A statewide peer-support program that pairs parents of children with developmental disabilities with experienced mentors could lose its state funding when its contract expires at the end of August.

DSHS says no decision has been made, but the agency has not confirmed renewal.

The Parent to Parent program, run by The Arc of Washington State under contract with the Department of Social and Health Services, costs about $900,000 a year.

It was founded in King County in 1980 and has since expanded to serve families in all 39 Washington counties.

"We didn't get any of that notice," Stacy Dym, executive director of The Arc of Washington State, told the Bellevue Reporter. "We just got told that the contract is under review, and there's a good chance it won't be renewed."

What the program does

Parent to Parent connects families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities to therapies, diagnostic services, caregiving, educational support, and Social Security resources. I

ts core model pairs newer parents with experienced ones who can guide them through a complicated system. The program also runs workshops for siblings of people with disabilities, known as "sibshops."

Why the funding is at risk

Washington faces a projected budget shortfall of nearly $500 million, according to a June 26 revenue forecast reported by KNKX. Gov. Bob Ferguson has pledged not to propose new taxes in his December 2026 budget and has directed agencies to focus on mandatory cost increases without expanding programs.

Parent to Parent received funding in the current state budget. But The Arc argues that DSHS is effectively letting contracts lapse ahead of formal budget talks, bypassing the legislative hearings that normally accompany spending cuts.

DSHS spokesperson Jessica Nelson said no funding decisions have been made for Parent to Parent or any other DSHS program and that the agency has no timeline for a decision. She said budget conversations are ongoing and must account for both state and federal funding.

Cathy Murahashi, advocacy and policy specialist at The Arc, called the potential cut "destructive" and said rebuilding the program's infrastructure would likely cost more than maintaining it.

What families stand to lose

No King County families have spoken publicly about the potential cut, but parents elsewhere in Washington describe the program as irreplaceable.

Jenna Vogel, a Yakima-area parent, found Parent to Parent through Children's Village when her son Jonah was 2 years old. Jonah, now 7, has Level 2 autism and complications from premature birth. Vogel left her career as an accountant and now helps connect other families to the program.

Claudia Ramirez, whose 9-year-old son has autism, said the parent support groups connected her with people who became her closest friends. Without them, she said, she felt no one understood what her family was going through.

What happens next

The Arc of Washington State has launched a letter-writing campaign urging Gov. Ferguson to direct DSHS to renew the contract. The next state revenue forecasts are due in September and November, with Ferguson's full budget proposal expected in December. Lawmakers will pass a new two-year budget in early 2027.

The contract's end-of-August expiration means families could see a gap in services before the Legislature weighs in.