Washington Association of School Social Workers

School Social Work Week Day 3!
We wish you another day of celebrating you and the essential work you do.

We look forward to connecting with you at our Coffee Hour this Friday March 11 from 12-1. End the week spending time with social work colleagues! Zoom Link

Check out this nice shout out from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona!

Good news from the Legislature:

2SHB 1664 is on its way to the Governor's desk for signature. This bill will increase the funding allocation to school districts for our ESA positions.

While the ratios still need improvement, they represent change in the right direction for Washington students and our profession!

These numbers show the social worker to student ratio with current funding and the increases each year.

Preparing for Growth in Our Profession
Preparing for the school social work profession to grow in Washington means we will want to have resources available to educate school districts about our services. In addition to the handout we shared yesterday, WASSW is about to update our Informational Guide for Educators. We would welcome your feedback about this Guide.
There are about 8 sections in the Guide. Please let us know if you believe any of the materials should be expanded, revised or updated. Your input is greatly appreciated - Google Form for Your Feedback.

Additional resources are available on our website: WASSW.org

Do you know about the background of our great profession? School social work has a proud history of connecting schools and families!

"School social work has its roots in the fundamental social work values of helping the under-privileged employed through settlement houses (Allen, 1928; Allen-Mears, 1996,2004, 2006; Costin, 1969; Sugrue, 2017). Initially called, “visiting teachers,” school social workers acted as a liaison between home and school by emphasizing the value of education to parents and informing teachers some of the barriers students experience at home (Allen-Mears, 2004, 2006; Costin, 1969; Sugrue, 2017). Read more