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Whidbey Children Need Our Support

Updated: Jun 12


The concerning and urgent needs of our children and young families have increased substantially over the last few months. At the Whidbey Community Foundation, we are a trusted source for nonprofit and governmental leaders to share their concerns.  Today we are sending you a much longer blog about these increasing needs of the youngest on Whidbey in hopes that you will donate, volunteer and show those who are caring for our children and young families that they have our support.  


Whidbey is home to 8,000 school aged kids, 6,500 kiddos under the age of 6, and 400-500 babies are born each year to Whidbey families. Many families are struggling with the essentials: food, housing, childcare and health care. A recently released report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that Washington has dropped to 16th in the nation for overall child well-being


We urge you to read the blog below, click on the links to learn more and then give to your favorite youth services organization or find a favorite! Resources to support your giving are listed at the end of the email. 


What We Are Hearing  


We at Whidbey Community Foundation and Partners for Young Children consider it vital to our mission to uplift the voices of our community members.  We know there are many more stories and would love to hear from our community organizations and providers. Whether they be confirmed budget cuts, lapses in funding, staffing and capacity losses, or concerns about the future and community impact as a whole, we want to hear from you!  Email your stories to Katie Watkins at katiew@whidbeyfoundation.org to be featured in our online blogs/newsletters/outreach. 


We often hear that children are our future – an idea meant to inspire investment in our communities’ long-term health.  At a recent Northwest Early Learning Coalition Inspire Breakfast, child advocate and keynote speaker, Ray Soriano, MSW, reframed this idea to highlight the urgency of our responsibility towards our local children.  “Children are our now,” said Soriano to a room full of family resource providers.  And, as we are facing a growing amount of uncertainty, setbacks, funding cuts and capacity constraints, it has become an increasingly critical battle cry. With the fatal combination of state and federal cuts, looming and confirmed, our Island County youth service programs have been thrown into unpredictable territory.   


We have likely all heard now of the worrisome news for Mother Mentors of Whidbey Island—a local nonprofit offering mentorship for new parents, playgroups, and family pantry resource—facing nearly a 30% funding loss with the newly approved Washington state budget during a time when parents are increasingly stressed about rising prices and job losses. (State budget cuts impacting stressed parents on Whidbey Island.)   


The Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Washington is also faced with state budget cuts. The Imagination Library provides children from birth to age five with a high-quality, age-appropriate book every month, at no cost to families, inspiring a love of reading and strengthening early literacy.  It was announced with the passage of the state budget that the 50% match that Washington state has provided for local programs had not been included in their biennial budget.  Local affiliates grappled with being suddenly saddled with coming up with the remaining 50% or face closing or reducing their book enrollment.  After scrambling, they eventually learned of an emergency funding source that will carry the local programs through June of 2026, but the future is still uncertain.   


Combined with Washington state cuts, many programs are also facing fiscal uncertainty through federal funding changes.  Head Start, which provides early education, health screenings and food for over 750,000 children across the nation, has been on a roller coaster ride with each new budget released by the current administration and congress.  With original budget proposals calling for its complete elimination, they have been in a state of uncertainty since February 2025.  While the most recent news coming out of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is that the program will not be eliminated, DHHS has laid off a significant number of employees who helped the program operate and shuttered half its regional offices. Providers have experienced repeated funding delays since early 2025, forcing some to briefly close.   


We don’t always think beyond childcare and education when it comes to youth serving organizations, but children are only as successful as their families.  Another family-serving organization—particularly single parents fleeing domestic violence with children—Citizens Against Domestic & Sexual Abuse (CADA) is also grappling with drastic federal funding cuts.  Due to the elimination of the Victim of Crimes Act, they are facing an approximate 37% cut in funding in the next fiscal year.  They have had to significantly decrease staff but are doing everything they can to continue to provide vital services to the most vulnerable in our community.    


Whidbey Island Nourishes (WIN) is another local nonprofit whose mission is to ensure youth on South Whidbey Island have consistent access to healthy, nourishing food. In a recent site visit to WIN, Whidbey Community Foundation staff and board members heard about another challenge impacting local programs. With the unexpected loss of future AmeriCorps support for the School Farm Program, a result of recent federal funding cuts to the AmeriCorps program, WIN and its partners have had to explore other options to sustain the program.   


All this funding and programmatic strain is made even more distressing when combined with the uncertainty of an ever-changing landscape.  Many local resource providers that we have heard from are making hard decisions to hold off on increasing much needed capacity or are in maintenance budgets to steel themselves against potential future cuts.  Some resources who are not dependent on state or federal funding are worried about future grant funding when the whole family resource community has increased need.    


And while we are all holding our breath about the future, we are reminded of the “now” in the need for youth services.  Island County is one of many childcare deserts in Washington, with more children than spots available.  It has become increasingly harder to find childcare for all ages of children.  This is likely due to higher costs of operation and economic instability. But this also means that our local families are also facing rising costs of living (food, housing, health care) and are finding less and less affordable help with their childcare needs.    


“It’s been difficult finding summer care for my child so that I can work. A lot of summer camps cost more than I make in a week and the more affordable ones aren’t enough hours in the week. There are very few camps in August and almost none available in the last 2 weeks of August. Summer childcare has become a lot more sparse and less affordable in the south end.” ~Island County Resident  


When a local family recently reached out to WCF looking for summer childcare for their 4-year-old, our referral options were limited. With many local programs having to limit their enrollment, or being unable to take children younger than 5, the options for working families on Whidbey can be scarce. Another local parent contacted us to learn more about before- and after-school care when they went back to work full time and realized they would need someone to help get their kids to school on certain days of the week. Stories like these are becoming more common for local families who rely on community programs to help support their children’s well-being. If one family reaches out with a need, we wonder how many other local parents are facing the same struggles. 

How can you support Whidbey’s children and their families?   


Reach out to your favorite Youth Services Nonprofit.  

  • Give early this year: They need financial support now, and your gift sends a clear message that we are all here for them.  

  • Go to Galas – Enjoy the community who gives to our young people. We encourage our nonprofit partners to add their events/galas to our community calendar here: Calendar 

  • Volunteer – an hour, a day or a season! We encourage our nonprofit partners to add their volunteer opportunities on our community bulletin: Opportunities 

  • Introduce your friends to your favorite youth services nonprofit. Help us build the community of support we need to take care of the youngest on Whidbey. 

If you don’t have a favorite Youth Services Nonprofit: 

  • Discover one on the WCF nonprofit directory and reach out to them to ask how your support can make a difference.   

  • Give to the a youth-focused fund at the Whidbey Community Foundation: 

  • Partners for Young Children a coalition that promotes youth-serving organizations across Island County, supports local and state advocacy efforts, and hosts our local Help Me Grow family referral and resource coordination system. 

  • Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library supports free books for kids 0-5 on Whidbey. 

  • Foundation Fund The Whidbey Community Foundation’s Foundation Fund is the heartbeat of our organization, providing flexibility to meet our community’s evolving challenges. 



Read about some of WCF’s youth-serving grantees and share with your friends: 

 

Your Support Can Make a World of Difference to a Child on Whidbey. 

 
 
 

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