Upholding communities in achieving their collective goals for children and families.
Facilitation | Project Management | Leadership
WHO WE ARE
Our team is passionate about making the world a better place for children and families by harnessing the strengths and ideas that live within communities. As our name states, the first 5 years of life are fundamental. Our role is to support cross-sector leaders in early childhood, to help make their collective vision for children and families a reality.
OUR VISION
We envision communities across Washington designing and implementing solutions to complex problems together.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to uphold communities in achieving their collective goals for children and families.
WHAT WE DO
Creating the optimal conditions for growth and development, we support collaborative initiatives by mobilizing funding, providing staff for facilitation and project management, building community partnership, managing marketing and branding, supporting research & data, and building public will.
OUR VALUES
We actively pursue these values and foster their thriving, internally and externally.
Anti-racism, Equity,
and Social Justice
We commit to building systems and programs that support all children and families, and to rebuilding and replacing systems and programs that cause systemic oppression. We believe that diversity is a strength worth celebrating. We believe fair does not mean equal, and regularly examine our privilege and power dynamics.
Trust and Respect
We believe in the principles of trust, not control. We acknowledge that trust must be cultivated intentionally, through continuous communication and authentic conversations. We engage in dialogue about what unites, divides, and challenges us. Through trust and respect, we can move ideas quickly into action.
Integrity and Transparency
We believe every person and child has inherent worth and deserves respect. We assume positive intent and consistently look for opportunities to work with others in support of shared goals, not personal gain.
Local Voice
We believe children, families, and communities are integral in creating policy and making program decisions that impact their lives. We believe local organizations and individuals are best suited to identify their needs and design solutions. We commit to promoting their desires to key leaders and decision makers.
Collaborative Relationships
We believe the foundation of successful collaborative efforts are authentic relationships. We purposefully invest time and resources into building stable trust-based relationships, amongst organizations and individuals.
WE CURRENTLY SUPPORT THE
FOLLOWING INITIATIVES
Washington Communities for Children (WCFC) is a ten Region coalition network with a mission to connect local and statewide efforts to improve the wellbeing of children, families, and communities. WCFC regions have trusted relationships with over 750 local organizations and individuals including early learning providers, social service agencies, child welfare organizations, libraries, school districts, public health agencies, higher education, families, and many others.
Pierce County Early Childhood Network (PCECN) is a network of community partners that have come together to to improve the wellbeing of children and families in Pierce County. We proudly cultivate community action with 175 partners. Our partnership base is intentionally broad and includes parents, licensed child care providers, health care providers, school districts, business leaders, and family/youth-serving community organizations, to name a few.
Family Connects Pierce County offers voluntary nurse support to all families with newborns during a baby’s first 3 months of life. This means foster, adoptive, and birthing families. An experienced nurse will support parents with a medical checkup for the birthing parent and baby, and ensure they are connected to community resources as they continue on their parenting journey.
Northwest Early Learning Coalition (NWEL) is an established regional coalition linking five county coalitions (Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom), which include more than 100 organizations and professionals in Northwest Washington state. The Coalition exists to make excellence in early learning achievable and sustainable for every child in northwest Washington.
Serving Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, North Pacific, and Thurston Counties, Visions for Early Learning promotes partnerships and community connections that support early learning through coordinated services, family events, educational opportunities, and advocacy.
