WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Putting all children first

 Protecting homeless children

Children who live on the streets are at risk of dropping out of school, falling into a life of crime or becoming victims of human trafficking. There are 38,000 homeless students in our schools and over 7,000 of them are alone, on the streets, with no support. The current system has failed them. We must do better. The Homeless Youth Act still reduce child homelessness and allow us to better protect these children and prevent & reduce youth homelessness.

Last week, Governor Inslee signed the Homeless Youth Act into law. The bill creates an Office of Youth Homelessness in the state Department of Commerce. The office will be part of public-private partnership that works to provide, housing education and employment opportunities for at-risk youth. The office will also connect homeless children with adults that will help them develop positive, permanent connections. Lastly, the office will ensure that children who are in juvenile justice facilities and foster care are not released onto the streets and that whenever possible children are reunited with their families.

Keeping infants and children safe

Almost two years ago, on May 2, five-month-old Baby Eve died of SIDS in a Seattle Childcare called First Nest. The story doesn’t end there. Twelve years earlier, another infant, Baby Graham, died at First Nest, also from SIDS.

Every one of our babies in childcare should be safe and secure. We owe it to all families who’ve had to endure a child’s death, like the Upholds, to pass this bill. I look forward to working with parents, childcare providers and the Department of Early Learning to make that a reality. There is no way we can reverse the terrible tragedy of Baby Eve’s death. But, together, we can learn from this tragedy and help prevent future deaths from SIDS and other causes.

This month, the legislature passed Rep. Kagi’s Child Fatality Review Bill. If a fatality occurs, House Bill 1126 will require a rigorous review by a Childcare Fatality Review Committee. The committee, which must include outside experts, will make recommendations to the Dept. of Early Learning and the Legislature to strengthen health and safety standards and practices in childcare – better protecting our vulnerable children.

Helping all Children Succeed

All children deserve the opportunity to be successful. This session House Democrats have demonstrated incredible leadership on this front – ensuring that all Washington’s children, even those who live in poverty, are in foster care or who need a second chance have the opportunity to succeed.

Foster children have no family or parents to care for them. They have to endure endless challenges and trauma. Because of this many foster children suffer from complex health and mental health issues. This session, House Democrats passed an important bill to ensure foster children have access to coordinated managed health and mental health services that will help them address the challenges they face.

children, reading, library, education

Ten years ago when foster children turned 18, many left their foster homes only to become homeless. This session, House Democrats closed the final loophole in our extended foster care system, providing help and resources for many more foster children as they age out of the system and assuring they have a path to a productive future.

All children who make mistakes, rich or poor, deserve a second chance. Our current system of court fines has kept too many youth from having their juvenile records sealed. Our laws have allowed courts to charge thousands of dollars in court fees to a sentence, so only youthful offenders who have the means to pay are able to move on with their lives. House Democrats passed the YEAR Act to remedy this injustice and give all eligible youth the opportunity to seal their records, not just those from families who can pay.

High quality childcare and early learning are critical to a child’s future success. The path starts long before he or she ever sets foot in a kindergarten classroom. But there are thousands of children in Washington who do not have access to these programs. House Democrats have made quality childcare and early learning a priority, expanding access and increasing quality through both our budget and Early Start.