Brightspark Early Learning Services

Target demographics: young children, families and child care providers

Direct beneficiaries per year: Over 2,100 child care providers and 25,000 children and families

Geographic areas served: King and Pierce Counties in Washington State

Programs: Founded in 1990, BrightSpark Early Learning Services serves children, families, child care providers, and community partners across King and Pierce Counties. We believe that every child deserves access to a high quality early learning experience. We offer a wide range of services, resources, and supports to help every caregiver and educator create the best outcomes for the children in their care. Our mission is to nurture and sustain child-centered, antiracist early learning communities. Our collective values are that we are stronger together; we honor community strengths; and we seek continuous learning and improvement. At BrightSpark, our focus is on 0-12 year old children, and we know that their early start will predict their future pathways, and we hope these pathways are filled with equity, opportunity, and a lot of joy. BrightSpark engages in a variety of successful efforts to ensure all our learners have access to high quality early learning! In 2024, we have focused on work in two key areas: Access and High Quality. Helping Families Access Child Care: Finding and affording child care can be a challenge for many families. Washington is the third most unaffordable state in terms of child care, and 50% of families report difficulty finding care that fit their needs. BrightSpark is committed to helping families connect to child care through services such as: Operating the Child Care Aware of WA Family Center phone; a call center dedicated to referring families to child care programs that meet their needs. Connecting families to child care tuition assistance programs, scholarships, and subsidies. Supporting Family, Friend, and Neighbor caregivers fostering healthy child development and school readiness. Elevating the Quality of Child Care: 90% of the human brain’s neural connections develop by the age of 5, meaning that early learning plays a critical role in shaping young minds for life! BrightSpark offers robust, relationship-based programs that are designed to support child care providers and caregivers in offering the highest quality of care. These include: Providing 1:1 and group coaching based on a child care providers’ needs. Offering professional development opportunities that cover topics from small business ownership to curriculum development. Comprehensive, specialized services such as mental health support, infant-toddler care support, and trauma-informed care resources. Advancing Change through Advocacy: Policy decisions made at the local, state, and federal level can significantly impact families’ access to high-quality child care. This is why we practice grassroots organizing, mobilizing, and advocacy to foster conversations between community members and elected officials. We do this by: Hosting various Town Halls and Round Tables where community members can share their experiences. Facilitating both virtual and in-person meetings that connect community members directly with their regional and district decision-makers. Finding opportunities and empowering community advocates to stay involved in the legislative process all year round.