Washington Learns Early Learning

WERA PresentationKaren Tvedt, Executive DirectorEarly Learning CouncilDecember 6, 2006

Early Learning Council

Created by the legislature and Governor in 2005 to provide vision and leadership to improve the quality of early learning services and ensure that children enter school ready to succeed--and

Serves as an Advisory Committee to Washington Learns (SB 5441), the Governor’s comprehensive study of education.

Who is the Early Learning Council? Included a diverse group of leaders

from all areas of the state including parents, providers and leaders from business, foundations, schools and government.

Co-chaired by Bob Watt, Boeing VP and Regina Jones, Governor’s Policy Advisor on EL and Welfare

What Was the Early Learning Council Required to Study?

Organization of early learning (EL) services

Populations served/to be served

State’s role in EL Stable & sustainable

funding Efficiency, effectiveness

& quality

Program content Smooth transitions

between EL & K-12 Voluntary Quality Rating

System Tiered Reimbursement

System Regulation

Timeline

8/05: ELC established 11/05: Interim report—recommended creation of

early learning department and private-public partnership

7/06: ELC “big ideas” sent to Washington Learns (WL)

9/06: Public comment on WL draft report 11/8/06:WL Steering Committee meets to refine

its recommendations 11/13/06: WL Education Summit Next Steps: Legislation & budget

How did the Early Learning Council Approach its Work? Process open—active participation Developed a vision and goals Established technical advisory groups Asked parents, providers and communities

what they think—surveys & focus groups Reviewed what research says Reviewed innovative practices in other

states and communities Commissioned a study about early learning

finance

What Did the Early Learning Council Learn? Importance of early brain

development There is a clear & compelling

connection between early experiences and later success

Early learning is a good investment There is a gap between what we

know and do

Importance of early brain development and experiences

Early brain development

Amazing capacity of newborns (Kuhl & Meltzoff)

Brain architecture & skills are built in a “bottom-up” sequence (Shonkoff)

Relationships are the “active ingredients” of early experience (Shonkoff)

Early adversity can influence lifelong outcomes (Shonkoff)

There is a clear and compelling connection between the quality of children’s early learning experiences and later success in school and in life.

Environment makes a difference Hart & Risley found that the size of a

child’s vocabulary correlated most closely to one simple factor: the number of words the parents spoke to the child.

Number of words varied by class—but also the kinds of words children heard varied.

Bottom-line—by age 6, low-income child has 3,000 words and the more affluent child 20,000.

High Quality Interventions Make a Difference

Perry Preschool Long Term Study Results: Improved school achievement Greater high school graduation rate More likely to own home Less likely to be on welfare Fewer arrests, lower crime Higher earning

Other experimental studies (Abecedarian, Chicago Preschool report positive results)

Early Learning is a Good Investment

Rolnick and Grunewald (researchers with the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank) argue “Investment in human capital breeds economic success not only for those being educated, but also for the overall economy….The literature is clear: Dollars invested in early childhood development yield extraordinary returns.”

Early Learning is a good investment Rolnick & Gruenwald suggest that

in inflation adjusted terms, the real return in Perry Preschool is 16%--While program participants directly benefited from their increase in after-tax earnings and fringe benefits (4%), these benefits were smaller than those gained by the general public (12%)..

Early Learning is a good investment

“An important lesson to draw from the entire literature on successful early interventions is that it is the social skills and motivation of the child that are more easily altered—not IQ. These social and emotional skills affect performance in school and in the workplace….”

James J. Heckman, PhD

Nobel Laureate in Economics

There is a gap between what we know and do

Children Enrolled in Nursery School or Preschool (Ages 3-4)

New Jersey—63% Connecticut—60% Massachusetts—

57% Maryland—49% Virginia—46% California—45%

Colorado—38% Washington—37%

Pre-K Spending (millions) (2005) New Jersey-$432 California-$264 Massachusetts-$69 Connecticut-$49 Virginia-$35 Washington-$30

Colorado-$27 Maryland-$17

# Programs Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (2006)

Massachusetts-1,432 California-991 Connecticut-552 New Jersey-339 Virginia-207

Colorado-184 Maryland-167 Washington-163

Children Served by CCDF & TANF--% of Children under 13 Years (2004) Washington-5.2% Massachusetts-

3.4% New Jersey-2.5% Maryland-2.4% Colorado-2.4%

California-2.3% Virginia-2.1% Connecticut-1.8%

Kindergarten Readiness

In a recent study, kindergarten teachers in Washington state reported that only 44% of children were adequately prepared for school—less than half.

Pavelchek, “Teacher Perceptions of Preparedness for Kindergarten,” WSU, April 2005

Early Years

Recommendations

What is the Early Learning Council’s Vision?

To create a sustainable, integrated and accessible early learning system that provides parents, families, caregivers and communities in Washington State with the information, support and services they need to ensure every child is prepared from birth to succeed in school and in life.

Create a cabinet-level Department of Early Learning

Purpose: More efficient use of resources Improved early learning support for

parents and families More young children ready to succeed

when they enter kindergarten

Created July 1, 2006

Build Partnerships in Support of Early Learning

Support Public-Private Partnerships

Thrive by Five Washington: investment in public outreach, parent education, high quality demonstration projects and other early learning improvements.

State committed to the formation of local community public-private partnerships

Build Community-Level Capacity in Support of the “Learning to Learn” Years

Involve and support parents Address the needs of all young children whose

parents need support Improve the quality and accessibility of early

learning including QRIS Link early learning and K-12: build-on

connections and relationships (joint workgroup) Build local public-private partnerships

Voluntary Information & Support for Parents, Grandparents & Other Caregivers

Every parent will have access to culturally competent, linguistically appropriate support to help their children “learn to learn” during their

first years of life

Support Parents as Their Child’s First and Best Teachers

Improved statewide capacity to understand parent needs and priorities

Universally available information for parents

Voluntary supports and resources for family, friend, and neighbor caregivers

“No wrong door” approach

Improve Child Health and Safety

Regulation provides the minimum standards that child care and early education programs must

meet to ensure child health and safety—bureaucratic rules and regulatory barriers should

be minimized

Regulatory study

Created a Regulatory Technical Advisory Committee

Reviewed the literature about regulation of early learning

Surveyed parents & providers Developed guiding principles Developed recommendations

Regulation: Safety First

Regulation must: Be based on mutual respect and cooperation Involve parents Minimize risks for children Be just and consistent while leaving room for

judgment Include both positive and negative enforcement

approaches: support providers in improving health, safety and quality AND clear consequences for placing children at risk

Regulation: Safety First

Rewrite regulations to be research-based, clear, easy to understand

Regular unannounced monitoring Liability insurance Fingerprint checks Identify & register part-day preschools Learn from concerns to increase consistency Comprehensive review at re-licensure Progressive enforcement: positive & negative Improve technology

Phase-In a Five-Star Voluntary Quality Rating System (QRIS) with Tiered

Reimbursement

A voluntary rating system will help parents make great child care choices—and help child care providers demonstrate

that they provide high quality services and get the resources and supports they deserve

QRIS

Part of legislative charge Based on experiences of at least a

dozen states Address quality dilemmas—

incentives & supports for quality improvement

Early research shows high observed quality; measurable improvements over time

QRIS

QRIS TAC created Reviewed work from other states Sought consultation from national

experts Sought input through presentations,

surveys, focus groups Refined design

QRIS-Approach

Progression of quality from basic licensing (level 1) to national accreditation (level 5)

Organized around four broad categories of quality: professional development, curriculum and learning environment, family and community partnerships, and management practices

QRIS—From the Provider Perspective Provider volunteers Mentor assigned—works with provider on self-

assessment, documentation of quality levels, and improvement plan.

Quality level assigned—tiered reimbursement for levels 2-5

Provider accesses supports—TA, support groups, scholarships, etc.

Provider applies to move to next level—external assessment required

Increase Capacity in Higher Education

Ongoing professional development and training, combined with reasonable pay and benefits, will

attract and retain competent staff

Support Early Educator Professional Development, Compensation, and Competency

Make sure community-based training is relevant and competency based and helps providers/teachers reach their goals

Increase the capacity of higher education—articulation, availability of classes, credits for community-based training, transferability

Consider a process for certifying individuals working in early learning

Linkages between Early Learning and K-12

Linkages between Early Learning & K-12

Develop kindergarten assessment linked to standards about children should know and be able to do when they enter K—focus on individualizing services to children

Voluntary full-day K —require demonstration of partnerships among schools, parents, early learning

K-3 individualized to children

Early Learning/K-12: Features of Great Partnerships

True partnerships exist between parents, child care and early learning providers, and schools—characterized by mutual respect and trust.

Parents and families are empowered to help their children succeed in school.

Schools and child care and early learning providers actively support good transitions.

Early Learning/K-12: Features of Great Partnerships (cont.) New attitudes reflected in beliefs and

actions. Resources are shared. Partnerships are part of wider

community collaborations Collaborations result in locally

appropriate solutions. Assessment data used for continuous

improvement.

Thank You!