Best Starts for Kids is a community-driven initiative to support every baby born and child raised in King County to reach adulthood happy, healthy, safe, and thriving. Supported by King County voters in 2015 and 2021, the initiative now includes additional funding for child care and capital projects.
Latest Posts
Our 2025 Impact
People Impacted
Invested in King County
Community Partners
New and Continuing Programs
Our Approach
Promotion
We increase positive opportunities available to babies, children, young people, and their families.
Prevention
We decrease factors that may prevent babies, children, and young people from growing up to be healthy and happy.
Early Intervention
We intervene early to support children and young people who need additional resources to succeed.
Policy & Systems Change
We work to change systems and policies so that all communities in the region can thrive and prosper regardless of race or place.
Our Commitment to Equity and Anti-Racism
Best Starts for Kids holds equity central to our work and we aspire to root out deeply entrenched systems of racism. We partner with communities and invest in community expertise to support where need is greatest.
Looking for Best Starts' funding opportunities?
Interested in the impact our partners are making?
Access learning tools, training updates, and more.
Upcoming Events and Learning Opportunities
Join the Best Starts Child Care Worker Wage Boost Pilot webinar to learn about impacts of pay increases on workers
The Best Starts for Kids Child Care Worker Wage Boost pilot has distributed quarterly wage increases to about 1,400 child care workers since 2025, and is now ready to share initial research findings. What: Best Starts Child Care Worker Wage Boost pilot findings...
Video recording and Q&A available from Best Starts for Kids Provider Support Series
Thank you to Best Starts for Kids contracted providers for joining our Provider Support Series on September 1 and 3. Dr. Susan McLaughlin, Director of King County’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS), presented on contract requirements and available...
Join Best Starts Family Engagement Resource Fair on September 12!
Editor's note 9/8/26: This blog post has been updated to reflect an updated vendor list. Best Starts is hosting our second annual Family Engagement Resource Fair! This is for families to connect with organizations and learn about resources and programs in the...
