2013 Preview & the First Day of Session

The 2013 Washington State legislative session begins today. Which means we are mobilizing to advocate! The quote above reminds us that we can all be advocates. It's time to introduce you to our 2013 Firesteel policy priorities and then we'll take you through some new ways we plan to speak up.

Firesteel: What’s with our name?

"So what's with the name?" I hear this question a lot and at first glance, it doesn't really seem to have anything to do with family homelessness or the YWCA. Yet it was quite the collaborative process selecting the name and we are very excited about our name Firesteel and what it represents.

On the Day After Election

On the day after election, I find myself tired but encouraged at the same time. Mostly tired because I was up late watching the results come in! But encouraged because of a number of things I observed and experienced this 2012 election.

Why Child Care Matters: Series Summary

This series posed the question, "Why does child care matter?" with five posts evaluating the important of child care and early learning. Guest blogger, Sarah Swihart, demonstrates how child care can present a huge barrier for parents working to provide for their families, especially families vulnerable to homelessness. The series begins with establishing the importance of affordable child care and early learning opportunities, particularly for low-income families, and ends with a look at supportive policies.

Vote For Me: Policies For A Hopeful Future

It's the final installment of our Why Child Care Matters series with our guest blogger, Sarah, highlighting policies that promote child care and early learning opportunities, along with legislators that champion these policies. Child care can present a huge barrier for parents working to provide for their families and an obstacle that does not often receive much attention. In this series, we hope to shed more light on this issue and make connections between child care and homelessness.

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