Being a parent is nonstop hard work, making it challenging to stay on top of news that impacts families in Washington state. This Hits Home is your weekly hit of news, commentary, and, occasionally, opinion. Want to have a say? Look for the “Take action” prompts. Here’s the update for the week of Aug. 10-16.
Seattle Preschools Program in 2020 (Photo by Joshua Huston)
Seattle Preschool Program will add 600 new spots over six years
The Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), which has been open to all 3- and 4-year-olds in the city since 2015, will expand. Under a plan approved by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and funded by the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise Levy, which voters approved last November, SPP will welcome 100 more kids a year for at least the next six years. It’s another leap forward for a program that started with 280 seats at 13 sites, then grew to serve more than 2,500 kids at 103 sites last year.
On top of that, SPP will provide year-round care and expand to be open for 10 hours, five days a week at 30 sites starting next month, according to a report in The Seattle Times. Read the full story in The Seattle Times.
(Photo by eliduke / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Time to change WA’s youth gun possession law?
Fact: In Washington, kids under the age of 18 can be caught and charged with gun possession five times before they experience serious consequences. You read that right. Five times.
Before that fifth offense, according to a report this week on KUOW, most youth convicted of illegal possession of a gun get 30 days in detention and a hand slap, perhaps a fine, maybe community service, but not much more.
Given the July shootout at Seattle Center, which appears to have been between teens, one of whom had a prior gun possession conviction, it may be time to revisit the state’s youth gun possession laws. At least one lawmaker is getting ready to make that move. Again.
Renton Democrat Rep. David Hackney introduced a bill during the 2025 session of the Washington legislature that would have given judges more leeway in terms of the length of detention to impose when a youth is convicted of gun possession for a third time. The bill didn’t even get a hearing.
When lawmakers head back to Olympia in January for the 2027 legislative session, Hackney plans to reintroduce the bill.
Hackney told KUOW that by the time a child is convicted of carrying firearms five times, “they would already have committed a serious offense and end up facing decades of prison time in adult court for murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, or they were shot and killed themselves.” Read the full story at KUOW.
(Graphic from Sea Lion Radio)
Beautiful bellowing at Sea Lion Radio
Seattle has been put on the musical map by many musical genres: grunge, alt rock, hip-hop, and more. Now one West Ballard resident is working to bring another sound to fame: the crooning tones of sea lions.
The chorus shows up every fall when a host of sea lions roll into position at the foot of Seattle’s Sunset Hill and start belting out the tunes. They stick around through winter, and by spring they are off to other far-flung beaches and sea breaks, leaving behind a trail of sad listeners — parents and kids included — who miss the mournful, extremely loud bellowing.
Luckily, Chris Mills has created a way for you and your kids to get your daily dose of marine barking: Just push the play button at SeaLionRadio.com — “ideally with headphones on,” says Chris.
If you’ve got a child who loves the sea lions, Sea Lion Radio is an opportunity to paint a picture with their mind and conjure up the scene of the sea lions when they were recorded. Suggest that your child close their eyes while listening and sit in a place with no distractions. Listen for the singing, but also for all the sounds around the sea lions when their groans and barks were recorded just off the Ballard Locks. Mills, the site’s self-proclaimed snort curator, suggests you listen for at least 15 minutes to really get the sense of the singing.
“With a shorter listen, everything might sound the same and you’ll come away thinking I’m some kind of crackpot,” he explains on his website. “Importantly, there are big differences in activity over time. Sometimes it’s just a few comical groans, sometimes it’s a full on yell fest, and sometimes you can hear ‘em pile into the water to chase a paddle boarder.”
And then there are the free stickers. If you send Mills a message, he’ll send your kids five stickers of the “radio station,” cool barking seal image. The stickers are more than marketing for Sea Lion Radio, Mills says.
“You would be promoting interest in this amazing group of animals. We are lucky to have them. This is not intended to be a money-making enterprise.” Read more about how to make Sea Lion Radio an imagination trip for kids.
(Image from video by Alana Lyons)
WATCH: Did you catch the orcas at Ballard Locks?
If you happened to be at Seattle’s Ballard Locks at the right time last Monday, you were in for a real and rare treat: Orca whales swimming in Salmon Bay. The giants delighted visitors to the locks and swam across just about every media outlet in the region. In case you missed all that, show your kids this great video captured by Sophie Sinclair.
(Graphic courtesy of the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and Families.)
WA child welfare deaths continue to drop after last year’s spike
As of spring of this year, deaths and critical injuries to children involved in Washington’s child welfare system were still showing a downward trend, good news considering that 2025 was a record year for such losses and injuries.
Data from the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families shows that six children died and five more nearly died between April and June of this year. Last year in that same window there were a combined 14 deaths or near-lethal injuries.
According to a report this week by Washington State Standard, state officials say the decline is due in part to a decrease in opioid-related overdoses — they are down by 9% from last year, according to preliminary state data. At the same time, the state has logged about 10% more trips to emergency rooms for suspected opioid overdose. Read the full story at Washington State Standard.
(CC/ 4.0)
Trump attempts vaccine shift, calls for splitting up MMR vaccine
With Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. standing by his side last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to turn around the guidance on childhood vaccines.
The order states that federal immunization guidelines and funding should “support maximal parental choice over childhood vaccines.” It also calls for splitting the MMR vaccine (combined measles, mumps, and rubella) into three separate vaccines, one for each disease. And it says that “all childhood immunizations should be administered at separate medical visits.” Trump took the opportunity of the announcement to claim yet again that vaccines are responsible for autism, a connection that has been soundly refuted by scientific evidence. Both the president and Kennedy have long questioned the importance of childhood vaccinations.
It’s not yet clear what Trump’s new order means legally.
Currently, states decide which immunization recommendations to give parents. Washington follows the childhood vaccination recommendations put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
In response to the Trump administration’s earlier attacks on immunization science and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s less stringent guidelines, the Washington Department of Health said the requirements and guidance in this state will remain the same for the 2026-27 school years. That guidance, the department said in a statement, is informed by recommendations from “trusted medical and public health experts.”
“As DOH reviews today’s announcement, we encourage people to continue following existing Washington state vaccine guidance to protect themselves and their children, and to go to their health care providers with questions and concerns,” the state health department said.
Washington joined the West Coast Health Alliance, a multi-state public health partnership formed by Washington, California, and Oregon that aligns immunization recommendations with evidence-based data from respected national medical organizations, including AAP.
Pushback against the new order was swift and strong.
“I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) wrote on social media. “Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.”
In an article posted by the Washington State Standard, AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine said the order is likely to mean more “uncertainty and fear and confusion when there doesn’t need to be any of that.” Read the full story from the Washington State Standard.
A rainbow tutu skirt at the annual Pride Parade (Photo by Studio-Laska / iStock)
Federal agency blocks Medicaid coverage of kids’ gender-affirming care
By Nada Hassanein / Stateline
A new federal rule will end Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming hormone therapies and procedures for kids under age 18. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Tuesday a rule that prohibits state Medicaid plans from covering gender-affirming procedures for minors and using federal Medicaid dollars for such care.
The rule also prohibits Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, funds from being used for kids under 19. CMS is defining such care to include puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical operations. The policy takes effect Oct. 13.
The Trump administration asserts that gender-affirming care is dangerous for kids, while many medical groups say it’s safe and can improve the mental health of children and adolescents. Surgical gender-affirming care operations for children are very rare.
For kids on Medicaid and CHIP who are currently on gender-affirming hormone therapy, the agency said state plans may continue to use federal money up to six months from now. Funds can still be used for mental health care for kids, the agency said.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asserted in a new release that gender-affirming procedures “carry serious risks and can cause irreversible harm.”
In response to several Trump proposals on gender-affirming care, many of the nation’s leading medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have affirmed the safety of care that aligns with a child or teen’s gender identity.
“These rules are a baseless intrusion into the patient-physician relationship,” Dr. Susan Kressly, then president of the academy, said in a December statement. “Patients, their families, and their physicians — not politicians or government officials — should be the ones to make decisions together about what care is best for them.”
This brief was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Read this story and more at Washington State Standard.
Author Oliver Popa (Image courtesy Our West Press)
Edmonds 9-year-old examines Pluto’s identity crisis in his second book
It’s been 20 years since Pluto was demoted – on August 24, 2006, it was stripped of its planet status by the International Astronomical Union. That’s why Edmonds-based Our West Press is launching its newest book, Am I a Planet?, on August 24, 2026.
The book is the second by author Oliver Popa, age 9. His first book, Drippey Plants A Garden, was released in March 2025.
While it helps that Oliver’s mom owns Our West Press, Oliver’s love of space is the fuel behind this book. Oliver has been into the solar system since his toddler years. His book, recommended for space bugs ages 5 to 10, tells the story of the identity crisis that befalls an anthropomorphized Pluto after he is booted from the planet line-up. Pluto has to figure out who he really is and where he belongs.
“I found comic strips Oliver had drawn in his room, and I told him they’d make a great book,” Whitney Popa, Oliver’s mother and publisher, said in a release. “As we talked through the idea, he suggested we launch it on August 24th—Pluto’s demotion day. I didn’t even know that was a thing!”
Oliver Popa will attend three signing events in the next few weeks:
- Saturday, August 22, 1-4 p.m., at Bellevue’s Made in Washington store
- Saturday, September 6, 1-3 p.m., at Edmonds Bookshop
- Thursday, September 9, 9-10:30 a.m., at Common Formme Story Time in Edmonds
(Photo by Moore Media / iStock)
Homeless youth ages 12 to 24 in Seattle may soon have a new source of help
Seattle has approved funding to bring a state program, the Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF), to King County for the first time. The fund, backed by the Washington Acceleration Fund, provides fast cash assistance to young people ages 12 to 24 who are homeless or at risk of losing their housing. The funds can be used for basics like a security deposit or a bus ticket. The goal is to catch a housing problem early, before it becomes a longer-term crisis.
Seattle’s version of HPDF pairs city money with a matching donation from the Washington Acceleration Fund, a philanthropic effort launched this year to grow programs that end homelessness that are already working across the state. The Seattle Human Services Department, United Way of King County and Building Changes manage Seattle’s Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund together.
“The Homelessness Prevention Diversion Fund approach is proven to prevent youth homelessness in communities across our state, and I’m excited to start this pilot here in Seattle and King County with the partnership of the Washington Acceleration Fund,” Seattle City Councilmember Dionne Foster said in a statement. “Part of solving homelessness is preventing it from occurring in the first place — young people who experience homelessness are at least 2.5 times more likely to experience homelessness again as adults. This model prevents homelessness and promotes stability through providing flexible and accessible funding.
HPDF has run statewide since 2020. Since then, youth homelessness in Washington has dropped 40 percent. Moreover, 98 percent of people who got help from the fund moved into permanent housing, and 87 percent were still housed a year later.
“Youth homelessness rarely looks the way people expect. Often a young person is couch-surfing at a friend’s one week and staying with a relative the next, while trying to stay in school,” said Tricia Raikes of the Raikes Foundation, speaking for the Washington Acceleration Fund, in a news release. “Every situation is different, which is why tailored support matters. HPDF is coming to Seattle with the city, community partners, and philanthropy all at the table. Together we can help more young people find a safe place to call home and keep building the future they want.”
The Seattle City Council passed its Mid-Year Supplemental Budget Aug. 11, which includes the Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) funding. Read more on this story in The Seattle Medium.
Dr. Soleil Boyd, executive director of the Children’s Alliance join Gov. Bob Ferguson on the No on I-645 campaingn (Photo courtesy of Children’s Alliance)
Statewide Children’s Alliance joins No on I-645 campaign
The statewide nonprofit advocacy organization whose name is well known in the halls of Washington’s legislative buildings has joined the campaign urging voters to reject Initiative 645. If passed by voters in November, the initiative would repeal Washington’s newly enacted 9.9% tax on household income over $1 million and permanently ban state and local governments from imposing any form of individual income tax. Funds from the tax are earmarked to support education and crucial family services in Washington.
The 40-year-old Seattle-based Children’s Alliance “has fought alongside partners and advocates to make Washington’s tax code more equitable,” the organization said in an email announcing it has joined the No on I-645 campaign, launched by Gov. Bob Ferguson earlier this summer. ”The passage of the Millionaires Tax earlier this year marked a monumental step toward righting our upside-down tax code. By taxing only annual income over $1 million, the tax asks those who have benefitted most from Washington’s economy to contribute more toward the public investments that benefit us all.”
Initiative I-645 was developed by Let’s Go Washington, which believes the “millionaires tax” is more than a tax on the rich. The group holds that the tax is a “legal test case designed to open the door to a broader statewide income tax.” Read the initiative.
Take Action: Mark your calendar and be sure to drop off or mail in your general election ballot by election day on Nov. 3. Ballots can be sent or dropped off the day you receive them in the mail, two to three weeks before election day.
