This spring, United Way of King County celebrated women in our community who are seeding a brighter future for our county’s children and families and ceding power to communities of color. The ParentChild+ early learning home visiting program is truly changing lives.

The goal of our ParentChild+ program is to meet parents where they are (quite literally—through at-home visits) to help parents prepare their children for school. Once in the program, families have twice-weekly visits with trained coaches of the same language and cultural background. These home visitors bring free educational toys and books to support parents in building their skills and confidence to prepare their children for school success.

The local network of ParentChild+, or PC+ as it is colloquially referred to, includes a highly skilled and committed workforce, mostly women of color, who support low-income families. Working in community organizations throughout our region, the collective impact of their work is remarkable.

Due to the hard work of Washington’s PC+ Early Learning Specialists and Coordinators, hundreds of children graduate from the program each spring better prepared for school and life success.

When parents participate in PC+, they grow their confidence and skills as their child’s first and best teacher and advocate. During their home visits, staff affirm caregivers’ capacities and competencies. They highlight parents’ voices and power in influencing their children’s development and defining and achieving their goals.

The program is also a means of local workforce development. A third of PC+ staff previously participated in the program themselves, and others go on to work in related sectors with roles in early learning programs, community organizations, nonprofits, or become small business owners.

Ongoing support and training allow PC+ staff to continue developing their leadership, grow in their power, and support their communities in new ways. In addition to their organization’s training and supervision, staff participate in larger professional development opportunities as a local PC+ network: The annual highlight is the ParentChild+ National Conference.

PC+ National Conference Highlights

In late April, hundreds gathered for Innovating Toward an Equitable Future, the 2025 Conference. This was the first in-person conference for the first time since 2019! Washington’s ParentChild+ staff were thrilled to attend the event and were joined by PC+ representatives nationwide.

Conference attendees heard from many seasoned scholars, accomplished researchers, and innovative providers, including a few from Washington. King County’s Congolese Integration Network led a powerful session demonstrating the importance of storytelling as they shared the history of their PC+ program and highlighted how it has shaped their family engagement and community impact.

The conference presentations and topics varied, but many important themes emerged, including continuing with purpose and clarity, affirming and validating the relevance of this work, and prioritizing care and compassion.

ParentChild+ was founded with a focus on love and equity. Today, 60 years later, the same purpose and values hold true. Many presenters and participants noted how reassuring and important it was to be in a space where they could be honest and authentic. There was deep appreciation for ParentChild+’s enduring commitment to racial justice and equity, which was felt in the intentional design of the conference and the spirit of participants’ conversations and work. Sessions like “The Power of Picture Books to Advance Equity: Bridging Research and Practice,” “Promoting Black Children’s Positive Identity Development,” and “Identifying and Investing in the Strengths of Latino Families” reinforced the value and relevance of the work already happening.

Key model components, such as prioritizing a strengths-based approach, multicultural literature, caregiver-child relationships, and cultural relevance through linguistic and community connection, contribute to ParentChild+’s success.

And we know that its people are what make ParentChild+ shine. This is a strong and resilient community. Parents want the best for their children, and PC+ staff want the best for their program families.

This work is about love and care; it invites us into what’s possible. The conference celebrated the strong legacy of ParentChild+ and guided us into the infinite possibilities ahead. Participants were reminded about the importance of our relationships and self-care. Caring for ourselves, so we can also care for others, is critical in this work to build individual and collective wellness, capacity, and power.

It has been a difficult year, but despite the chaos, this is still a season of growth and awe.

To support our PC+ work, please consider giving a donation that is meaningful to you via our online giving portal. For more information about the program, visit our early learning webpage.

This post was written by United Way of King County Community Impact Manager Whitney Nakamura.