Being a parent is nonstop hard work, which makes it hard to stay on top of local news that affects families. This Hits Home is your weekly round-up of news, commentary, and, occasionally, opinion from our writers here at Seattle’s Child and news sources like The Seattle Times, Washington State Standard, KUOW, Cascade PBS and others. Want to have a say? Look for the “Take action” prompts. Here’s the update for the week of Oct. 12-18.
Nation’s first Native-owned birth center coming to Seattle
It’s a distinction that Columbia City and Indigenous families in our region can be proud of: Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services will soon open the nation’s first Native-owned birth center. The nonprofit purchased the former Seattle Home Maternity birth center on South Ferdinand Street in September and plans to reopen the site as a Native-owned birth center in 2028. The project received nearly $2.2 million from Seattle’s Equitable Development Initiative to help pay for the property and renovations.
In Washington, Indigenous mothers die from pregnancy-related causes at more than seven times the rate of white mothers, according to the South Seattle Emerald. Hummingbird is already working to address that disparity through culturally responsive pregnancy, birth and postpartum services for Indigenous families. Read more from South Seattle Emerald.
Washington changes foster-parent licensing rules for LGBTQ+ youth
Washington will no longer require prospective foster parents to agree to affirm a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity to become licensed. The change comes from a settlement with a Port Orchard couple whose foster license wasn’t renewed after they said their religious beliefs prevented them from meeting the requirement. The state says it will still consider a family’s ability to support LGBTQ+ children when deciding where to place individual kids — but that gets complicated when a child comes out or begins exploring their identity after a placement has been made. KUOW Read more at KUOW
Meta deal changes means AG won’t pursue legislation to protect WA kids online
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown says he will not ask state lawmakers to revive the Protecting Children Online Act, which failed to pass the Legislature in each of the past two years. Brown says a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta already provides many of the protections his legislation sought, including limits on how long minors can use Instagram and Facebook, a ban on access from midnight to 6 a.m. and restrictions on notifications during school hours. Washington is guaranteed $237 million from the settlement.Read more.
Teen’s family files new lawsuit over fatal Gas Works Park fall
The family of 15-year-old Mattheis Johnson, who died after falling from the towers at Gas Works Park in July 2025, is again suing Seattle. The new suit alleges the city was negligent in failing to address known dangers at the towers; the family’s earlier lawsuit seeking safety changes was dropped after Seattle removed ladders, catwalks and platforms that allowed people to climb the structures. Read more at The Seattle Times
Free skating coming for Kirkland families at new Kraken iceplex
Kirkland families will be eligible for up to two hours of free open skating each month when a new Seattle Kraken iceplex and community center opens in fall 2027. Planned for the former Houghton Park and Ride, the 80,000-square-foot complex will include two NHL-size ice rinks, with opportunities for public skating, hockey and other ice programs, plus community and fitness space, a restaurant and a Kraken team store. Read more at KUOW
Reykdal tells Ferguson: Skip federal education tax credit
Washington schools chief Chris Reykdal is asking Gov. Bob Ferguson to keep the state out of a new federal education tax-credit program set to begin in January. The program would give taxpayers credits for donations to organizations that provide scholarships for private-school expenses as well as tutoring, supplies and some services for public-school students. Reykdal argues Washington would have too little control over how the program operates, while supporters say it could bring substantial new education funding into the state. Ferguson has not taken a position and has only said his office says it is reviewing newly released federal rules and will announce a decision when that review is complete. Read more.
A change in how Washington pays for subsidized child care
Child care centers participating in Washington’s Working Connections Child Care program are now generally paid according to how many days a child attends, rather than simply holding and paying for an enrolled child’s spot. The new rule, which took effect Oct. 1, limits the number of absences providers can bill the state for; licensed family-home providers make the switch in July 2027. For families using subsidies, it’s worth knowing about because the change affects how providers are paid for their children’s care. DCYF Read more from Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families
What happens when families get $1,330 a month, no strings attached?
The New York Times spent a year following three formerly homeless people enrolled in guaranteed-income programs backed by Google, including a California mother receiving $1,330 a month. The payments helped participants cover necessities such as food and housing, but following them over time also showed the limits of a one-year cash program when people are confronting larger problems such as high housing costs. Read the New York Times story
Fewer ninth-grade girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual
The share of ninth-grade girls identifying as lesbian or bisexual dropped from 30% in 2021 to 17% in 2025, according to an analysis of CDC survey data reported by The Washington Post this week. The change was driven largely by fewer freshman girls identifying as bisexual, while rates among boys and older teens were more stable; researchers say the data don’t explain what’s behind the shift, and one researcher questioned whether the reported differences are statistically significant. Read more at The Washington Post
(Ting-Li Wang for Cascade PBS)
Changes to Head Start would be devastating for WA families | Op-Ed
By Joel Ryan
When you’re a parent, your most important questions about child care are: Will my child be cared for and safe? Will they learn? And will I be able to work while they are there?
For more than 14,000 children and families in Washington state, Head Start answers those questions every day.
Now the Trump administration wants to weaken everything Head Start does for working parents. Under the guise of reform, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed sweeping new regulations that would mandate larger class sizes, shorten center hours, reduce the number of teachers, and cut support for parents.
Head Start programs may even have to close their doors.
Head Start serves the whole family. A child can get breakfast, a health screening or help with speech or developmental needs. A parent can tap into help getting a job, finishing school, finding housing or getting support during a difficult pregnancy or a postpartum period.
All families deserve safe, quality child care
I have spent more than 20 years working in and around Head Start. But I’m not just an advocate talking about child care from a distance. When my daughter was young, my wife and I relied on child care while we worked and raised our family. We knew how important it was to have a place where she was safe, learning, and known by the adults around her.
That’s why parents should pay close attention to this proposed federal rule. It could fundamentally change how Head Start programs operate and might even be the first step toward its eventual elimination.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services claims its proposed regulations would reduce regulatory burdens and give Head Start programs more flexibility.
In reality, however, the proposal threatens Head Start’s quality by largely deferring to state requirements for staff-to-child ratios and group sizes, rather than maintaining stronger federal standards. For example, the National Association for the Education of Young Children estimates that 80 percent of children enrolled in Head Start could face larger class sizes under the proposal.
Kids need someone to notice
That matters because kids need attention. They need someone to notice when they struggle with reading or a puzzle, get frustrated with another child, or finally master a fine-motor skill.
The proposed rule would also reduce federal staff qualifications, change health and mental-health requirements, and move Head Start toward English-only classrooms, even though one-third of all non-tribal Head Start classrooms nationwide primarily serve dual-language learners. And it would eliminate maternal health supports, including services for mothers experiencing postpartum depression.
Head Start has never been simply a preschool program. Early Head Start provides services to babies, toddlers, and their families. Head Start connects families with health, dental, developmental, and mental-health services. For a baby whose developmental delay is identified early, getting connected to services can change their trajectory. For a family experiencing homelessness, a trusted Head Start program can provide stability when almost everything feels uncertain.
Proposed changes are not small—they’s have big impact
For a parent working an hourly job, shortening Head Start’s hours isn’t a small administrative change. It can mean changing a work schedule, finding another caregiver or turning down a job.
Research shows Head Start’s long-term value. The federal program returns “5.4% to 9.1% per year for at least 30 years for every child it put through Head Start due solely to savings on public assistance and a small increase in tax revenue from higher wages earned by participants,” a paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research found. That’s because children in high-quality early learning programs, like Head Start, are more likely to graduate from college, buy a home, and generally live more stable lives.
As parents, we all need to speak up
Statistics only tell part of the story. I think about parents and children I’ve met through Head Start: a child who had a developmental screening that identified a need for extra help; a parent who could take a job because their child had a safe place to learn; a family who sat down with a teacher to figure out how to help their child succeed.
Those aren’t abstract benefits. They can change the trajectory of a childhood.
That’s why parents should speak up. The public can submit comments about the proposed regulations by Oct. 6. Submit your thoughts in the Federal Register.
** Joel Ryan is Executive Director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP.
