{"id":105379,"date":"2025-11-21T08:01:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T16:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/?p=105379"},"modified":"2025-11-21T09:58:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:58:49","slug":"washington-cash-assistance-new-parents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/washington-cash-assistance-new-parents\/","title":{"rendered":"WA should lead in providing cash to help moms and babies | Op Ed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having a baby in Washington has never been harder.<\/p>\n

Costs have outpaced what most families can manage, especially during pregnancy and a baby\u2019s first year, when financial stress hits hardest. Many new parents are forced to return to work within weeks and go without essentials simply to stay afloat.<\/p>\n

Despite our state\u2019s prosperity,\u00a0there are disparities<\/a>\u00a0in birth outcomes and mental health among low-income, Indigenous, and Black families. Washington now has the\u00a0second-lowest fertility rate<\/a>\u00a0in the country and is seeing its\u00a0lowest birth rates in decades<\/a>, underscoring the financial and caregiving barriers families weigh when considering having a child.<\/p>\n

A statewide direct cash-transfer pilot for pregnant people and new parents will help ensure that those who do choose to grow their families can do so with stability, dignity, and support. The earliest months of life shape everything that follows.<\/p>\n

Michigan just showed the country what\u2019s possible<\/a>. In Flint, the Rx Kids program delivered unconditional cash during pregnancy and babies\u2019 first year and saw an 18% drop in preterm births, a 27% reduction in low birthweights, and roughly a 29% decline in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admissions. That reduction alone prevented nearly 60 costly hospitalizations a year and generated an estimated $6.2 million in\u00a0healthcare savings<\/a>. Families also reported\u00a0dramatic financial and mental-health gains<\/a>, including a 91% reduction in evictions and fewer positive screens for postpartum depression.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also tested guaranteed income locally.<\/p>\n

In Tacoma, the\u00a0Growing Resilience in Tacoma, or GRIT, pilot<\/a>\u00a0provided $500 a month for 13 months to 110 single parents in the city\u2019s highest-need ZIP codes. Funded in part by\u00a0Mayors for a Guaranteed Income<\/a>\u00a0in partnership with the city of Tacoma, the pilot showed\u00a0families became more financially resilient<\/a>\u00a0and improved their employment opportunities.<\/p>\n

Building on that success, a second phase launched with $1.9 million in state funding, expanding support to additional Tacoma neighborhoods and nearby Parkland and Spanaway. Betty Ann, a Tacoma mother, used her payments to repair her car and keep her job and family on track.<\/p>\n

Another privately funded program is supporting a cohort of families starting in pregnancy.\u00a0The Nest<\/a>, run by Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services, pairs no-strings cash with Indigenous-centered care such as doulas, home visits, and cultural programming.<\/p>\n

One hundred fifty Native and Pacific Islander parents in King and Pierce Counties and on the Tulalip Reservation receive $1,250 a month through their child\u2019s third birthday, up to $45,000 total. Nest funding helped Hj-lynn Hiteuo in Federal Way\u00a0stay home with her newborn<\/a>\u00a0for several months instead of rushing back to work.<\/p>\n

We write this as community partners who didn\u2019t wait for someone else to act. When we first learned about Flint\u2019s approach, our immediate reaction was: this is exactly the kind of support Washington\u2019s families deserve. A predictable check brings down the temperature at home: enough gas to get to prenatal appointments, a repair so mom can keep her job, a few weeks of breathing room.<\/p>\n

Washington needs a statewide direct-cash pilot now for new parents and families expecting children. Philanthropy has a critical role to play, and more partners must step up.\u00a0Perigee Fund<\/a>\u00a0has already contributed $50,000 to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services to develop a proposal and bring agencies, community partners, and parents together to scale this proven model. Lawmakers could match that leadership by committing resources in the upcoming session to a statewide pilot.<\/p>\n

Some argue we can\u2019t afford it. But Washington\u2019s future depends on investing in families at the very beginning of life. Supporting parents in the earliest months is not only the right thing to do, it is the foundation for healthier children and stronger communities.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen how direct cash gives parents breathing room and saves millions in avoidable costs. The choice is clear: invest now or pay more later for preventable crises. Let\u2019s choose families and a stronger future for Washington.<\/p>\n

\n

Support non-profit journalism<\/em><\/h4>\n

This article has been reposted with permission from the Washington State Standard, part of\u00a0States Newsroom<\/a>, the nation\u2019s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization and committed to shining \u201ca light on policy and politics in all 50 states.\u201d Click here to support nonprofit, freely distributed, independent local journalism. Read\u00a0this article and others<\/a>\u00a0online at Washington State Standard.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Direct cash gives parents breathing room, saves millions <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1144,"featured_media":105381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[351,1420,25,368,1022],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baby","category-baby-2","category-parenting","category-pregnancy","category-whatparentsaretalkingabout"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWashington Cash Assistance for New Parents: Why It Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Washington groups urge a statewide cash-assistance pilot to support pregnant people and new parents to improve child outcomes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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