement in Child Care Advocacy

Are you (or do you know of) a business entity in King County that is interested in supporting advocacy work around the child care crisis? If yes, read on! The King County Early Learning Coalition (KCELC) and BrightSpark Early Learning Services are actively seeking to engage business partners in the following cities to participate in two-hour roundtable events to unpack the community impacts of child care costs and access.

Each of the following cities will have an opportunity for a local roundtable event.

Business participation in these events will ensure maximized perspectives are included in the creation of regional priorities for King County that will be used to advance access to early learning.

A few things to note:

1. Businesses interested in participating should click the city they are located in above to sign up.
2. Each participant that attends the roundtable event will be compensated $30!
3. Up to six (6) interested attendees will have the opportunity to work with us in an ongoing manner through December and be compensated up to $750.

Please contact kcelc@childcare.org if you have any questions and please share this opportunity with your networks!

Sign up for BrightSpark Advocacy Pods

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. 

A new benefit for Advocacy Pod Members launched this month – our statewide Advocacy Pod Network. The network and its monthly meetings are open to all Advocacy Pod members and will exist to 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. Sessions would continue into the legislative session to support advocates with testimony, opportunities to sign in pro/con, bill progression, unpack the Capitol Courier, and so on.

Interested? Sign up for an Advocacy Pod today!

Child Care for Washington Campaign Updates

The Child Care for Washington Campaign recently released an incredible report titled “The Economic Cost of Child Care Disruptions in Washington,” that outlines the impact on family income when child care isn’t accessible. According to this report, due to turnover, absenteeism, and lost family income directly related to child care issues resulted in a $6 billion reduction to Washington’s economy. To read the full report and the fact sheet that breaks down the report click here!

The campaign is also getting closer and closer to releasing the policy platform to the public to share details about how we can fix the child care crisis in Washington State. This campaign supports access and quality for providers, families, and children by:

• Capping child care spending for families at 7% of a family’s income, regardless of how many children are in care.
• Creating a system to ensure providers are paid a living wage for their invaluable work
• Ensuring mental health resources are available to all

If you’re interested in learning more about the campaign, check out their website by clicking here.

Highlights from BrightSpark’s Annual Event!

BrightSpark’s 2024 Annual Event occurred last Saturday, October 5th! We are so excited to share that the room was packed with providers, donors, staff, board, sponsors, community supporters, elected officials – and we had a truly FUN evening!

As part of the event, we were also proud to honor Washington State Representative Debra Entenman with our Ruth Kagi Award for Excellence in Early Learning Advocacy. Representative Entenman was instrumental in supporting the early learning community to receive an additional $1.75 million annually to support our infant and early childhood mental health consultation program, Holding Hope. As a result of this funding, BrightSpark has been able to hire an additional six mental health staff to support children, families, and providers across our state. Thank you Representative Entenman!

Meet the Advocacy Team!

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!

• Donny Willeto (she/her) joined BrightSpark in 2020 and serves as the External Affairs Officer overseeing Advocacy, Public Policy, Marketing, Communications, and Fund Development. Donny is excited to lead this team of amazing and driven advocates and mobilizers. Community centered work is Donny’s passion so being able to connect our early learning communities to decision makers aligns well with her 15 years of nonprofit experience.
  
  (Email: willeto@childcare.org)
  
• Logan Endres (he/him) joined BrightSpark in 2023 and serves as the Director of Advocacy & Policy. Logan is a communicator and advocate with over nine years working in education and government systems. The 2024 session will be his first with the early learning sector. Logan believes in the power of civic engagement and works to support legislative outcomes that ensure equity and justice.
  
  (Email: endres@childcare.org)
  
• Jaymie McLaughlin (she/her) joined BrightSpark in 2019 and serves as the Mobilization Coordinator. Jaymie is looking forward to building on the continued momentum within early learning advocacy by drawing on the strengths of King and Pierce counties. Building relationships and connecting constituents to their elected officials is key to making us stronger together. Deconstructing the mystery of advocacy and building confidence in advocates is what she is most passionate about.
  
  (Email: mclaughlin@childcare.org)