The Puget Sound Taxpayer Accountability Account (PSTAA) team has been busy as we reach communities through our supports and investments in kids and young people.  

 Early Learning Facilities 

Through PSTAA’s Early Learning Facilities strategy, King County’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) invests in maintenance, expansion, and construction of new early learning facilities, with a focus on areas of King County where access to quality care is extremely limited.  

In 2023, the Early Learning Facilities strategy supported 22 family child care providers to make critical health and safety upgrades, repairs, and renovations. Many of these projects are completed and some are still in process. Investments that focus on family child care providers help ensure that babies and kids in King County have access to quality child care in their communities, and that providers can continue to offer licensed care.  

Our partner, Enterprise, worked in coordination with the PSTAA team to launch an application process last November. Through that process, $2.6 million was allocated for pre-development, renovation, and major construction projects for child care centers.  

Through the newly formed Emerging Providers Cohort, Enterprise builds the capacity of child care providers who would like to either construct a new facility or expand their current child care business. Enterprise held two Listening Sessions to gain key insights in creating the program. Participants were able to provide recommendations in a collaborative space that included new providers, architects, community partners, and experienced providers regarding early learning facility development.  

Enterprise recently selected their Emerging Provider Cohort of 7 different organizations working to launch their very first child care centers. The Cohort includes providers from varying backgrounds and expertise. The first formal training was held in April 2024.  

K-12 Community-Based Supports 

Love & Liberation is a partnership-based, racial justice initiative led by the Racial Equity Coalition that supports youth development services rooted in celebrating young peoples’ cultural identities and equipping them with the tools to stay engaged in school.  

DCHS awarded United Way of King County a three-year contract to administer and facilitate Love & Liberation during its pilot phase. In August 2023, DCHS shared a report summarizing the pilot phase of Love & Liberation. The report recommended extending the Love & Liberation pilot for another three years to further evaluate its impact and determine a strategy for future investment. DCHS has moved forward with the pilot extension and is looking forward to continuing this partnership with United Way and the Racial Equity Coalition.  

Coalition members reflected on their joint work last thus far and what contributed to their success.  

Racial Equity Coalition organizations: 

  • Incorporate youth input and/or leadership in the development of their programs. Examples included one-on-one check-ins, recurring circles and focus groups, surveys, internship opportunities, event planning, facilitation opportunities, and school-based advocacy. 
  • Tend to youth mental health. Programs incorporate wellness, restorative approaches (especially healing circles), and culturally affirming social emotional learning. 
  • Work in close partnership with schools. These partnerships have made it possible for REC to connect with new groups of young people, provide more integrated supports, and provide new educational opportunities for students. 

Read United Way’s highlight of one Racial Equity Coalition partner, the 4C coalition, on their blog. The interview features Hazel Cameron, the organization’s Executive Director, and shares about an exciting partnership between the program and University of Washington football players to mentor Seattle area youth.  

Also check out United Way of King County’s new podcast, Hourglass. Some episodes of the podcast feature Racial Equity Coalition members.  

College, Career and Technical Education  

King County Promise (KCP) is an initiative supporting young people to graduate high school and succeed in college. The program kicked off in July 2022. Promise Partners, funded to provide intensive student advising and support services, initially focused on planning and developing their programs. Student enrollment began in the Winter and Spring quarters of 2023. KCP served a total of 223 students in the first school year across two King County communities.  

The Highline Promise Partnership focuses on serving Black and brown male and non-binary students, while the Promise to Community Partnership specializes in serving Opportunity Youth, or youth ages 16-26 who are neither in school nor working in a living wage job.  

The second school year of KCP implementation is coming to a close. DCHS intends for these initial implementation years to promote learning that guides decision-making throughout the lifespan of PSTAA investments and informs future iterations of KCP in the region. An assessment report summarizing learning from the first two school years of KCP implementation is scheduled to be released later this year.    

PSTAA was created by the Washington State Legislature and directs that Sound Transit 3-related funds be used to improve educational outcomes.  To learn more about PSTAA or sign up to receive updates about our strategies, visit this link.