Seattle’s Child is proud to partner with the state Department of Children, Youth and Families Strengthening Families Washington to honor outstanding caregivers doing important work on behalf of children. Throughout February, we’ll introduce you to Unsung Heroes from around the state. Enjoy their stories.
Krystina Cummins, Marblemount (2 nominations)
Krystina is a parent leader and brings her voice, her enthusiasm, and her kind, loving presence to share with other parents and professionals in a number of settings.
She serves on the Parent Advisory Group for DCYF, and I know her through her work on the Early Learning Coordination Plan Outcome 2 Lived Expert Leadership Team, as well as her work as a Community Correspondent collecting family stories for the Our Tomorrows Story Project. She also attended the Prevent Child Abuse America national conference, and shared her learnings along with a group of other lived experts at our Stronger Together conference in Spokane. Krystina has even supported past Unsung Heroes events as a volunteer.
Krystina has persevered through challenges like being a young parent, homelessness and supporting biracial and neurodiverse children. Her commitment to continued growth, learning, engagement and leadership is inspiring. As she shares in her own words, “I want to make sure that boxes aren’t just checked. What differences are made? Voices are heard, and we create a better system. So our children and our children’s children don’t have to go through the things we did to get to where we are today.”
–Joy Lile
Krystina’s dedication to supporting parents shines through every aspect of her approach to this work.
As a lived expert herself, she’s dedicated more than seven years to the Parent Advisory Group (PAG). She navigates difficult conversations with empathy, curiosity and a focus on finding meaningful solutions. When a PAG member or staff partner is facing a challenging moment, Krystina is often the first one to reach out with her signature term of endearment “thinking about you Queen!” – creating a culture of care, connection and genuine community.
Her expertise and parent leadership have strengthened PAG and been an asset to our system as a whole.
-Emily Morgan
NOTE: Seattle’s Child is running these stories unedited, as written by the people who nominated them, in keeping with the DCYF Unsung Hero process.
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