Best Starts for Kids (BSK): is considered the most comprehensive approach to child development in the nation. Best Starts invests an average of $65 million per year to support King County families and children so that babies are born healthy, children thrive, and young people grow into happy, healthy adults.
Best Starts for Kids is a voter-approved initiative to promote the health and well-being of babies, children, young people, pregnant people, and families. The initiative is cross-departmental; sitting within DCHS and Public Health. As we announced in summer 2022, Best Starts is welcoming new leadership to join our team. Today we are posting our two open Co-Lead…
This blog post was originally published on the Best Starts for Kids blog. This year, Best Starts for Kids entered into the first year of the second levy (Best Starts 2.0) and over the course of the year we centered on learning, growing and thriving. In the first Best Starts levy we invested more…
In the four years since the School-Based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to services or Treatment (SB SBIRT) began in King County, more than 25,000 middle school students were screened, more than 11,500 students completed a connection to services or treatment either internally at their school or with external mental health professionals, and more than…
Continue reading ➞ School-Based Mental Health Program Making an Impact in King County Schools
Young people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and experiences bring rich contributions to our community, and young people who are neurodivergent have essential perspectives and contributions that our community benefits from. Yet, people who are neurodiverse run into obstacles in a world built for people who are neurotypical. Those challenges are even more pronounced…
The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) is excited to debut the new DCHS Dashboard that takes a detailed look at the programs and initiatives funded by the department, and the residents reached countywide. DCHS provides resources and services for the more than 2.3 million King County residents. The team at DCHS connects people…
Editor's note: this post was updated to reflect the total funds dedicated to the Best Starts Child Care Subsidy: $160 million over six years. A thriving and equitable child care system is essential for our communities. Child care supports parents and guardians in the workforce; provides babies and children with nurturing spaces where they can…
Continue reading ➞ Application for Best Starts Child Care Subsidy now open to families!
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