With apologies to 8 year old Virginia O’Hanlon from 1897.
Q: “DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no early learning plan. Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so. Please tell me the truth; is there a plan for the development and implementation of aligned early learning policy and programs in Washington State ?”
A: Yes, Virginia, there is a statewide early learning plan. It was released yesterday by the Department of Early Learning (DEL), the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and Thrive by Five Washington (Thrive). It has taken years to develop and involved thousands of people across the state - including parents, teachers, advocates, and policy wonks like myself.
It is a comprehensive plan covering a wide spectrum of early learning issues. It is so big that I cannot even begin to summarize it. But beyond being really big, it is also historic. We are one of the few, if not the only, states in the nation that has brought together so many people and three agencies to develop a road map for getting our kids, families, communities, teachers, and schools ready!
According the press release:
The plan outlines strategies and expected outcomes in five main areas:
Ready and successful children
- All children have optimal physical health, mental health, oral health and nutrition.
- Pregnant and postpartum women receive health, nutrition and support services to optimize the pregnancy and the health of their newborns.
- All children have developmentally appropriate social-emotional, language, literacy, numeracy and cognitive skills, and demonstrate positive mental health and well being.
- Families have access to high-quality early learning programs and services that are culturally appropriate and affordable for those who choose them.
- All children enter kindergarten healthy and emotionally, socially and cognitively ready to succeed in school and in life.
Ready and successful parents, families and caregivers
- Parents are recognized as their children’s first and most important teachers, and have the support they need to help their children “learn to learn” in their first years of life.
- A comprehensive, culturally and language-appropriate information and referral system about all aspects of child health, development and early learning is accessible to all parents (including expectant parents), families and caregivers.
- Parents, families and caregivers have the knowledge and skills needed, along with culturally appropriate services and supports, to act and respond in ways that promote optimal child health, development and early learning.
- Parent, family and caregiver voices help shape policies and systems.
Ready and successful early learning professionals
- All early learning professionals can demonstrate the competencies to provide children birth through third grade with developmentally and culturally appropriate early learning experiences in healthy and safe environments.
- All families have access to high-quality, culturally competent, affordable child care and early education programs staffed by providers and teachers who are adequately trained and compensated.
- A fully-developed Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) is established and maintained so that early learning and school-age providers have the support and resources necessary to improve the quality of their programs and environments, and so that families have the information they need to make the best early learning choices for their children.
Ready and successful schools
- All children and families make smooth transitions among home, early learning settings and school.
- All schools are ready to welcome all children who attend, including preparing for their individual gifts and needs, level of knowledge, skills, social-emotional and physical development, and their cultural background and language.
- All students transition from third grade-level activities prepared with the foundations to achieve the more advanced challenges of upper elementary and intermediate grade-level activities.
Ready and successful systems and communities
- The early learning system in Washington uses evidence-based and/or demonstrated best practices (as available) to support families in fostering children’s healthy development and learning, and to build high-quality, culturally competent early learning programs for children birth through third grade.
- The early learning system in Washington works to close the preparation gap.
- The early learning system supports children with developmental disabilities and other special needs, and their families, to optimize each child’s health, development and educational outcomes.
- Governance and accountability systems ensure progress toward achieving the vision for a high-quality, accessible early learning system for all children in Washington.
- Communities support families and promote children’s learning and healthy development.
- The public understands the critical economic and social value of high-quality, culturally competent early learning for every child from birth through third grade, and actively supports related policies and investments.
