Program Dashboards

The Healthy Children’s Fund invests in programs that help children and families thrive across Whatcom County. These dashboards provide an annual summary of investments, services delivered, populations reached, and outcomes achieved through Healthy Children’s Fund investments.

Dashboards are organized by program and updated annually. Because funded programs differ in their goals, services, and reporting requirements, not every metric is collected or reported in the same way across all contracts. In addition, some families may participate in more than one funded program and may be represented in multiple dashboards

Not all currently funded work is represented in the current dashboards. As programs and data collection metrics mature, additional dashboards will be added in. For a complete list of funded projects visit the Funding Tracker Dashboard.

Together, these reports help tell a broader story of how local investments are strengthening families, improving access to services, and supporting healthier child development across the county.

Innovation Pilot Projects

Every child develops differently, and children thrive when supports are available early, before challenges become larger barriers to learning and development. Early learning providers are often the first to notice developmental, behavioral, sensory, or social-emotional concerns because they spend so much time with young children during critical years of growth.^{1, 2}

At the same time, families and providers frequently encounter gaps in traditional funding systems. Many promising supports, enrichment opportunities, and specialized services fall outside of what existing programs can cover and typically are offered during the working day.³ Innovation funding allows providers to respond to emerging needs, test new approaches, and bring services directly into the places where children already learn and play and reduces the burden for parents to leave work for necessary services.

By investing in early intervention and creative solutions, the Healthy Children’s Fund helps children access support sooner, strengthens early learning environments, and creates more opportunities for children to enter kindergarten ready to succeed. For each dollar invested in early childhood programs, between $7 and $13 are saved in benefits to the community, including higher graduation rates, lower incarcerations rates and lower healthcare costs.⁴

Mental Health Workforce Expansion

Healthy Children’s Fund investments support the recruitment, training, and retention of professionals who serve young children and families. Funding supports new therapists, social workers, parent coaches, developmental specialists, graduate interns, and other professionals working across healthcare, education, and community settings.

Programs funded through this strategy provide direct mental health services, caregiver support, developmental interventions, workforce training, clinical supervision, internships, and innovative service models designed to increase access to care. In addition to serving families today, these investments help build a stronger workforce for the future by creating training opportunities and career pathways that encourage providers to stay and practice in Whatcom County. These expansion programs are an essential part of the Health Children’s Fund and tied to Strategy 7: Recruit mental and behavioral health workforce to Whatcom County of the Implementation Plan.

Mental health is a key part of health and development across the entire early life course—from pregnancy and the postpartum period, through infancy and early childhood, and for the caregivers who support young children every day. When this support is available early and consistently, it strengthens the well-being of both children and families together.⁵

Across Whatcom County, families may experience challenges accessing timely mental health care due to workforce shortages, waitlists, transportation barriers, and limited specialized services for perinatal and early childhood populations.³ These gaps can make it harder to receive support during critical periods of development and transition. Based on national estimates, 15 to 20 percent of new parents will experience a mood or anxiety disorder, that’s approximately 400 local parents annually. Yet only about 15 percent of those affected are likely to seek help, meaning around 340 parents in Whatcom County may not receive the care they need.^6,7

Investing in a strong and interconnected workforce across the perinatal period and early childhood helps ensure families can access support when it matters most—building emotional health, strengthening relationships, and supporting healthy development from the very beginning.

Doula Pilot Project

Healthy Children’s Fund investments support a network of doulas serving Medicaid-eligible families throughout Whatcom County. Funding helps cover prenatal visits, labor and delivery support, postpartum visits, care coordination, resource navigation, and referrals to additional community services.

The program also helps strengthen the local doula workforce by increasing the availability of trained providers and making services accessible to families who otherwise may not be able to afford them and would benefit.

The goal is not simply to provide doula visits, but to ensure families have trusted support before, during, and after birth. This program is part of Strategy 9: Expand and enhance early parenting support of the Implementation Plan.

Pregnancy, birth, and the first year of a child’s life are some of the most important periods in a family’s journey. During this time, families are adjusting to new roles, making important decisions, learning new skills, and navigating physical and emotional changes. Having trusted support during this transition can make a meaningful difference for both parents and children.⁸

Doulas provide consistent, relationship-based support throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. They help families prepare for birth, understand their options, access resources, advocate for their needs, and feel supported as they welcome a new child into their family.⁹ For many parents, a doula is one of the few people focused entirely on their well-being throughout the process. Investing in doula services helps families feel more informed, confident, connected, and supported during one of life’s most significant transitions. Incorporating doulas into maternity care services is associated with improved birth outcomes, reduced costs, and improved equity.¹⁰

Basic Infant Needs

Healthy Children’s Fund investments support programs that help families access essential resources needed for everyday life. Depending on the provider, services may include food assistance, diapers, hygiene supplies, transportation support, emergency financial assistance, case management, resource navigation, and connections to other community programs.

Two of the funded organizations combine these funds for material assistance with ongoing family support through pre-existing programs, helping families address immediate needs while also connecting them to longer-term resources and services.

The goal is to reduce barriers, strengthen family stability, and ensure children have what they need to grow and develop in healthy environments. This program is tied to Strategy 8: Develop and/or expand resources and programs for families who disproportionately experience housing instability of the Implementation Plan.

Young children thrive when they have access to the essentials they need to be healthy, safe, and ready to learn. Things like food, diapers, transportation, stable housing, and other basic necessities help create the foundation for healthy development and strong family well-being.¹¹ According to the National Diaper Bank Network, about half of families with children three and younger struggle to afford diapers. For Whatcom County, experts estimate it would take approximately 2.1 million free diapers a year to fill the unmet diaper needs of families.¹²

When families have reliable access to these everyday needs, they are better positioned to focus on nurturing their children, maintaining employment, participating in early learning opportunities, and building strong connections within their communities.

Investing in basic needs supports families during important stages of a child’s development and helps create the conditions that allow children and caregivers to thrive.

Family Housing Assistance Program

Healthy Children’s Fund investments provide emergency housing assistance for families with young children who are experiencing financial hardship. Funding also supports case management, housing navigation, and connections to community resources that help families stabilize their situation.

These services are designed to prevent housing crises whenever possible and help families remain connected to childcare, schools, healthcare, employment, and other important supports.

The goal is to keep families safely housed in the short term while strengthening their ability to remain stable over the long term. This program is tied to Strategy 8: Develop and/or expand resources and programs for families who disproportionately experience housing instability of the Implementation Plan.

A stable home provides the foundation for healthy childhood development. When families face the risk of losing their housing, the resulting stress can affect employment, childcare, physical health, mental health, and family relationships.¹³

Research shows that housing stability and quality affects child development and health in the long term.¹⁴ For young children, housing instability can mean frequent moves, disrupted routines, changing childcare arrangements, and increased stress during critical stages of development. Even short periods of instability can have lasting effects.