(The Center Square) – As Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families Secretary Tana Senn battles allegations of fraud within its childcare subsidy program, a whistleblower directly told her last year there is “major theft” occurring at the Echo Glen facility run by her agency, according to messages obtained by The Center Square through a public records request.
The June 2025 message, sent to Senn, warned that the theft was occurring with the knowledge of DCYF personnel who actively covered it up.
Echo Glen is a medium to maximum security juvenile rehabilitation facility that first opened in 1967 and is located in Snoqualmie. It is the only state juvenile facility in Washington that houses female offenders of up to 25 years old. It houses male offenders up to 18.
According to a recent agency report, the facility has experienced high staff turnover and retention issues, along with overtime demands and long distances staff must travel due to cost of living in the region.
DCYF has received criticism recently over its handling of the facility, ranging from lax security to low staff levels allowing inmate escapes and assaults. The facility does not have a fence though one is currently being built.
In 2024, the agency settled a lawsuit filed by 13 counties when it suspended intakes of newly sentenced juvenile offenders.
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