Investing in Children WA

01/05/2026

❄️ ICE & SNOW Family Event – This Wednesday! ❄️

Kick off the new year with some winter fun! The Kittitas County Early Learning Coalition is hosting a free, drop-in event for families with young children — and we’d love to see you there.

🗓 Wednesday, January 7
⏰ 3:30–6:00 PM
📍 Hal Holmes Center, Ellensburg
✨ Theme: Ice & Snow

Families are welcome to drop in anytime between 3:30–6:00 PM.

For children who benefit from a quieter experience, we recommend arriving a few minutes early or after 5:00 PM.

🤍 Want to help out?
If you’re able to volunteer for even 30 minutes between 2:00–6:30 PM, please reply to this post/message us — or feel free to just show up! Extra helping hands are always appreciated.
We hope to see you and your little ones there! ❄️👶🧣

12/03/2025

📣 ¡Atención proveedores de Cuidado Infantil y Educación Temprana!
El Departamento de Niños, Jóvenes y Familias del Estado de Washington (DCYF) y la Universidad Western Washington (WWU) están invitando a los proveedores a completar la Encuesta del Estudio del Costo de la Calidad del Cuidado Infantil y Tarifas del Mercado 2025, abierta hasta el 15 de diciembre.

📝 Complete la encuesta aquí: https://tinyurl.com/2025MarketRateStudy
💳 Recibirá una tarjeta de regalo de Amazon de $50 al completarla.

🌟 ¿Por qué es importante?
Sus respuestas ayudan directamente a determinar las tarifas base del subsidio de Working Connections Child Care y brindan datos esenciales para entender el costo real de ofrecer cuidado infantil de alta calidad en Washington.

✔️ Disponible en varios idiomas
✔️ Compatible con celular y computadora
✔️ Toma aproximadamente 20 minutos
✔️ Confidencial — solo WWU analiza la información

Qué necesitará: número de proveedor, tarifas del programa, información del personal y algunos datos financieros básicos.

Por favor considere participar y comparta esta información con su red — ¡su voz ayuda a fortalecer los servicios para niños y familias en todo el estado! 💛

12/03/2025

📣 Attention Child Care & Early Learning Providers!
The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and Western Washington University are inviting providers to complete the 2025 Cost of Quality Child Care & Market Rate Study Survey — open now through December 15.

📝 Take the survey here: https://tinyurl.com/2025MarketRateStudy
💳 Receive a $50 Amazon gift card for completing it!

Why this matters:
Your responses directly help determine Working Connections Child Care subsidy base rates and provide the data needed to understand the true cost of delivering high-quality child care in Washington.

✔️ Survey available in multiple languages
✔️ Mobile-friendly
✔️ Takes about 20 minutes
✔️ Confidential — analyzed only by WWU

What you’ll need: provider ID, program rates, staffing info, and basic financial details.

Please consider participating and share with your networks — your voice helps shape services for children and families statewide! 💛

11/25/2025

Happy end of year, ICC community! 🍂💛

As we wrap up 2025, we want to give a huge THANK YOU to all our incredible partners who make the Investing in Children Coalition what it is. Your collaboration, energy, and dedication to supporting children and families across Central Washington inspires us every day.

We’re grateful for each of you and the work you lead in your communities. 💛

Here’s to rest, connection, and a beautiful season ahead.

11/17/2025

🌟 Join Us for Our Last Meeting of the Year! 🌟

The Investing in Children Coalition and the Home Visiting Collaborative are teaming up for a special joint meeting this Wednesday, November 19th at 2:00 PM — and you’re invited! 🎉

This hybrid meeting will feature two incredible guest speakers:

✨ Dr. Carol Mitchell (Institute for Black Justice)
Sharing about the C.H.I.M.E.S. Prevention Program, a culturally grounded initiative supporting Black and Brown families to prevent child welfare involvement.

✨ Azucena Salazar (Help Me Grow Washington)
Presenting on expanding access to developmental screening tools for Early Care & Education providers across Washington.

📍 Join in person:
Yakima Valley Community Foundation
316 E. Yakima Ave., Suite 201, Yakima, WA
💻 Or join via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86268989442

We’ll also have time for networking, connections, and closing out the year together as a community. 💛

We hope to see you there!

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.

11/14/2025

📣 Community Opportunity Alert!

Join the Yakima County Development Association (YCDA) for a Lunch & Learn focusing on how local childcare initiatives are supporting both families and businesses across Central Washington.

🗓 Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
🕛 Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (PST)
📍 Location: Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce, 10 N 9th St., Yakima, WA 98901

At this session, you’ll hear from YCDA about:
- Why childcare shortages are -> workforce challenges
- Real stories from childcare business owners thriving through YCDA’s support
- How increasing childcare access = stronger local economy & community

If you care about early learning, family support, business growth, or community health—this is for you.

Let’s keep building a region where families and businesses can thrive. 🌱

🔗 More info & register here: https://chamber.yakima.org/events/Details/lunch-learn-yakima-county-development-association-1523808?sourceTypeId=Hub

Lunch & Learn with Yakima County Development Association Join us for an insightful Lunch & Learn with the Yakima County Development Association (YCDA) to learn how local childcare initiatives are strengthening both families and the business community. YCDA has been leading innovative efforts ...

10/30/2025

🍁 Calling our Central WA early learning community! 🍁

Our friends at the Kittitas Early Learning Coalition are hosting a special event on November 5th, and they’re looking for a few extra hands to help set up!

✨ This is a great opportunity to support early childhood learning efforts, connect with local partners, and make a meaningful impact in the community.

🗓️ Date: November 5
🤝 Volunteers Needed: Event setup support
📍 (More event details available — contact Kittitas ELC for info!)

If you're interested in helping, please reach out to support this wonderful community-building effort. Let’s lift up our region together! 💜

10/14/2025

The past few months have been filled with collaboration, learning, and action! 💼

Through our work with the Department of Health, the ICC helped strengthen local care coordination networks serving prenatal-to-three families. We also hosted impactful Home Visiting Collaborative meetings focused on connection, resource sharing, and community care.

Each step—big or small—brings us closer to ensuring Central Washington’s families have access to the resources and support they deserve. 💛

07/28/2025

🎉 Exciting news! This month, the Investing in Children Coalition and the Home Visiting Collaborative are coming together for a special joint in-person meeting!

📅 Date: 08/20/2025
🕑 Time: 2:00 P.M.
📍 Location: Yakima Valley Community Foundation

Come enjoy:
🥪 Snacks + networking with peers
🎤 Inspiring guest speakers
🤝 A chance to connect across two powerful groups working for children and families

Don’t miss this opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, and build stronger support for kids and families in Central WA! 💛

06/30/2025

🧠💥 Brain Builders Unite!
Everyday moments = BIG learning for little ones.

Did you know that talking, singing, and playing with a child—even for just a few minutes—helps build the brain connections they'll use for life? 🧸🎶🗣️

👣 Whether you're a parent, caregiver, educator, or neighbor—you’re a brain builder.
Stay tuned for more fun facts, tips, and stories from across Central WA in our new Brain Builders series!



--

🧠💥 ¡Construyendo Cerebros Junt@s!
Los momentos cotidianos = ¡GRAN aprendizaje para las infancias!

¿Sabías que hablar, cantar y jugar con una niña o un niño —aunque sea solo por unos minutos— ayuda a formar las conexiones cerebrales que usarán toda la vida? 🧸🎶🗣️

👣 Ya seas mamá, papá, cuidador, educadora o vecina—¡tú también construyes cerebros!
Muy pronto compartiremos datos curiosos, consejos y pequeñas historias desde toda la región de Washington Central en nuestra nueva serie Construyendo Cerebros.

06/23/2025

We’re gathering!

The June Investing in Children Coalition meeting is happening this Wednesday, June 25 from 2–4 PM via Zoom.

🧠 Featuring Pathwaves WA
✅ Executive Committee Voting
📣 Legislative Planning
🎉 Community connection + collaboration

Zoom link + agenda here ➡️ https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87653629410

Join us in shaping a stronger future for children and families.



--

🗓️ ¡Guarda la fecha!

La Coalición Invirtiendo en la Infancia se reunirá este miércoles 25 de junio de 2:00 a 4:00 p.m. vía Zoom.

Contaremos con la participación del equipo de Pathwaves WA, votaremos por el Comité Ejecutivo y planearemos próximas acciones de incidencia legislativa.

➡️ ¡No te pierdas esta oportunidad de colaborar y apoyar el bienestar de las infancias y familias de nuestra región!

📎 Agenda + enlace de Padlet próximamente

06/09/2025

Investing in our children means investing in our future. 🌱💛
Our Coalition brings together passionate leaders, caregivers, and organizations working to build a more equitable, connected, and supportive early learning system in Central Washington.

Whether we’re hosting equity workshops, sharing resources for families, or advocating for better policies — every effort counts.

✨ Want to get involved? Message us or visit our link in bio to learn more.

--

Invertir en la infancia es invertir en nuestro futuro. 🌱💛
Nuestra coalición reúne a líderes, cuidadores y organizaciones apasionadas por construir un sistema de aprendizaje temprano más equitativo, conectado y solidario en el centro de Washington.

Ya sea a través de talleres de equidad, recursos para familias o abogando por mejores políticas — cada esfuerzo cuenta.

✨ ¿Te gustaría involucrarte? Mándanos un mensaje o visita el enlace en nuestra biografía.