State Advocacy

Now more than ever, it’s critical to visit legislators and let them know that preserving services for children and families must be made a priority this coming session. Our state has already endured deep cuts to critical social, health and education services and we can’t take any more. 

Join us and the Children's Alliance to stand up for kids and families, and stand in the way of more devastating cuts.

Have a Heart for Kids Day

Thursday, February 9, 2012 - 10:00am
  The Washington State Capitol
Registration opens at 9:30 at United Churches.
Register online now.

GET UPDATES To stay up to date on this event, legislative activities and to take action for kids, join the Children’s Action Network (CAN).  Be sure to select the Washington Afterschool Network to receive alerts specific to afterschool and youth development issues. You can also click on the orange JOIN CAN. This is an easy way to send timely messages to your legislators about issues affecting the afterschool and youth development field.

2012 Legislative Session

What can the Legislature do to Support Student Success in the 2012 Legislative Session?

1. Make provisions for Afterschool & Youth Development (AYD) representation on education-focused Boards and Commissions such as, the State Board of Education and the Quality Education Council.
2. Support the adoption of an official definition of "Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs) for Washington State" to strengthen the connection between AYD and the formal education system.
3. Support high-quality ELOs and their integration into our state educations system.
4. Help implement the policy recommendations of the completed Afterschool and Youth Development State Plan.

January 12, 2012: Visit to the State Legislature

SOWA was invited to present before the Education Appropriations and Oversight Committee for the House of Representatives in Olympia, Washington. Legislators got an overview of Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs), the Supporting Student Success-S3 Initiative, as well as our work on the development of a new state plan for Afterschool and Youth Development (AYD). Read more on the blog.