Priority Spokane

Our Childcare and Early Learning Taskforce Cochairs, Sara Clements-Sampson with the City of Spokane, and Ryan Oelrich with Priority Spokane, toured Bezos Academy Pasco and met with local and national project staff and partners. Bezos Academy provides free Montessori preschool prioritizing low income and housing insecure families.

Our priority is addressing childcare in Spokane County. After childcare organizations requested stress and trauma help for their staff, we provided STEP (The Stress & Trauma Education Program) for over 80 providers last week.

Here’s what one participant had to say, “This was an answer to prayer. I've felt really stuck lately and this helped me take an important STEP out of the hole I've been trapped in. The personal stories were inspiring and the tools felt accessible and helpful. Thank you.”

Thank you to all our Priority Spokane members who made it possible.

We’re thankful for all our Priority Spokane members who volunteered last week to make our stress and trauma training for childcare and early learning providers possible.

We’re thankful for the expertise and passion of Greater Spokane Incorporated’s Erin Vincent. Erin also serves on our Childcare & Early Learning Taskforce.

GSI on Childcare Tour - Greater Spokane Inc. Erin Vincent, VP Education & Talent, represented GSI on an Association of Washington Business (AWB) Institute led childcare study tour in Canada. Participants included business leaders, advocates, regulators and legislators.

People seeking relief from the heat can visit Spokane Public Library locations or the Trent Resource and Assistance Center (TRAC). Central Library will have extended hours on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. https://my.spokanecity.org/news/releases/2024/07/03/cooling-resources-available-during-predicted-extreme-heat

Our current priority is to address childcare and early learning in Spokane County.

America's child care shortage is pushing military families to a breaking point A shortage of child care providers has left around 9,000 children waiting months for spots at one of the military’s child care centers.

We're excited for this STEP training for childcare and early learning providers in Spokane County! Thank you to the major sponsors: Kalispel Tribe of Indians, Little Scholars Development Center and Community-Minded Enterprises with additional support from Numerica Credit Union.

STEP for Childcare & Early Learning Providers Connect with other childcare and early learning providers from across Spokane County in this free training. Lunch provided.

Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Janet Mann. We appreciate her input and support of our past work housing students and families facing homelessness.

Author, foster advocate and Ridpath visionary Janet Mann killed in downtown Spokane hit-and-run Janet Mann was probably having a typical, yet amazing, day doing things she loved before she was hit and killed by a driver Tuesday in downtown Spokane.

Attention Nonprofits & Nonprofit Staff! Check out this great opportunity from our partners at Eastern Washington University.

Program Evaluation Certificate | College of Professional Programs | Eastern Washington University Explore the academic heart and soul of EWU, from program information to individual courses. You'll also learn about special programs and internships.

We're thankful for our stellar Childcare & Early Learning Taskforce members working to understand and address this issue in Spokane County. This taskforce is organized in partnership with the City of Spokane. Our members are (bottom row, left to right): Suzanne Suyama, Community-Minded Enterprises; Amy Knapton Vega, Vanessa Behan; Kerra Bower, Little Scholars Development Center; Kanda Behrends, Childcare Provider; Dr. Vernon Loke, Eastern Washington University (back row, left to right) Ryan Oelrich, Priority Spokane; Sara Clements-Sampson, City of Spokane; Jesse Johnson, Champion Empire (Not pictured: Erin Vincent, Greater Spokane Incorporated)

Thank you to Resource Synergy for their support of our work. 🌳

Congratulations to our members the Women Helping Women Fund on their successful event today. Thank you for inviting us to be a part of it.

👍🏼

This month we got to speak to Executive Director of Priority Spokane Ryan Oelrich, about childhood trauma, ACE's and more. Join us for this conversation later on in the month on Spotify or on our website. Want content now? We have so many episodes ready and available to listen to right now! Follow the link to learn more. www.familypromiseofspokane.org/podcast

Our Executive Director joined the Family Promise of Spokane podcast this week to talk about the intersection of trauma and homelessness.

🌲 👏 ❤️

SpoCanopy plants nearly 500 trees to celebrate Expo's 50th Anniversary SPOKANE, Wash. — Nearly 500 trees will be planted throughout Spokane and Spokane Valley to celebrate the SpoCanopy Expo Forest Tree Plantings.

🌲 🌲

Pine trees planted off I-90 in Spokane Valley to increase city canopy SPOKANE, Wash. — Thousands of pine trees went into the soil in Spokane County on Saturday.

MultiCare Heart Strings Fundraiser will support mental health in the Spokane community SPOKANE, Wash. - Proceeds from MultiCare Inland Northwest Foundation’s sixth annual Heart Strings Fundraiser will go towards supporting mental health in the Spokane community, according to the organization.

Spokane, let’s plant some trees! 🌳 🌲

April 11-20th is Black Maternal Health Week. Check out the following link for more information.

Shades Of Motherhood Network | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok | Linktree Black Maternal Health Hub: Connecting Communities, Advocacy, and Resources

👍

Priority Spokane highlights childcare priorities SPOKANE, Wash. – Child care is getting more expensive. A local advocacy organization wants to address that problem for Spokane families.

Why Childcare? Last week our board voted and selected childcare as our next priority for Spokane County. We've appreciated some of the questions that have followed. Here are some of the reasons why focusing on childcare is a great idea and needed in our region:

1. Families experience less stress knowing their children are properly cared for.
2. Children who are properly cared for are likely to be healthier and more successful later in life.
3. Lack of Childcare is a major barrier to the economy of Spokane County.
4. Lack of Childcare is a barrier to staffing various essential services from medical care to first response.
5. Appropriate childcare can help prevent child abuse and neglect.

Our board reviewed the data, discussed & debated the top 4 priorities, and then voted. As a result our next priority for Spokane County is addressing childcare needs! Thank you to our members, partners, and over 1,700 individuals who participated in this process.

We’re honored to continue to have the City of Spokane - Municipal Government as a member represented by City of Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown.

We're excited to announce our 2024 Vice Chair, Drew Comito!

Drew Comito, the Executive Director at Excelsior Wellness, embodies a dedicated leader and community advocate deeply connected to Spokane. His visionary spirit propels him to contribute to a community thriving in health and strength, guided by the personal philosophy of "seeking adventure, loving family, and wrestling with faith." Beyond his executive role, Drew coaches wrestling at Mead High School, instilling resilience and discipline in young minds. His passion extends to the outdoors, where he finds solace exploring nature's beauty with his wife and two children.

We're thankful for Drew's service and leadership!

Thank you to Spokane Councilwoman Karen Stratton for her service on our board the last year and a half. We appreciate her service to our community.

Today is our annual holiday breakfast! We’re thankful for all our member organizations that make our collaborative and data-driven work to improve Spokane County possible.