Best Starts for Kids is proud to honor the 10-year anniversary of Communities of Opportunity, a Best Starts investment area that began in 2014 as a partnership between King County and the Seattle Foundation.
COO became a part of Best Starts in 2015, after the first levy was passed by voters. As one of the Best Starts investment areas, COO funds strategies that build community power and change systems and policies.
You can see highlights of COO’s systems change accomplishments in Best Starts’ annual reports.
From the 2023 Best Starts Annual Report:
“…in 2023, the Doulas For All Coalition partnership made significant progress in a long-term and historic collaborative effort, working with other community-based organizations, elected officials, government agencies, and others to change Washington state policy around securing Medicaid coverage for birth doula services for the first time in state history.”
COO remains a unique partnership of community, government, and philanthropy, with funding from both Best Starts and the Seattle Foundation and has grown to more than 150 organizations partnering together.
COO recognized its 10th anniversary with a celebration at TAF Bethaday in White Center September 19, with about 100 community partners, elected officials, governance group members, COO leaders and staff, and friends joining.
Read more about the anniversary event in COO’s blog post.
We are so grateful for the beautiful work taking place each day through Communities of Opportunity and our partners, and looking forward to celebrating more good work ahead.
Best Starts Co-Leads
Jamalia Jones and Jessica Tollenaar Cafferty
