This blog post was written by Joy Sebe, United Way of King County Director of Education Strategies.

In February, United Way of King County, Start Early Washington, King County government, and the City of Seattle gathered in Burien for a meeting with Stephen Cockrell, the new CEO of ParentChild+ National.

A multicultural group of ParentChild+ providers was delighted to welcome Cockrell to our area about five months after he began his new tenure at the New York-based national organization. Local ParentChild+ providers also gathered at the Burien Library to share their passion for the program and ways it’s making an impact in their communities.

ParentChild+ includes a diverse and multicultural network of organizations supporting their communities. The local ParentChild+ program covers over 60 zip codes and 20 languages. This network includes highly skilled and committed home-visiting professionals, mostly women of color, who support families on low incomes.

Cockrell’s humility and warmth permeated throughout the room. He talked about the services he and his family received as he grew up, his love for his children and family, and his gratitude for the providers who came to spend the afternoon with him.

As providers shared their story, a common theme arose. ParentChild+ is known for cultivating strong parent-child relationships, promoting early literacy, and preparing children for kindergarten, with lasting educational outcomes.

However, it is not as well known that ParentChild+ provides a pathway for program participants to enter the workforce, many of them immigrants and refugees, as home visitors who are then immediately connected to a multicultural community of women of color who have shared their path. More than 30% of PC+ staff are former program participants.

In a recent interview on United Way of King County’s podcast, Hourglass, Cockrell highlighted the critical role United Way of King County plays in leading this initiative and public-private partnership. “You all are enablers of this work,” Cockrell said.

“Folks sometimes refer to organizations like United Way as intermediaries, and that is not the way I would characterize it,” Cockrell added. “I would say you all are brokers of excellence. You take the research and pair that with the investment, and then find the folks who are best equipped to implement on the ground. Without organizations like yours serving as quarterbacks for this work, it would not happen with the excellence, efficiency, or impact that children and families need.”

ParentChild+ continues to prepare children and families for school, build financial stability in our communities, and provide a space of belonging for staff across organizations. We at United Way of King County continue to affirm our commitment to this program.

As our director of education strategies, I can attest that ParentChild+ is a driver of financial stability in our region. We are preparing children and families for the school system, serving more than 830 families last year through more than 35,000 home visits. We are providing jobs for low-income women of color.

More than 30% of PC+ staff are former program participants, and we have strong support via a public-private partnership with the City of Seattle and King County Best Starts for Kids. It’s education, it’s jobs, and it’s stability. We believe in this work; the impact is undeniable, and we will continue to invest alongside our public funding partners.