Children and Youth Advisory Board members leading change in many ways

Published July 12, 2016

For Best Starts for Kids, we’ve had the fortune of working with a broad range of community and content experts through our Children and Youth Advisory Board (CYAB). The CYAB brings together many leaders working to create a healthier place for all King County children and families. Their work as members of the Advisory Board are just one piece of that leadership.  Just this week, two members have been recognized for their instrumental contributions. We look forward to continuing to highlight the work taking place among our Board and within our communities.

Check out these recent stories in the news featuring two of our CYAB members:

Seattle-area Somali community unites to embrace state’s new child-care standards

Zam Zam Mohamed is the CEO and Co-founder of Voices of Tomorrow. She also works closely with other community partners to eliminate racial and ethnic achievement gap that exists for East African children and families living in King County.

Pushing the boundaries: UW Medicine’s ‘most influential’ scientists

Thomson Reuters, a global information agency, identified the world’s “most influential scientific minds” —Brian Saelens was named one of them.

Brian Saelens is a professor and researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute at the University of Washington. In his work, Dr Saelens identifies strategies at all levels that help children and families eat healthfully and be active.

Two young black boys sitting on the ground playing with legos.

We’re hiring a Help Me Grow Coordinator!

The application deadline is June 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm Pacific. Best Starts for Kids is hiring a Help Me Grow (HMG) Coordinator (Project/Program Manager II) to strengthen systems that connect children and families to the resources they need -...

Young people from the Youth Bill of Rights Task Force look toward the camera.

Announcing the Youth Leadership Summit Breakout Sessions! 

We are excited to announce an incredible lineup of sessions for the 2026 Youth Leadership Summit. The sessions are designed to encourage, enrich, empower, and exercise the power of young leaders in King County.   What: The 2026 Youth Leadership...