Katie's Korner: A message from your PYC Coordinator | | |
Dear early childhood community partners,
This month, in honor of Women's History Month, I just offer you the words of women who have come before. Have a wonderful start to your spring, Island County connectors! You are truly the heart of our community.
"A woman is like a tea bag—you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." - Maya Angelou
"It actually doesn't take much to be considered a difficult woman. That's why there are so many of us." - Jane Goodall
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank
“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”- Malala Yousefzai
"Storms make trees take deeper roots." - Dolly Parton
In this newsletter, you will find ways to:
- RSVP to the May PYC Partner Meeting
- Sign-up for the Coupeville Children's Fair & Children's Day 2026
- Register & share trainings with your caregiver and family networks
- Get involved with important advocacy initiatives
- Learn about community resources for vulnerable families.
Warmly,
Katie
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Partners for Young Children (PYC) is a coalition focused on improving the wellbeing of children and families in Island County.
Through PYC, Island County organizations and individuals come together to achieve the vision that all children thrive in nurturing relationships and healthy families. Together, partners are cultivating community action to strengthen Island County families.
| | Request for Member Data for PYC Impact Report - Now Due May 1st! | | We have moved our request for data until our spring quarterly meeting. Many thanks to those who have already sent their numbers in. We would like to pull together an Island County early learning family resource 2025 impact report to showcase all our early childhood resource community partners. All you need to do to participate is to email Katie with any of your end of your data reports for 2025. The parameters are up to you! Just send us your impact numbers and help us to tell the story of this incredible resource community. Please send data by May 1st! | | |
We have had a great response to our PYC membership agreements!
Check out our new member page on our website to see our amazing network of community resources!
| | Remember, it's not too late to fill out the Partners for Young Children Island County membership form and commit to our fabulous network. Don't forget to email your logo. Email Katie with any questions! | | PYC Has a Partner Blogspace!! | | |
Don't forget that PYC hosts a guest blog on our PYC website, where we encourage anyone who would like to get more visibility for their current needs to send us your stories. You can simply email to katiew@whidbeyfoundation.org and we will gladly get the word out! In the meantime, check out our existing blogs if you have not already. You can find it here.
| | February PYC Partners Shared Resources | | Have flyers, information or resources to share? Drop in our SharePoint folder! | | 2026 PYC Partner Meeting Dates & Notes! | | Please note that we have had to change dates for our May PYC meeting. It will now occur on Monday, May 11th from 11:30-1:00pm. Also note this is a hybrid meeting. We will still offer the zoom option, but hope many of you can join us at The Collective in Oak Harbor for some personal connection and networking. | | Sign up for our new PYC Slack Channel! You'll find it under the (also new) Whidbey Community Foundation Slack. Ask questions, share resources, and interact in real-time with other early learning partners in our community! | | Last Month's PYC Programs Report | | PYC Launches Newborn Outreach Bag Initiative at Whidbey Health Family Birthplace! | | |
Exciting announcement in our newborn outreach initiative!
We have officially delivered our first batch of newborn bags to Whidbey Health's Family Birthplace! As of March, we have officially closed the loop on our outreach and will be doubling our efforts from approximately 300 bags per year to 600 with the inclusion of Whidbey Health. We also now have bags to offer in Spanish, thanks to a generous local translator. Every family giving birth at Whidbey Health will now also receive a Halo Sleepsack, promoting safe sleep practices in infants, funded in partnership with WhidbeyHealth Foundation. We are so excited for this new connection and are deeply grateful to the staff at Whidbey Health's Family Birthplace for the investment in our initiative.
| | Help Me Grow Island County Updates & Supports | |
Email for real-time updates, to add your listing, for questions and to get outreach materials for your families!
Encourage families to Call Help Me Grow at 1(800) 322-2588.
Katie will be contacting resource partners annually for maintenance updates.
Help Me Grow - Island County is a dependable and interconnected system that puts families first – making sure resources are accessible to every child and every community.
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Partners for Young Children Island County is thrilled to be able to offer this free service to our Island County families with children from birth to age 11. We are also include local messaging, sorted by zip code, on free or low-cost programs and events so you will never miss out!
Lantern tailors three to five weekly text messages to caregivers, providing evidence-based content on developmental milestones, brain growth, emotional health, nutrition, and resilience.
| | Does your organization have a community message to share with local parents? Submit your messages here and we will help get the word out! | | Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Whidbey Island | | Imagination Library of Whidbey Island—a local program partner of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, strives to send a new book every month to Whidbey Island children from birth to age five. | | Katie has bookmarks and other outreach materials. Contact her here! | | PYC, Coupeville Library & Coupeville Farmers Market Announce 2nd Annual Children's Fair! | | Please share this flyer in your networks! It is also not too late to sign up to table at this event. The only ask is that you provide an activity for young kiddos at your table. Email Katie with your interest! | | |
You read that right! Thanks to an incredibly dedicated committee of your local resource partners, we are on track to bring back the beloved Island County Children's Day on Saturday, September 12th, 2026 at South Whidbey Community Park. You will soon be receiving invites to participate as vendors. We have some wonderful fun in store for our community families! Details and more opportunities coming soon...
Feel free to reach out to Katie with your interest or rsvp to our invitation coming by end of March. We are so excited to see this event thrive again!
| | Advocacy & Support Opportunities | | Think Babies Encourages Federal Advocacy for Babies | |
Another Major Cut to Critical Programs Is on the Horizon
Congressional members are discussing a new “reconciliation” package, which would likely result in significant cuts to basic needs programs for babies and families. As you might remember, Congress used reconciliation to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included major cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and adjustments to family tax credits.
The reconciliation process requires only a simple majority of the Senate (50 senators plus the Vice President) to pass, unlike regular bills that require 60 votes. The reconciliation process only lets lawmakers make changes to tax policies and programs that are funded automatically under federal law.
Another reconciliation bill could mean changes to programs such as:
- Medicaid, which allows families to access health care
- SNAP, which helps families afford food
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which helps families afford basic necessities and funds community-based services
- Social Services Block Grant, which funds community-based services like child care, child welfare services, nutrition access and more
- Child care funding streams.
What this means for babies: Lawmakers are still discussing what to include in a reconciliation package. We’ll continue sharing updates and ways to take action as we learn more.
| | Workshops, Trainings & Educational Events | | Sno-Isle Libraries Offers Stars Trainings for Providers & Parents | |
STARS Training: Language Development
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
6:00pm–8:00pm
Online event
Language skills help children express needs, regulate emotions, make friends, and follow directions, and the early years are the perfect time to set them up for success. Unlock the power of language to transform your classroom and support every child's growth.
Presented by IMPACT Northwest Center Kids. This training will cover the following topics:
- Support language milestones from infancy through early elementary years, and understand when children typically master different speech sounds.
- Create a language-rich, inclusive classroom that supports dual language learners and fosters communication and connection.
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Address common speech concerns including stuttering, articulation errors, pronoun confusion, and unclear speech with confidence and clarity.
This class will also be offered on Saturday, April 25.
This class is perfect for child care providers, early childhood educators, teachers, parents/caregivers, and P-3 educators.
2 STARS credits
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STARS Training: Supporting Well-Being and Belonging through Anti-Bias Education
Saturday, May 09, 2026
10:00am–12:00pm
Online event
As educators, nurturing children’s healthy social-emotional development and fostering their competence as citizens in our diverse world is a shared goal. Introducing Anti-Bias Education in our classrooms and schools not only promotes social learning for children but also sharpens our own awareness of equity issues. For those uncertain about where to begin or how to build confidence in facilitating Anti-Bias education, this workshop provides a constructive space.
Presented by Hilltop Children's Center. This training will cover the following:
- Identify the 4 Core Goals of Anti-Bias Education
- Explore curriculum examples of how anti-bias education can be integrated into an early learning program in developmentally appropriate ways.
- Engage in self-reflection and apply tools to understand current skill level and identify next steps for implementing anti-bias education effectively.
- Create an action plan for integrating anti-bias education into your own programs/learning environments
This class will also be offered on Tuesday, May 12.
This class is perfect for child care providers, early childhood educators, teachers, parents/caregivers, and P-3 educators.
2 STARS credits
| | The Center for Child & Family Well-Being Offers Free Trainings for Early Learning Providers | | |
The Center for Child and Family Well-Being (CCFW) is offering a free training opportunity this spring for early learning providers and other professionals working with children and families.
Resilient Attitudes and Living for Professionals (REAL Pro) is a training program designed to promote the well-being and resilience of providers. This evidence-based program is grounded in strategies of mindfulness, self-compassion, cognitive-behavioral coping, and neuroscience. Training will run on Wednesdays for six weeks via Zoom, from April 8 to May 13. The time will be 12:00–1:30pm.
The CCFW also offers facilitation training for two parenting programs that support the well-being of infants, young children, and their parents. REAL Pro is the foundational training for those interested in completing SEACAP or New Parents Connect facilitation training. All three programs are grant-supported and free of charge to providers. STARS credits are also available through all three programs.
Register for REAL Pro here: https://forms.gle/fMQESdS7hTZbQDVg6
Please also see the attached flyer for Spring program details. If you have questions or would like to learn more, please contact Becca Calhoun at calhounb@uw.edu.
| | Postpartum Support International Offers Trainings for Professionals, Families & Community Supports | | Island County Health Updates | Island County Public Health 2025 Impact Report is Here! |
Island County’s 2025 Impact Report is now available!
This report highlights how we are working to keep our community healthy, safe, and growing. Here are a few key achievements from the past year:
Supporting Local Families
Helping our neighbors is a top priority. Our WIC program supported an average of 764 women and children, and we provided 110 bicycle helmets and 5 car seats to local families. To help prevent falls, we also worked with partners to hold falls-prevention classes across Island County, helping prevent the leading cause of injury in our community.
Building a Sustainable Future
We are committed to helping our community grow. This year, we issued over 1,800 total permits, including on-site septic permits. This work included processing 268 water availability verifications and 702 food establishment licenses. These efforts support the growth of new housing and help local businesses thrive.
Protecting Our Environment
Our team corrected over 200 septic violations to protect our water resources. Volunteers dedicated nearly 2,000 hours to protecting our local shorelines and marine life, keeping our islands beautiful for everyone. Our noxious weed program also restored many sites by removing Spartina and other harmful weeds that cause flooding and habitat damage.
Looking Ahead
In 2026, we will start a new vaccine program for children and launch a digital guide to help you find health resources more easily.
Read the Full Report
We are proud of what we have achieved together. You can read the full report here.
| Family & Caregiver Supports & Events | | C-RECC Hosts a Child Care Provider Swap Meet! | | Enrollment Announcement for Kindergarten & New Students at Oak Harbor | | | Thank you for entrusting Oak Harbor Public Schools with the education of your child. Our award-winning schools and educators strive to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students to reach their highest potential.
Find enrollment and transfer request resources below.
Oak Harbor Public Schools uses an online process so you can enroll at any computer at your convenience. If you have any questions about the enrollment process, please reach out to us at 360.279.5000 or email enrollment@ohsd.net
| | Do your family live in a different school district? Click below for enrollment info for Coupeville School District and South Whidbey School District. | |
Upcoming Local Family Events | | Pamoja Place Offers Resources for BIPOC Families | | |
Pamoja Place is an organization dedicated to growing community and a sense of belonging for BIPOC individuals on Whidbey Island.
Do you know any families who have been impacted by recent immigration pressures? Pamoja Place offers immigrant resources and has representatives who can meet people where they are at.
Email at: pamojaplacewhidbey@gmail.com
| | Parent to Parent Island County Upcoming Events | | Opportunity Council Announces LIHEAP Energy Assistance Appointments Beginning in March | | NASWI Fleet & Family Support Announces Family Fair & Hiring Events | | Langley Whale Center Hosts Free Youth Event | | Upcoming Sno-Isle Family Events | | Storytimes & Family Fun at Oak Harbor Library! | | Storytimes & Family Fun at Coupeville Library! | | Storytimes for our south end libraries! | | Click below for even more family friendly events! | | Do you have updates or resources you'd like to share with the broader network? | | |
Naming and Taming Overwhelm: For Healthcare and Human Service Providers
by Sarri Gilman
If you work in health and human services, you know how susceptible you and your colleagues are to stress and compassion fatigue. The risk factors and occurrences of becoming overwhelmed are widespread and systemic. However, the industry generally addresses only the symptoms, rather than treating the problem holistically. Naming and Taming Overwhelm, by Sarri Gilman, will help you recognize if or when you're becoming overwhelmed and provide simple steps to protect and care for yourself. Learn how to tune into your own personal signals as well as develop techniques for listening to and helping your colleagues who may experience their own early signs of feeling overwhelmed.
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Questions? Contact us at PYC@whidbeyfoundation.org
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