2007.....A Wonderful Year for Early Learning

Happy New Year!

2007 is shaping up to be a great year for early learning in Washington State and around the country. The public, parents and politicans have joined the parade of supporters who want to provide our youngest children with high quality child care, universal pre-school and informed, educated caregivers.

Recently, Governor Gregoire completed her budget and made it public. Although many of you may have already seen it, I thought that the narrative I received that relates only to early learning is clear and understandable and I wanted to share it with you. I would love to have your comments on the proposed budget. See below:

Governor Gregoire's Early Learning Budget for the Bienenum
2007-2009

1) Parent, Family, and Caregiver Supports ($4.8 million GF-S)

Provides funding to develop and distribute supports to parents and other caregivers, such as care giving booklets, play and learn resources, and a public awareness campaign. Funding is included to conduct a needs assessment for these and other tools, enhance the resource phone line, provide parenting education workshops and play and learn groups, and integrate programs with social service agencies. DEL must measure effectiveness and report back by October 2008.

2) Quality Rating and Improvement System ($9.3 million GF-S)

This item provides funding to continue developing, and to begin implementing on a limited scale, a quality rating and improvement system for state-funded child care providers in Washington. Under the QRIS model, providers will be able to access supports such as training, grants, mentoring, and assessment in order to raise their levels of quality care. Funding is also included to support an ongoing state level advisory committee to the department.

3: Early Childhood Program Enhancement and Expansion ($27.0 million GF-S)

This item provides funding to increase the number of ECEAP slots by 1,000 per year and to increase average rates by 8% per year.

4) Family Child Care Provider Labor Agreement and Parity ($85.8 million GF-S)

$2 million of this amount will go to the DEL for a subsidy and licensing training program and to support administration of the agreement. The remaining $83.8 million will go to DSHS to support the subsidy increases outlined in the agreement. Of the total amount, $53.4 million is for a subsidy rate increase (7% the first year, 3% the second year), tiered reimbursement, infant and non-standard hour bonuses, and health care coverage for family child care providers. An additional $32.4 million is included to provide comparable rate increases to child care centers.

5) Early Learning Partnerships ($190,000 GF-S)

This will fund a DEL grant program to promote development of private-public partnerships at the local level.

6) Negotiated Rulemaking and Improved Regulations ($281,000 GF-S)

This item includes funding for negotiated agency rulemaking and to provide capacity within DEL to improve and simplify current child care regulations.

7) Benchmark Redesign Partnership ($300,000 GF-S)

This item will allow DEL to pay for a portion of the cost to complete the benchmarks redesign.

8) Cost Allocation Plan Development ($100,000 GF-S)

Funding for a consultant to create a cost allocation model for DEL, as required to draw down federal funds. An additional $100,000 is proposed in 2007 Supplemental to begin this process.

9) All Day K Phase-in at 10% per Year ($41.6 million GF-S) – OSPI

All-day kindergarten will be phased in beginning with students eligible for free and reduced price lunch in the highest poverty schools. To qualify, schools must review the quality of their programs and make appropriate changes, use a kindergarten assessment tool, and demonstrate strong connections and communication with early learning providers and parents.

10) K-3 Demonstration Projects ($9.5 million GF-S) – OSPI

Grants to ten schools will provide the opportunity to implement best practices in developmental learning in kindergarten through third grade. The grants will provide funding for all-day kindergarten, class sizes of 18 students, instructional coaches, and six additional professional development days for teachers. Participating schools will be required to use some of the class size reduction funds provided through Initiative 728 to help reduce class size to at least 18 students in kindergarten through third grade.

11) Information System Design and Development ($6 million GF-S)

The Department of Social and Health Services, in conjunction with DEL and with the assistance of the Department of Information Systems, will begin the process of designing and developing an early learning information system. This will be a new information system to allow for improved data management in the licensing and support of child care providers, plus it may eventually include a subsidy payment function.

12) High Demand CC Slots for Early Ed. Math/Science ($2 million GF-S) – SBCTC

The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) will increase its statewide enrollment in early childhood education by 250 student FTEs in the biennium, with a particular focus on early math and science awareness.

13) Federal Child Care Grant Transfer ($216.8 million GF-S)

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) will move from DSHS to DEL. CCDF provides for some of the federal funding to support the state's Working Connections Child Care program. Part of this grant will remain at DEL to pay for the state's child care licensing function and quality initiatives ($80 million), and the balance will be transferred to DSHS to pay for subsidies.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this. I appreciate your comments and suggestions. We can all learn from each other and this seems like a great way to share our thoughts about early learning.

Jeanne

Early Learning in Washington

Greetings

In the past few months I have been contacted by several organizations and foundations in Oregon. They all ask the same thing "What did you do in Washington to get so many people involved in Early Learning?"

The Foundation for Early Learning has been around for six plus years and we have seen tremendous changes in the field of Early Learning during that time. Whenever I am asked to recount what has happened in that time, it takes my breath away and always impresses the listeners. We all know that there is still so much more to do but I think that it is helpful, if not necessary to stop and think back to where we started.

Six years ago we couldn't imagine a Department of Early Learning, Thrive by Five Washington, the Chamber of Commerce's Business Partnership for Early Learning. Just the creation of Washington Learns with an Early Learning Council as an equal partner with K-12 and Higher Learning is astounding!

2007 promises to be a very exciting year for Early Learning in Washington. Graciela Italiano Thomas, new President and CEO of Thrive by Five will be starting in early January. We are all awaiting the governor's budget recommendations that come out next week. The Foundation for Early Learning will be unveiling its new direction in the beginning of the year. We are all working for the same people-the young children of Washington and their parents. That makes me feel really great about Washington and the people I work with throughout the Early Learning, Public, Governmental and Philanthropic communities.

Wishing you a very happy holiday season.

Jeanne

A Child

The other day when I was riding the bus an older woman and a little girl got on and sat next to me up front. Smiles appeared on the faces of all the people sitting close by and a conversation started. The older man across from us began to reminisce and told us that he always wanted to pull the chord to signal a stop when he was little and he would ask his mother repeatedly to let him. She always let him do it and he smiled and chuckled at the memory. He asked the woman the little girl's age and she said she was three. Everyone remarked on her smartness, her cuteness and her sparkling personality. The little girl clearly enjoyed the attention.

The woman with the little girl said "She is my granddaughter. Several years ago my son, his wife and their two children were killed in a car crash so I spend every minute I can with my two remaining grandchildren." We all looked at this child and saw how precious she was and how loved she was by her grandmother.

When my stop came I asked the little girl if she would pull the chord for me so that I could get off the bus. She instantly and very efficiently pulled the chord and gave me the biggest smile while she was doing it. I thanked her for helping me and she smiled and said "Happy Holidays!"

As I was walking past the bus I looked at the window and was rewarded by the sight of this child smiling and waving to me. It made my day. All the way to the office I thought about how lucky I am to be working in a field and for an organization that work to make the future better for children like this little girl.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. I hope there is a little child in your life. They so naturally bring joy to eveyone around them

Jeanne

What it takes to make a student

Hello

I hope your holiday was a good one, filled with family, friends and neighbors. There is no let up now until the new year so please remember to take some time for yourself......and breathe!

There was a great article in the recent Sunday New York Times that addresses the achievement gap between middle class kids and children from lower income families. Researchers have been trying for awhile to figure out what the difference is, especially now with the federal mandate of "No Child Left Behind". This mandate comes up for re-authorization soon. In this article "What it takes to make a student" the writer discusses the advent of charter schools in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country and how they are increasing the performance of children from the most at risk households.

The article also calls out the research that found that the parents of middle class kids made 487 "utterances" per hour to their child compared to 178 utterances an hour in welfare homes. Additionally, the study found that by age three, children with middle class parents heard 500,000 encourgements and 80,000 discouragements from their parents and children in welfare homes heard 75,000 encouragements and 200,000 discouragements.

This article points out the importance of parents as their children's first teachers and what a profound difference they can make in their children's future. It also points out the need for high quality early learning experiences for all children, whether it is in the home, a child care center or with other family members, friends or neighbors. Supporting parents as their children's first teachers and making sure there is access to high quality early learning is vitally important to all of us but especially important to our children. Thanks for caring.

Please let me know your thoughts and opinions on this article.

Jeanne

Survey findings are encouraging

Hello

A recent issue of "Time Magazine" (10/30/06) contained a survey about how Americans spend their time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Survey (ATUS) asked 13,000 household respondants to describe how they lived on one day in 2005. There are some interesting and surprising findings. The ones that most impressed me were the ones pertaining to parenting and the sharing of responsibilities.

Findings:

• The survey found that although dual income middle-class mom and dads appear to be the busiest of parents, they still spend as much time-if not more-with their kids as parents did in 1965. Mothers are generally the ones who tend to sacrifice sleep and leisure time to make this happen.
• Employed women spend 40% less time on housework than their counterparts in 1965.
• Since 1965, men have doubled their share of housework to more than 9 hours per week. Women average over 19 hours a week on housework.
• Men spend 6.5 hours a week on child care and women spend almost 13 hours.
• Men spend 5 hours a week on shopping, women spend almost 9 hours.
• Men have 34.5 hours of free time per week and women have almost 32.
• Men work 42.5 hours a week and women work almost 24 hours.
  

What is encouraging to me is that parents appear to be making the choice to spend their free time with their kids. Dads are willing to pitch in and help with the housework and chores. There are still areas where women are carrying more of the responsibility but there has been progress since 1965 and the advent of women entering the workforce in great numbers.

So what do you think?
How do these numbers coincide with your life? Are you a single parent with small children? It would be wonderful to hear from moms, dads, single parents and two parent households. Post your comments below.

Thanks,

Jeanne

Another Amazing Week in Early Learning

It is sometimes hard to catch your breath if you are in the field of Early Learning in Washington State. Last week,October 23-27th, proved to be one of those times when we were all scrambling to take advantage of all the opportunities presenting themselves.

Garrison talked about the Early Learning Affinity Group meeting with funders and tribal leaders at the Tulalip Tribal Center. It was a moving experience for me and one that I will remember for a long time. By the end of the week, there were three more opportunities for people in early learning to meet with experts and to learn even more about this field. It was impossible to go to all of them but I am so happy that people with expertise, experience and national stature are finding it advantageous to come to Washington State and share their knowledge.

Speaking of people with expertise, experience and national stature coming to Washington State, we have just heard that Graciela Italiano Thomas from Los Angeles has accepted the offer to become the CEO of Thrive by Five. She will be starting in January. Here is a link to the press release that details all the reasons she was selected. I am looking forward to her stepping into this important role.

Thrive by Five Press Release

Last week ending on a bittersweet note. We had a celebratory luncheon for the funders of EC2- the Early Care and Education Coalition. EC2 was founded by the Foundation for Early Learning and was dedicated to increasing the public's awareness of the importance of the first five years in a child's life. EC2 became the statewide coordinator for the "Born Learning" campaign, a national public awareness campaign created by United Way of America, Citivas and the Ad Council. There are campaigns currently running in 10 different communities around the state. So with all this activity going on, you may be wondering why EC2 is going away. Well, it's not! EC2 has become Thrive by Five Washington! Many of the funders of EC2 are funding Thrive by Five and have been instrumental in setting the strategic direction of the organization. Born Learning will continue to be an ongoing campaign and more people will become aware of the importance of early learning.

This is an exciting time to be involved in Early Learning and it is gratifying to think of all the babies being born (80,000 a year in Washington) whose lives will be changed for the better because of all the hard work and resources that are being directed toward this issue.

Thanks for reading this. You are an important part of our success. Let me know what you think by posting a comment.

Jeanne

Six years of reflection

Although it is incredible to me that six years have gone by since I stepped into the role of Executive Director of the Foundation for Early Learning, it is indeed true. I remember finding out that PeterBerliner, now with the Paul G Allen Foundation, was starting his new job on the same day. It was very reassuring to know that I would enter the new fields of Early Learning and Philanthropy knowing at least one person.

I will not forget the kindness and generosity of Ron Rabin of the Kirlin Foundation who contacted me before I started, took me out to lunch and told me how much he looked forward to working with me and the Foundation for Early Learning.

There were great expectations for the Foundation for Early Learning and a very welcoming community of early learning professionals who were anxious to have us succeed. I remember thinking that if I could just find an office, buy some equipment, hire some staff and stop working out of my home office, then we could really take off.

The collaborative nature of the funders I met and the people working in the field helped the staff and me work towards our goal of seeing every child enter school prepared to succeed. Beginning with the Affinity Group for funders of Early Learning and our statewide Advisory Council, the Foundation understood early on that working with many partners was the only way we would succeed.

I am proud of our partners and our accomplishments, EC2, Getting School Ready!, Child Profile, Kids Matter, the Clark County Early Learning Fund,

In six years, so much has changed. Instead of being the newcomer, the Foundation is now welcoming others who have entered the field of Early Learning. I am excited about our new partners Thrive by Five Washington, the Department for Early Learning and look forward to our work together.

This past year we have seen the development of Washington Learns, an umbrella organization established by our governor to address the issues of our educational system from birth through college. This body has just released a draft of recommendations that will be finalized in November, 2006. It is a complete description of the vision Governor Gregoire and leaders in the community and state have for Washington State's educational system. Whether your children are 18 months or 18 years, it is a "must read" for parents and educators and the public.

So many good things have happened in Early Learning these past six years and I know that the momentum will continue. I hope that you will check this site regularly and add your comments. We can all learn together.

Jeanne

Foundation for Early Learning - News

Check back soon for a weekly update from Jeanne Anderson, Executive Director.