Providing school- and community-based opportunities for young people ages 5 to 24 to build relationships and access safe and supportive environments as they progress into adulthood.
Young people thrive when they have safe, supportive environments that provide a sense of belonging and purpose. Best Starts for Kids partners with schools and community-based organizations to invest in programs that support mentoring,...
Youth across King County deserve equitable access to opportunities that will support their long-term success. Best Starts for Kids’ Transitions to Adulthood strategy supports young people 16-24 years old who face barriers in meeting their...
The SSPP strategy invests in efforts to support youth and young adults in King County who, as a result of systemic and institutional racism, are more likely to be excluded from higher education and employment and pushed into the criminal legal...
We know that COVID-19 and systemic racism have dually exacerbated underlying mental and emotional issues felt by young people throughout the ongoing pandemic. One of the ways Best Starts for Kids is supporting youth mental health in the renewed...
School-based health centers (SBHC) meet students where they are by offering comprehensive primary medical, behavioral health, and in some cases, dental services from clinics located within schools across King County. SBHC services support...
When a young person has trusted adults in their life who can support them, it increases their likelihood that they will experience academic success, achieve and maintain financial stability and make choices that support their health and...
Formerly known as the Trauma Informed and Restorative Practices strategy, Liberation and Healing addresses trauma and its impacts on young people by promoting strengths-based social and emotional supports through three programs: Liberation and...
Best Starts partners with communities impacted by inequities to improve the spaces in which children, youth and families live, learn, work, and play and support sustainable, healthy behaviors and long-term positive outcomes. Through close...
High-quality after-school and summer programs support our children and young people’s education, social emotional well-being and overall health and well-being. In partnership with School’s Out Washington, Best Starts for Kids funds and partners...
The Child and Adolescent Immunizations strategy focuses on a key collaboration with the Washington Child Health Improvement Partnership (WA-CHIP), a regional collaboration of public and private partners that uses measure-based efforts and a...
This dashboard shows the impact of Best Starts funding across its eight investment areas: Child Care, Investing Early, Sustain the Gain, Youth and Family Homelessness Prevention Initiative, Communities of Opportunity, Capital Projects, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building, and Data and Evaluation.