Winter storms can range from moderate snow over a few hours to blizzard conditions with blinding, wind-driven snow or freezing rain that lasts several days. The time to prepare is before the snow falls or ice forms.

Preparing for winter storms

• Listen to your radio or television for winter storm forecasts and other information.
• Prepare your home for cold weather. Install storm windows. Insulate outside walls, attics and crawl spaces. Wrap pipes, especially those near cold outer walls or in attics or crawl spaces. Repair leaks in the roof, around the doors and in the windows.
• Have appropriate cold weather clothing available.
• If you have a kerosene heater, refuel your heater outside and remember to keep it at least three feet from flammable objects.
• Make sure your fireplace functions properly.
• Have rock salt and sand on hand for traction on ice.
• Fill your gas tank before the snow starts falling.

During a winter storm

• Wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing. Wear mittens rather than gloves. Wear a warm, woolen cap.
• Do not drive unnecessarily.
• Reduce the temperature in your home to conserve fuel.
• Heat only the areas of your home you are using. Close doors and curtains or cover windows and doors with blankets.
• Use alternative heat methods safely. Never use a gas or charcoal grill, hibachi or portable propane heater to cook indoors or heat your home.
• Never use a generator indoors or in a garage or carport.
• Be careful when shoveling snow. Do not overexert yourself.
• Be sure to eat regularly. Food provides calories that maintain body heat.
• Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia — slurred speech, disorientation, uncontrollable shivering, stumbling, drowsiness and body temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
• If you become trapped outside, get out of the wind and stay dry. Build a lean-to or snow cave if nothing else is available. Do not eat snow; it will make you too cold.
• Bring dogs and cats inside during cold weather.

If in your vehicle

• Make sure someone knows where you are going. Stay on the main roads.
• If you must stop, remain inside the vehicle. Use a bright distress flag or your hazard lights to draw attention to your vehicle.
• If trapped in a blizzard, clear your tail pipe and run your engine and heater for 10 minutes every hour. Open your window slightly.
• During night hours, keep the dome light on in the car so rescue crews can see your vehicle.
• Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle. Include a three-day supply of water and non-perishable food that can be eaten without being cooked. Include a blanket or sleeping bag for each passenger, a flashlight, cell phone, shovel, sack of sand or kitty litter, booster cables, flare, coffee can with lid, and toilet paper.

In an effort to increase accessibility to high-quality child care for children and youth in foster care and increase placement capacity throughout the state, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) now offer multi-licensing.

Previously, individuals were restricted from simultaneously offering child care in their homes while fostering. Multi-licensing provides a streamlined process that supports individuals to become licensed in both foster care and child care

“Fostering and child care provide a much-needed service and support to families across the state,” says DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter. “Multi-licensing allows foster care providers to run child care businesses and vice-versa, without excessive red tape. Both services are critically needed in many communities in Washington.”

Due to the unpredictable placement duration of a child in a specific foster home, it is often difficult for foster parents to find child care that accepts foster children and payments. Stemming from recommendations from the Foster Parent 1624 advisory group, offering multi-licensing aims to address this issue and close the gap.

DCYF offered a pilot across the state from 2020 to 2022. By the end of the pilot, 15 individuals successfully became dually licensed. More than half of those are homes of American Indian/Alaskan Native or Hispanic/Latino designation.

To qualify, individuals must:

• Be licensed (foster care or family home child care) for a minimum of one year
• Be 21 years or older

Current foster parents and child care providers interested in multi-licensing can contact their licensor to learn more about the process and if additional background checks or training are required.

“Before multi-licensing, I was working in an office setting, driving to two daycares every day,” said one pilot participant. “I am now licensed to provide child care to 12 children in my home, allowing me to care for my foster children, provide care for children in the community, and free up 12 spots in other centers.”

Did you know The Family Connections Program (FCP) is now open for referrals for all families with an open child welfare case in King, Pierce, Mason, Clark, Grays Harbor, Pacific. Kitsap, and Skamania counties? 

What is the FCP?  The Family Connections Program provides voluntary opportunities for parents and caregivers to meet and talk about the needs of a child in care.  Phone, email, or virtual meeting options are available based on participant preference. 

FCP peer mentors (parents and caregivers who have lived expertise with parent/caregiver relationships) are skilled at:

• Providing a warm, supportive, facilitated opportunity for parents and caregivers to have a conversation about building a positive, child-focused partnership.
• Helping parents and caregivers navigate a planned child-centered transition.
• Supporting the parent and caregiver in planning a return home, including education on the importance of maintaining the child’s important relationships throughout the transition, and connecting caregivers to grief and loss resources (at CaRES program), if appropriate. 

Why was the FCP created?  Please watch this 2-minute film to learn why partnerships between parents and caregivers are so important to children and youth in out of home care.    

How does FCP work? This 4 min animation will give you a quick overview of how the program works and what participants can expect if they chose to participate in FCP.    

Peer mentor support is provided to participants before, during, and after the exchange of information, and is available on an ongoing basis to help support the parent/caregiver relationship. Peer mentors facilitate interactions focused on the child/ youth’s needs, strengths, interests, and how parents and caregivers can partner together going forward to support the child/youth. While FCP peer support is not yet available in all counties, Connections 101, Tidbit Trainings, and the Resource Library are available to all.     

FCP Tools  

• Connections 101 – a reoccurring monthly virtual opportunity open to all child welfare stakeholders, caregivers, those interested in becoming licensed, and community members to hear a parent and a caregiver with lived experience speak to the extraordinary value of parent/caregiver relationships when a child is placed in out of home care.  To register or learn more, email FCP@amarafamily.org.
• The FCP Tidbit Trainings - 5-minute online trainings designed to increase caregiver awareness around issues that may impact/create fear around partnerships can be located at Family Connections Tidbits Training.   Please share these with caregivers you work with!  
• Relationship Building Tips and Tools . 

For more information visit amarafamily.org/family-connections/  or contact Katie Biron, FCP program manager at Katieb@amarafamily.org.

The Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program is a national program for youth who qualify and are likely to age out of the foster care system. ETV offers financial assistance to eligible youth to attend an accredited college, university, vocational or technical college.

Dependent Youth who are attending a Running Start program could be eligible for the Dual Credit ETV program and applications are accepted year round.

To learn more about the program, eligibility, and to apply for the 2023–2024 school year, please visit the ETV webpage. To meet the priority deadline, you must submit an application by April 30, 2023. All applications received after April 30 will be awarded on a funds available basis.