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Executive Somers recently announced the spending plan for $12 million in new investments to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care. Child care was identified as a top community priority during the County’s pandemic recovery engagement effort. An estimated 80 percent of county residents live in an extreme child care desert, and there are only 62 slots of child care for every 100 infants, toddlers, or preschoolers whose parents work, far below the state average of 79 slots per 100 children.
 “A major barrier to people joining or returning to the workforce is the lack of available child care. The effects of child care deserts across our county impact all of us, but they have an even more acute impact on women, who are pushed out of the job market at higher rates due to the extremely high cost of child care,” said Executive Somers. “That’s why we want to expand access for communities across our county, particularly in places where child care is already extremely scarce.”
To increase the accessibility and availability of child care, Snohomish County proposes the following $12 million spending plan:
- $5 million – Start-Up and Expansion Grants
- $3.8 million – Workforce Development and Retention
- $200,000 – Community-Led Recruitment and Mentorship
- $3 million – Continued Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) Stabilization
Anyone interested can find more information on this announcement here.
We need your help to reach seniors living in Snohomish County! Did you know Snohomish County is home to approximately 228,266 residents who are 55 years and older?
Human Services’ Long-Term Care & Aging division is conducting a Follow-Up COVID-19 Seniors Survey to better understand the unique difficulties seniors in Snohomish County are facing. The anonymous survey measures critical areas around health and wellbeing, technical abilities, financial impacts, kinship care, risk of infection, emergency preparedness, physical and emotional safety, transportation, and services used. Responses will be collected through February 28, 2023 and will help inform future planning efforts and services to assist seniors. Learn more about the first survey here.
 The Follow-Up COVID-19 Seniors Survey is available online in several languages. Hard copy or additional translation requests can be submitted to Kelsey.Bang-Olsen@snoco.org.
The survey is also up on the County’s social media channels – please help spread the word to older adults in your life!
After completion of significant project milestones in 2022, Meadowdale Beach reopened to the public on Saturday, January 7, 2023. The Meadowdale Beach Park and Estuary Restoration Project was initiated by Snohomish County Parks and has been a successful partnership with Snohomish County Surface Water Management (SWM), BNSF Railway, Tulalip Tribes, state and federal agencies, and the local community. This project is regionally significant for its role in salmon recovery and Puget Sound shoreline restoration, while making substantial improvements to the park.
 Beach access will be available for public use through the new accessible pedestrian walkway under the train track bridges. The remaining construction will take place in a fenced off portion of the park and is anticipated to be finished in the summer of 2023.
Learn more about the project here: https://snocoparks.info/MeadowdaleProject
Executive Somers seeks a nominee for the Planning Commission, a body that advises the Executive, Council, and County departments regarding growth, development, land use, and community planning. The ideal candidate has experience in the fields of land use, transportation planning, housing, and related work. Interest in comprehensive planning, public health, architecture and design, and low-income housing development would also be an asset.
Applicants must be a current Snohomish County resident and be able to attend monthly Commission meetings. Find the application for this and dozens of other volunteer opportunities on Snohomish County Boards and Commissions at https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/OnlineBCBAForm or email karen.anderson@snoco.org for more information.
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