Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Washington is a bipartisan, nonprofit anti-crime organization led by Washington State's best-known police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys, other law enforcement leaders and crime survivors. Our mission is to help Washingtonians understand that our most powerful weapons against crime are the programs proven to keep kids from becoming criminals in the first place.

Our four part School and Youth Violence Prevention Plan is based on hard-nosed research about what is most effective in reducing crime and helping kids get off to the best start in life. These steps include:

• Access to quality early learning programs, including pre-Kindergarten;
• Access to in-home parent coaching to improve parenting skills of at-risk parents to prevent child abuse and neglect and help parents become more effective "first teachers";
• Access to quality afterschool programs; and
• Early identification and intervention for troubled children and teens to help them get back on track.

There is a growing interest in Washington State in early learning to help kids succeed in school and life which also will have an impact in reducing crime down the road. The governor and many legislative, business and philanthropic leaders recognize the importance of making "upstream" investments to assure that more of our state's kids get off to the best start in life and avoid a life of crime and violence.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids opened a Washington State office in September 2006, to add the voice of law enforcement to those of other community leaders. The office is directed by Laura Wells, who has a long history of working for effective investments in children in Washington State. We will initially focus on the early years - children from birth to 5. Our law enforcement members will work to educate policy-makers about proven programs that promote the first two steps of the School and Youth Violence Prevention Plan. Our website is organized to focus attention on these two strategies. We do not fund or operate any direct service programs for children.

Funding for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Washington comes from private foundations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, corporations and individuals. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Washington accepts no funds from federal, state or local governments.