Project Launch

Washington State

Funded Years : 2008

Project Director :
Rebecca Timmen
360-236-3509
Rebecca.Heinrich@DOH.WA.GOV

Address :
Department of Health P.O. Box 47800
Olympia,WA 98504

Project Status : Active

Project Summary : Through Project LAUNCH Washington, the Department of Health will work with state agencies, Yakima County, and other stakeholders to expand child wellness efforts for children birth to age eight and their families. They will do this by addressing the interconnected challenges facing young children and their families, including poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect; and learning, behavior, and mental health problems.

As the local LAUNCH site, Yakima County has a higher percentage of residents than the state average that are young, Hispanic, Native American, Spanish-speaking, single parents, poor, and/or uneducated. The number of families with children in the county who live below the poverty line is twice the state level. Current child wellness services are often fragmented and oriented toward crises or severe problems rather than promotion, prevention, and early intervention. While parents are children's first and most important teachers, many parents do not have the tools they need to provide relationships and environments that promote wellness, including early learning and school readiness.

Project LAUNCH goal:

• To create a shared vision for promoting young child wellness that will drive coordination between federal, state, tribal, and locally-based networks to integrate behavioral and physical health services.

Strategies

Through Project LAUNCH Washington, a range of evidence-based practices will be provided, including behavioral health consultation, Incredible Years, Positive Behavior Support, Valley Intervention Program, Strong Families, and Parents as Teachers. A strategic planning process similar to the Communities-That-Care model and infrastructure activities, including workforce development and social marketing campaigns, will be implemented. Both state and local efforts will use the Kids Matter framework developed through the Early Childhood Coordinated Systems Grant.

Expected Outcomes

At both the state and local levels, expected outcomes can be divided into three areas: individual, community, and system levels. Individual outcomes for children and families include reduced risk factors (e.g., punitive discipline) and problem outcomes (e.g., child care expulsion); and increased protective factors (e.g., nurturing relationships). At the community level, outcomes include increased collaboration between public and private child-serving systems and agencies and improved community awareness of young child wellness strategies and resources. At the system level, the expected outcomes are decreased service gaps, redundancies, and barriers; increased quality and fidelity of evidence-based programs and practices; and a network of supports and services to promote child wellness, school readiness, and school success.

Evidence-Based Programs :
Parents as Teachers
Strengthening Multi-Ethnic Families and Communities Program
Incredible Years
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Positive Behavior Supports (Iowa Model)