What’s working in family support and strengthening around Washington state? See what parents and providers have to say.
Virtual Tour of Harbor Heights:
Harbor Heights officially opened in June as the state’s newest juvenile rehabilitation facility. The first cohort included eight young men from Green Hill School who will participate in curated programming that provides behavior therapy, peer counseling, and workforce development.
“Harbor Heights is an investment in our young men, providing new opportunities, new hope and the space to grow,” said DCYF Secretary Tana Senn.
Though the facility is located on the grounds of the Stafford Creek Correctional Center in Aberdeen, Harbor Heights will be run by DCYF with its own visitation area, medical services, and recreation field. The young men will not interact with those in the custody of the Department of Corrections.
The opening of the facility comes after DCYF explored dozens of sites across the state to address overcrowding challenges. The Aberdeen facility was selected because it allowed DCYF to begin operations in a matter of months, was cost effective compared to other options that required extensive renovations, and the site would be accessible to families for visits.
To learn more, visit the Harbor Heights webpage or take a virtual walk-through Harbor Heights.
Have a story to share? Email it to Joy Lile at strengtheningfamilies@dcyf.wa.gov.
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Resources for Families Impacted by Immigration-Related Concerns
We are excited to announce that the Family Separation Rapid Response Team Resource Flyer is now available in multiple languages on our website. This is a comprehensive list of trusted resources for families at risk of separation due to immigration-related detention or deportation.
View and download the flyer here: Resources for Families Impacted by Immigration-Related Concerns.
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Grandparents Publish Book Inspired By Kinship Care Experience
September is Kinship Care Month, a time to celebrate and appreciate caregivers who are providing stability and love to relatives and close family friends who are unable to live with their parents.
Read about grandparents Shaun and Brenda in Snohomish County who care for their grandson, Jaxon. The grandparents wrote a book called “Jaxon and the Magic of the Forest,” which was inspired by the beauty of nature and the strength of kinship and foster families.
Read their story on the DCYF What’s New blog and learn more about kinship care.
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Register now for the 6th annual Indigenous Children, Youth and Families conference! Free, online, virtual event. Oct. 15-16, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Register at The Alliance Training Portal.
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Help Families Access this Financial Resource: Child Care Subsidy for Children with Special Needs
Did you know that there is a subsidy available to support children who have special needs in child care? Find out how you can support child care and family access to this funding stream for ESIT enrolled children who may be eligible.
Thursday, Sept. 18 | 10 - 11 a.m. | Register for Child Care Subsidy for Children with Special Needs.
Spread the Word about Free/Low-Cost Child Care
Many families living in Washington state qualify for free or low-cost child care, but they may not know about it. You can help by sharing information with parents, caregivers, and your community.
The Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) has put together a toolkit with ready-to-use materials that make spreading the word easy!
Visit www.dcyf.wa.gov/childcare/toolkit to access printable flyers, sample social media posts, and email templates.
Whether you work directly with families or want to help your community stay informed, these resources make it easy to connect families to the support they need.
Want to know more about the Working Connections Child Care Subsidy Program? Visit www.dcyf.wa.gov/childcare or call 844-626-8687. Help is available by phone in multiple languages.
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Native & Strong Lifeline expands access with text and chat: The Native & Strong Lifeline, Washington’s suicide-prevention, crisis, and help line for all Native and Indigenous people in the state, now offers text and chat services.
These new options expand the line's efforts to provide culturally affirming support for American Indian and Alaska Native people experiencing thoughts of suicide, substance use concerns, mental health crises, or emotional distress.
To learn more, visit the Department of Health webpage.
Sept. 15 – Oct. 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.
Sept. 26 is Native American Day: Native American Day is celebrated on the fourth Friday of September every year, falling on Sept. 26 this year, as a way of honoring those who have been a part of the American tradition even before the nation of the U.S.A. came into being.
Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Free Home Visitor Training Series. The two-day DV Assessment and Response training is offered three times per year, and Safety Planning is offered three times as well. Opportunities in September – February.
Kinship Care in Transition: Learn how to navigate changes and maintain family-centered practice from Social Current. Sept. 22, 11 a.m. to noon.
Artificial Intelligence: What Kids Already Know that Parents Don’t. Join Jill Murphy to find out what every parent and anyone who cares for and about children needs to know about artificial intelligence, how kids are already using it, and what opportunities and dangers might lie ahead. Sept. 24, noon.
Parenting While Rising to Child Developmental Challenges: This free, 4-episode virtual conversation series offers a warm and inviting opportunity to connect with other parents and families of children with differences in or challenges to their development. Sept. 29, Oct. 20, Nov. 17, Dec. 15, noon to 1 p.m.
What happens when we FOCUS on Tiered Care Coordination for Families? Join a unique three-part webinar series designed to introduce and deepen your understanding and application of FOCUS, an intermediate-intensity care coordination model developed by the Innovations Institute at UConn School of Social Work. Oct. 9 and 23, Nov. 6, 10 a.m. -1 p.m.
Promoting Child, Family, and Provider Mental Health and Well-being: Starting Oct. 21, BTC will again be offering four workshops on child, family, and provider mental health and well-being during these traumatizing times.
The Message Matters- Keep Your Cool: Turning Conflict Into Conversation from Children’s Trust Fund Alliance. In this one-hour virtual workshop, we’ll explore what happens beneath the surface during conflict - physiologically, emotionally, and behaviorally. You’ll learn about research-based frameworks that reveal our reactive patterns, from fight-or-flight instincts to people-pleasing tendencies. Sept. 24, 2025 10 a.m.
What about prevention? A science-based response to school shootings. Authored by Anthony Biglan, Diana Fishbein, and Michael B. Greene, the article emphasizes that many individuals who carry out school shootings experience prolonged trauma—bullying, social isolation, family strife—and that early warning signs are often missed.
Governor Ferguson joins U.S. Rep. Larsen to discuss impacts of federal SNAP cuts: Families, school officials share personal stories during Lynnwood Elementary listening session.
Join the Office of Community Voices and Empowerment Advisory Committee: Do you want to share your lived and living experiences to inform policies, practices, and resources for statewide behavioral health services? Join the Office of Community Voices and Empowerment Advisory committee. Read the FAQ and turn in completed applications by Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Become a Certified Peer Support Specialist: Be the change you want to see. Become a Certified Peer Support Specialistand inspire others along the way.
Help shape Washington’s Behavioral Health future: The final survey in the Washington Thriving feedback series is now live and we need your voice. This is an opportunity to provide feedback on the draft strategic plan for Washington’s Prenatal-25 behavioral health system before it is finalized and submitted to the Legislature in November.
Join the Apple Health Advisory Council: Your chance to shape the future of Apple Health (Medicaid) services has arrived! The newly formed Apple Health Advisory Council is seeking members with lived experience in intellectual and developmental disability or long-term care services.
Rapid Response: Reinvesting in Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Research from Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. The purpose of this call for proposals is to meet the current moment by supporting timely, actionable health equity research that has been interrupted by shifts in federal funding.
Be a Community Based Care Coordination Partner! Better Health Together is excited to announce that applications are now open for the Community Based Care Coordination Partner Request for Proposals (RFP).
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