New legislation in Olympia aims to ease the burden of child-care costs for Washington families by allowing businesses to help their employees pay for it.

Under House Bill 1564, businesses could reduce the amount they spend on business and occupation taxes by the amount they pay for child-care assistance to workers.

State Rep. Joshua Penner, R-Orting, who authored the bill, said prices for child care in the state can exceed the cost of college tuition.

"That's just a really tough position that we put our workers in," he said, "that they have to decide whether or not to be underemployed or forgo opportunities in order to get good child care."

Nearly 40% of Washington parents have reported quitting a job or being fired because of child-care challenges, costing families almost $7 billion annually in lost income. The bill was just introduced and is in the House Finance Committee.

Penner added that if a business didn't use the full tax benefit in one year, the bill would allow it to apply the remaining amount to the following year. He said he isn't worried about the potential loss of tax revenue for Washington state.

"I think nothing is more efficient than those 'B&O' taxes being directly applied to child care for the workers within that business," he said.

Washington ranks seventh, just behind Oregon, for the least affordable infant care in the country, with an average year of full-time care topping $20,000. Penner said said the bill has bipartisan support.


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Washington nonprofits supporting vulnerable youth have faced large state funding cuts this year and are calling on communities to help keep the programs running.

Karen Pillar, executive director of the nonprofit TeamChild, an organization supporting youth involved with the juvenile justice and mental health systems which lost half of its state funding. She said education nonprofits lost about $50 million combined in the 2025 budget, affecting programs supporting foster youth, unhoused students and college transition programs. She added schools cannot always provide such services.

"There's been this entire network of nonprofit agencies that have been providing the things that they need," Pillar pointed out. "The money that we lost that is, I think, going to be really impactful for how we support students in succeeding in the next couple years."

A number of organizations will likely have to close completely due to the loss of funding, Pillar added. Gov. Bob Ferguson cited a $16 billion revenue shortfall as the reason for the cuts.

Pillar emphasized she is frustrated despite major budget cuts the state still chose to spend $12 million to build more youth prison space at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Grays Harbor County.

"It's hopefully an opportunity to just keep the conversation going that there's a better safety net to build than a criminal safety net," Pillar underscored.

The state budget cuts are coming at the same time as possible cuts to education on the federal level. In the face of uncertainty, she asked for people to consider ways they can help either with time or money.

"Foundations, individuals, local people in the community, really need to think about ways they can support the nonprofits that are still existing," Pillar urged. "And the students that do need extra help and extra attention to navigate the public school systems."

June is National Safety Month and experts are highlighting medication safety for Kentucky kids.

Kentucky has seen a steady increase in pediatric overdoses and ingestion cases in recent years, with research showing the number of cases doubled between 2019 and 2023. The number of fatal pediatric ingestion cases in the state tripled over the same period, with 80% of those considered potentially preventable.

Dr. Jennie Green, a child abuse pediatrician in the Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine at the University of Kentucky, said safe storage is essential.

"Making sure that the medications that are present are stored safely," Green recommended. "And usually that's going to mean keep them up and out of reach, but also preferably in a stored, locked location. So, thinking about medication lock bags or lockboxes tend to be the best."

She reminded parents "child resistant" does not mean childproof.

The 2024 Kentucky Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Panel found opiate exposure was present in more than half of overdose and ingestion cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends households with opioids, whether prescribed or not, have a supply of Narcan, a nasal spray to block or reverse the effects of opioids including fentanyl.

Green noted Narcan is safe for anyone.

"There's no harm in giving a child a full dose of Narcan," Green emphasized. "In fact, it's lifesaving. And a lot of the kids who end up coming into the hospital with opioid overdose, they actually need multiple doses of Narcan. So that one dose of Narcan is not going to hurt them, but it can save their life."

Experts advised keeping track of medications present in the home including how many pills remain, to determine how many may have been ingested. Curious children may also explore purses or luggage of visitors, and inquiring if they have medication with them is also suggested.

Shannon Moody, chief policy and strategy officer for Kentucky Youth Advocates and a representative of the Face It Movement, said it is important to think about when children are away from home.

"If your child is visiting a family member, like a grandparent or friend's house, asking them to ensure that their medications, whether it's prescription over the counter or any other substances that a child may get into, that those are put away safely in a place where a child cannot reach," Moody urged.

It is also recommended parents save the number for poison control in their phone and post it on the refrigerator. The number is 800-222-1222.


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Based in Provo, Utah, the software company Qualtrics ranks among the top employers providing adoption and foster-care benefits to its workers.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption commissioned a national survey of employers to learn whether they offer financial reimbursement for adoption costs and paid leave for foster parents, and how many workers are eligible for those benefits.

Matt Inama, customer success manager for Qualtrics, said adopting a child can be quite expensive. He stressed the financial reimbursement his company offered was "transformational" for him and his wife to create the family they had always dreamed of.

"Having that kind of support and benefit available from one's employer I think is very, very important," Inama asserted. "It just helps to foster, I think, that sense of belonging for an employee within their organization."

Inama encouraged those considering adoption to know it can be a lengthy process. He emphasized it is critical to find local experts in your area who can shed light on how different laws and guidelines affect the adoption experience.

Rita Soronen, president and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, said the survey aims to foster a sense of equity among employers which many times offer benefits to families formed through birth. She argued those formed through adoption should be no different.

"We created the 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace list to encourage employers to take that step, to learn about it," Soronen explained. "Then, we know that employers enjoy sort of competitive advantages over each other and 'best' lists tend to provide that."

Soronen added people in the job market who are contemplating offers may look to see if adoption benefits are included. For some, it could be a deciding factor.

"If everything else is equal and this company offers adoption benefits or foster care benefits, then they tend to lean that way because it said something about the company," Soronen observed. "It gives, we believe, employers a competitive edge in recruiting employees."