Preschoolers lobby legislators with story time "flash mob"

Earlier this week, preschoolers descended on the state capitol to help raise awareness about the importance of high-quality early learning and child care.

These young learners participated in a story time "flash mob" in the capitol Rotunda, organized by the group MomsRising. They were read a story by local children's book author Bonny Becker.

Both Governor and Trudi Inslee joined in the story time, as did several legislators including Rep. Ruth Kagi, who chairs the House Early Learning and Human Services committee.  Rep. Kagi is sponsoring a bill this session to create an integrated, high-quality birth-to-five early learning continuum in our state called "Early Start."  The bill passed the House last week and is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate tomorrow.

The Shoreline Area News covered the event.  From the article:

Rep. Kagi said, "It was a delight meeting with my youngest constituents at the 'flash mob' in the Rotunda. We seldom see the faces of the children who benefit from the high-quality early learning opportunities we are hoping to expand this session. It was a fun day talking with these young 'lobbyists'."

(From left: Trudi Inslee, Bonny Becker, Rep. Kagi and Rep. Maureen Walsh. Photo courtesy MomsRising)

Read this story in Spanish.

"Early Start" heading to Senate

Already a leader in the field of early learning, Washington state is poised to take another giant step toward preparing all kids for success in kindergarten and beyond under far-reaching legislation passed by the House last night.

House Bill 1723, by Rep. Ruth Kagi, creates a comprehensive system of early learning  that would be financed in large part by anticipated tax revenue from the 2012 legalization of marijuana under Initiative 502. 

“We want to give our kids – all our kids – a fair chance to achieve in school, and in life,” Kagi said. “Unfortunately, many 5-year-olds, especially from poor families, aren’t as well prepared for success as their more privileged classmates when they arrive at the kindergarten door. This ‘Early Start’ bill helps close that opportunity gap, which means more high-achieving and productive students, graduates and, ultimately, citizens of our state.”

Other bills in the families-and-children lineup approved Wednesday include:

HB 1671 expands the Working Connections Childcare Program that helps low-income families pay for child care while they work or look for work. It increases subsidies to keep pace with rising childcare costs and rewards providers who do an exceptional job caring for children. It passed 55-42.

HB 1285 requires a court to  appoint a lawyer to represent a child within 72 hours after the termination of the child’s relationship with his or her parents --  typically a prelude to foster care in cases of abuse, neglect or abandonment. Washington currently ranks 48th among the states in terms of legal representation for foster children. Children with legal representation spend less time in foster care, producing better outcomes for them and a savings for the state.

HB 1140 establishes a means for siblings to remain in contact if they are placed in different foster homes and cannot otherwise visit one another, provided a court determines that certain guidelines are met. It passed 64-33.

Read this story in Spanish.

Successful kindergarten readiness pilot going statewide by 2014

Gov. Gregoire signs WaKIDS bill

A valuable kindergarten assessment process that began as a pilot project two years ago will be administered to every incoming kindergartener in the state by 2014.  Today, the governor signed House Bill 2586, sponsored by Rep. Ruth Kagi, which moves up the statewide implementation schedule by three years.

The assessment, called WaKIDS, helps ensure that children get the best possible start in kindergarten.  It is an inventory of each child's developing skills - including social and emotional, physical, cognitive, and linguistic skills.  Parental involvement is a big part of the process, which creates a full support network of teachers and family members for each student.

This year, WaKIDS was used in 500 classrooms around the state, helping 11,000 entering kindergarteners be better prepared to succeed in school.  Statewide implementation will enable about 70,000 kindergarteners to be assessed each year, and the earlier start date is a result of Washington receiving a federal Race to the Top Early Learning grant.

A handout about WaKIDS can be found here.

A press release from Rep. Kagi when the bill passed the full legislature earlier this month can be found here.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Much work, some play

Rep. Ruth Kagi took a brief break from floor action yesterday to participate in a life-sized version of a “Chutes and Ladders”-style board game about early learning.  The game was hosted by MomsRising, an organization that focuses on issues related to children and families.  

Yesterday’s game, which took place on the lawn behind the Legislative Building, was meant to draw attention to the importance of funding early learning programs.  Rep. Kagi, who chairs the House Early Learning and Human Services committee, is pleased that tens of thousands of Washington children will soon benefit from a valuable preschool-to-kindergarten skills inventory.  Her bill to speed up the phasing-in of this skills inventory – called the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills, or WAKids – was approved by the legislature on Monday and is now headed for the governor’s desk. It will help teachers as well as parents know the specific strengths and weaknesses of each child, so that they can get the strongest possible start to their educational careers.  You can read more about the bill and WAKids here and here.

Rep. Kagi takes a few steps forward while her co-players look on.
Photo courtesy of MomsRising

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

When scientists and policy makers work together, everyone benefits

Science can tell us a lot about how kids learn.  It tells us a child’s brain is wired for learning from day one, and that every single experience a child has – whether good or bad – affects brain development. 

The more we understand about how young children’s brains learn, and how outside events impact learning, the better we can tailor our public policies to nurture the best possible educational outcomes for children.  This has all kinds of implications beyond just educational success. Science is actually showing us that the right investments in early learning have a positive effect on families and the economy.

This is something Rep. Ruth Kagi has long advocated, and her efforts are paying off for our state. For several years now, Rep. Kagi has been involved with the Early Childhood Innovation Partnership (ECIP), a collaboration between the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Governors Association and the TruePoint Center. ECIP is dedicated to applying advanced scientific knowledge in early childhood development to policy and practice. Last spring, ECIP began a new initiative called Frontiers of Innovation (FOI). FOI brings together leaders in Washington from the legislature, state agencies, and private organizations to build an innovative strategy for improving childhood development, particularly for the most at-risk families in our state.  In fact, we were named the very first “Innovation State” in the nation! 

And earlier this month, the House passed HB 2608, which puts into statute early learning guidelines that are based on close collaboration between scientists and policy makers.

Last May, Rep. Kagi sat down with Bette Hyde, who heads the state’s Department of Early Learning, and Susan Dreyfus, the former head of the state Department of Social and Health Services, for a roundtable discussion on science-based policy and what it means for Washington. Harvard filmed the discussion, which includes commentary from Governor Christine Gregoire.

The three-minute video can be viewed here.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Saving kids means saving tax dollars

Did you know that providing high-quality preschool for all children who want it could save Washington up to $120 million every year in special education costs alone? That’s the Feb. 7 “Early learning fact of the day” from the Children’s Alliance. 

A recent analysis of why High Quality Pre-K Programs Save Taxpayers Money Right Away shows why these savings are so big: Taxpayers typically pay nearly $100,000 more for kids in special education, compared with kids who don’t need these services—and  high quality early learning can cut the number of kids who need special education in half (48%, to be exact). 

Washington recently netted $60 million in federal dollars by winning a national Early Learning Challenge Fund grant, because we know how to do early learning right.

 Ask Kylee’s mom. Kylee’s family doctor suspected developmental delays. Teachers and others within a Tacoma ECEAP program swung into action, tailoring a plan to help Kylee get ready to learn in kindergarten. The result? Kylee avoided special education (and its costs), and is now a top notch fifth-grade student. In fact, she just earned a Governor’s Award for having one of the highest WASL scores at her elementary school.

 ECEAP worked for Kylee. It works for taxpayers, too. That’s why teachers and people who care about kids say that passing the High Quality Learning Act (HB 2448) proposed by Rep. Roger Goodman could save far more children—and tax dollars—in the years ahead.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

And the winner is…Washington wins up to $60 million in early learning grant money

UPDATE: Washington has won the full $60 million grant award.

Washington is one of nine states that will share $500 million in early learning grant money from the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.

Washington will receive up to $60 million as part of the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant. The Race to the Top grant program challenged states to enact reforms that would increase access to high-quality early learning programs for children in low-income families.

Rep. Ruth Kagi, who chairs the House Early Learning & Human Services committee, heard the good news straight from Governor Gregoire this morning.

“This is truly the result of a collective effort by people across the state who have kept a focus on the importance of early learning,” Rep. Kagi said. “It started years ago with the Legislature’s creation of the Early Learning Advisory Council and Washington Learns, and is very promising for the future of education in our state.”

House Democrats championed a number of reforms that have improved early learning in Washington. These reforms, and our continued commitment to ensuring all kids are ready for school, put us in an excellent position to receive Race to the Top funding. A few of the recent reforms that helped push our application to the top are:

• Creating a Quality Rating and Improvement System to help licensed child care centers provide high-quality care.

• Implementing the successful WaKIDS program statewide by the 2014-15 school year. WaKids brings parents, teachers, and early learning provides together to help young children transition into public schools.

• Developing early learning guidelines.

• Strengthening measurement tools that track student progress from preschool to college.

• Enhancing professional development opportunities through awards and incentives for early learning providers.

"This Early Learning Race to the Top grant is a huge win for Washington's families, schools, and communities," said Rep. Marcie Maxwell, Deputy Majority Leader for Education & Opportunity. "Quality preschool and full day kindergarten experiences are the smartest program and dollar investments we can make."

For more information about Washington’s Early Learning Plan, click here.

To read this story in Spanish, click here. 

Washington blazes trail by linking child development science to better public policy

Our state is #1 yet again.

This time, it's in the area of early childhood development. Earlier this week, the governor's office issued a press release announcing Washington's selection as the first "Innovation State" in the nation by the Early Childhood Intervention Partnership (ECIP), which is affiliated with the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. This means we'll be collaborating with ECIP's Frontiers of Innovation initiative to develop innovative strategies for improving outcomes for vulnerable children. These strategies will be evidence-based and grounded in the emerging science of early childhood development research.

It's no wonder we're leading the way. After all, our own Rep. Ruth Kagi, who chairs the House Early Learning and Human Services committee, has been involved with ECIP for several years now. She was one of eight individuals from around the country selected to help guide the launch phase of ECIP.

Here in the Legislature, Rep. Kagi has pushed for policies that reflect what researchers have long known – that a child's emotional and cognitive development are closely intertwined, and the more effort we put into early learning and developmental screening, the better the educational – and emotional – outcomes for children. This year, Rep. Kagi successfully championed House Bill 1965 all the way to the governor's desk. It authorizes a public-private partnership to support community-based efforts to prevent and address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The effect of ACEs on children can be lifelong, as she argues in this Seattle Times guest column.

Thanks to this new collaboration, there will be more good news to report in the coming months about specific proposals that will have positive impacts on childhood development in our state. 

Photo:  Retired admirals and generals join House Early Learning and Human Services Chair Rep. Kagi in advocating for the importance of early learning at the Mission: Readiness event back in March 2011.

Goings on in Olympia

Right now, the Governor's Government Management, Accountability and Performance group is discussing the state's use of federal Recovery Act stimulus dollars.

At 10, Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn will discuss the latest statewide High School Proficiency Exam (HPSE) scores. This is the test approved last year to replace the WASL.

Also meeting at 10 is the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee (JLARC). Of ongoing interest will be their final report about school district cost and size. The committee will also discuss what looks to be an interesting preliminary report on the Department of Early Learning, a relatively new agency devoted entirely to increasing quality and access to early learning for all the children in our state.

Tune in to TVW to watch it all. We'll provide an update on Dorn's report later today.

Rep. Eric Pettigrew aims for high quality early learning for all children

As a strong advocate for improved early learning and at risk youth, Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle) remains persistent in his effort to increase access to high quality education for all children.

Pettigrew’s House Bill 1329, which provides collective bargaining rights for child care workers and directors under the Public Employees’ Collective Bargaining Act, passed the House Wednesday, 62 to 35.

“This bill closes the gap between what the state provides in dollars and what high quality education actually costs,” Pettigrew said. Low wages and lack of training persist among child care centers statewide. Pettigrew said that the state has helped low-income families pay for child care for a number of years, but the cost of that care is much higher than the reimbursement rate. For child care centers with high percentages of subsidy recipients, surviving can be near impossible.

“My motivation for sponsoring this bill is about one thing -- increasing opportunities for our children,” Pettigrew said.

Pettigrew’s HB 1329 requires the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to adjust subsidy rates for all child care centers in a DSHS region in order to match the rates reached through collective bargaining agreements for the same region. This means that even facilities that don’t participate in collective bargaining negotiations will benefit from negotiated increased subsidy rates.

“If we want to invest in our children, we must invest in early learning, and that’s exactly what this bill does,” Pettigrew said.

It's beginning to look a lot like session...

Everywhere you go there are legislators milling, meeting and huddling. It's Assembly Days and lawmakers are here in Olympia for the first of three days of committee hearings and work sessions.

With the start of session just around the corner, legislators use this time to really start digging in to the work of updating the state's two-year operating budget.

One particular meeting of note is the joint Ways & Means, Education, Education Appropriations and Early Learning & Children's Services committee. The five committees are meeting jointly right now and getting an update on HB 2261, the big basic education bill passed last session.

Of particular interest might be the draft early learning plan presented by the Department of Early Learning. DEL spent months gathering input from a wide array of stakeholders, parents, providers and more to draft this proposed long-term plan to ensure all children enter kindergarten ready to succeed. You can also learn more about the recommendations coming from the funding formula work group, potential changes to the teacher certification process, and improvements to data collection in the K-12 system.

TVW is airing the meeting live right now.

Check out the full list of today's meetings here.

Budget could cut kids from health care and early learning programs

In cutting $9 billion from the state budget this past session, lawmakers took nearly $12 million from the Department of Early Learning, 8.8% of the agency's total state funding.

Because federal funding helped make up some of the shortfall, children were spared the effects and the cuts went primarily towards materials and resources for parents and care providers.

It's estimated that legislators will have to slice yet another $1.8 billion budget from the 2009-2100 budget they passed in April. This time, however, children will certainly feel the impact, according to Paul Nyhan at Thrive by Five.

In preparing her new budget proposal, the Governor has asked state agencies to submit recommendations on how to make additional budget cuts. The Department of Early Learning was asked to find $1.9 million in reductions.

This is tough for an agency where 92% of their state funding goes directly to providing early learning for low-income children through the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), our state version of Head Start. Nyhan references a memo from the Washington State Association of Head Start & ECEAP which spells out what the additional cuts would mean:

DEL's proposed $1.9 million in reductions:

• Reductions to ECEAP ($761k), which would result in the elimination of 100 ECEAP slots
• Elimination of state funding for the Career and Wage Ladder ($750k)
• Reduction of state funding to Child Care Resource and Referral Network ($425k)
• The letter also notes an “offsetting error” in the ECEAP budget bill proviso amount in fiscal years 2010 and 2011, stating that the amount was $818,000 too high.

Additional possible cuts to other programs affecting children include:

• Cutting Apple Health eligibility from 300% FPL to 205% FPL
  
• Eliminating funding for medical interpreters
• Eliminating Maternity Support Services

These are only a small sample of the tough budget decisions facing legislators when they return to Olympia in January. The Governor will be first to present a budget proposal, due in December, and you can monitor her office's work here.

Today's committee meeting line-up

Today at 1, the Early Learning & Children's Services Committee will meet to discuss promotion of early literacy and the Quality Improvement Rating System (also called "Seeds to Success").

At 1:30 the Environmental Health Committee will talk about unwanted drugs (as in their effect on the environment, not a lack of demand) and airborne pesticides.

Finally, at 3:30 the Ways & Means Committee will review the recent caseload reports and revenue forecasts, how we're doing on the new 2009-2011 budget, state employee health benefits, and an overview of health care proposals.

If three meetings just isn't enough to curb your legislative appetite, check out the several other joint committee meetings (Senate + House) taking place today too.

Education budget committee meeting now

The House Education Appropriations Committee is holding a work session this morning in Olympia. They are reviewing the 2009-2011 K-12 and higher education budgets (including how federal stimulus dollars are being used) and will also discuss the status of budget cuts in early learning.

TVW is airing the action live on tv and on the web. Enjoy!

Want to be a "Key Communicator" for the Department of Early Learning?

The state Department of Early Learning is currently working on a plan to ensure all children in our state have access to quality early learning opportunities. The goal is to make sure every child starts kindergarten ready to learn. Research overwhelmingly shows that children who start behind, stay behind and investments in early learning save thousands in remedial education and reduce drop-out rates.

Giving all kids a strong start is a pretty ambitious goal and DEL is hoping that parents and educators throughout the state will help. They're recruiting people to sign up as "key communicators," and offer regular feedback on DEL's work.

How does it work? Simply sign up to receive a weekly email with info on DEL's work along with a link to a simple survey so you can share your thoughts. Below is last week's email. This is an interesting way to learn more about one of the most critical efforts underway to strengthen our education system.

Dear members of the Key Communicators Group,

Thank you for your continued work and input as a “key communicator” as our state moves forward with creating an early learning plan.

New information has been added to the early learning plan page on the Department of Early Learning Web site. Please click here to read about how the planning work is being divided into three subgroups: Policy; Indicators; and Financing. You’ll see some of the key questions that the groups are addressing. Please click here to offer your initial input into some of these key questions. Your input will be captured and shared with the planning teams.

Thank you for being part of this effort. Together, we can ensure all Washington children have early learning opportunities that help them start school ready to succeed!

Rep. Pettigrew takes early learning up a grade

On Friday, the House Committee on Commerce & Labor will vote on Rep. Eric Pettigrew’s HB 1329, which addresses the need to prepare children for the future by providing them with a top notch education from the start.

“My motivation for sponsoring this bill is about one thing, and that is about children,” Pettigrew said during last week’s public hearing in front of the House Committee on Commerce & Labor.

HB 1329 creates an opportunity for child care directors and workers to collectively bargain with the state over matters within the state's purview to improve the quality of child care for Washington families.

Last year, a similar version of Pettigrew’s bill passed the House, but it was brought to a halt in the Senate. A number of notable changes are included in this year’s HB 1329. One significant alteration is that the bill requires the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to adjust subsidy rates for all child care centers in a DSHS region in order to match the rates reached through collective bargaining agreements for the same region. This means that even facilities that don’t participate in collective bargaining negotiations will still receive the negotiated increase subsidy rates.

This year, sponsors of HB 1329 include more than thirty representatives. In the Senate, Sen. Chris Marr (D-Spokane) has introduced SB 5572, which also provides collective bargaining for child care center directors and workers.

“When we talk about quality and we talk about invests we’ve made as it relates to early learning, an inconsistent system is not the way to go,” Pettigrew said. “This legislation actually provides us with an opportunity to create a more consistent system and close the gap between what we provide in dollars and what high quality learning actually costs.”