Susan's Blog
Here at Kids Co. we strive to not only provide the best in affordable child care, but to also advocate for high-quality child care for ALL children and familes. No child should be turned away for their family's inability to pay. In this blog, we share information about high-quality child care and the news, laws, and policy affecting the sector.
Susan R. Brown - Kids Co. Founder and CEO
The Kids Are Priceless. The Pay Is Still an Insult.
I have worked in child care for 40 years. On September 29th, my friend and fellow early learning leader Angelia Hicks-Maxie shared a Seattle Times article from 1998 with the…
The Child Care Center That Survived 9-11: A Tribute to the Teachers We Rarely Hear About
Every year on September 11th, referred to by many as 9-11, we retell the stories we know by heart – the first responders, the passengers of Flight 93, the towers…
A Historic Milestone: Breaking Ground on Kids Co.’s First Standalone Early Learning Center at Copperleaf Northgate
For 37 years, Kids Co. has had the privilege of partnering with Seattle families, primarily providing high-quality school-age care within local public-school buildings. Today, we are thrilled to turn the…
Beyond the Buzzwords: Why High-Quality Child Care IS Preschool (And Why Working Families Need It at Every Age)
In the child careworld, we throw around a lot of terms: daycare, child care, preschool, Pre-K, early childhood education (ECE), and after-school care. Depending on who you ask, these words…
Beyond the Flag: How New Mexico Rebuilt the Soul of Its Child Care System
Behind the numbers, the legislative bills, and the economic data of New Mexico’s child care transformation lies a deeper, quieter truth: it is a system that finally looks child care…
When Transparency Becomes a Weapon: Why Child Care Provider Safety Must Come First
Child Care Providers Are Being Put at Risk Child care providers should never have to fear for their personal safety because they care for children. Yet over the past year,…
Two Pyramids, One Truth: Child Care Is Essential
A Dual Hierarchy of Human and Economic Thriving When we talk about what makes families, communities, and economies thrive, child care is too often treated as a side issue –…
Understanding E2SHB 1648: A Critical Step for Child Care Providers
E2SHB 1648 is an important bill that addresses key challenges in meeting child care workforce education requirements while maintaining high standards of care. This bill incentivizes existing staff to stay…
Washington State Must Pass Substitute HB 1648: A Community-Driven Solution for Child Care Staffing
Washington’s child care sector is in crisis. Chronic staffing shortages, fueled by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) child care licensing regulations, are pushing experienced providers out of…
The Child Care Collapse: Imagining Washington’s “Day Zero”
In the early 1990s, I was part of Seattle’s Worthy Wage Movement for child care providers, fighting a battle that felt urgent, if not quite apocalyptic. Back then, the Worthy…
Breaking the Poverty Cycle: Why Economic Stability is Essential for Child Success
Addressing Poverty: The Key to Positive Child Outcomes When we talk about creating positive outcomes for children, we often emphasize the role of high-quality educational programs. In practice, this often…
The Power of Social Emotional Learning in Child Care Centers in Fostering Job Skills Development
Technical skills alone have rarely been sufficient for career success. Employers increasingly seek individuals who possess a robust set of social-emotional skills—abilities that are nurtured from a young age and…