# Child and Family Well-Being Task Force Meeting 9/28/2026

The Whatcom County Child and Family Well-Being Task Force met on September 28, 2026, to review its report and county child-care and family-support initiatives. The task force discussed the AidKit contract, awarded through an RFP and approved in August, for administration and monthly disbursement of child-care assistance. The program includes outreach and enrollment support for the state’s Working Connections subsidy, monthly tuition discounts of $300 per eligible child, and increased payments to participating providers. The presentation said the discounts target families below 75% of state median income and that enrolling 50 additional families in Working Connections could bring more than $1 million in state assistance to local families. Members also heard that a trauma-informed mental and behavioral health support contract had passed unanimously at the prior County Council meeting, and that child-care facility inspections and asbestos checks are underway. A future mental and behavioral health RFP is being developed with direct provider feedback; a professional-development RFP is also being tested using that review approach. A communications firm has been engaged to support family outreach.

Members revised the task force report’s recommendation on children with incarcerated parents to call for seeking ways to establish formal intake policies that identify and support children and families, then used a “fist-to-five” process to approve the report with the agreed edits; the report is intended for presentation to County Council on October 13. The group also discussed whether county budget planning could support family-visit space and related facilities, but no spending decision or appropriation was identified, and the funding and scope remained uncertain. The task force agreed to keep the incarcerated-parent and family-visitation discussion as a recurring agenda item.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Education, Healthcare
**Topics:** Grants & Funding, Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** September 28, 2026

### Sources
- [Child and Family Well-Being Task Force Meeting 9/28/2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvq-VIz33Ik) - WhatcomCountyGov