The PreK-3rd movement took a step forward in Washington state this week when three key players handed out $117,073 in mini grants to strengthen links between preschools and early elementary grades.

Thrive by Five Washington, the Department of Early Learning and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction awarded the grants to 13 school districts around the state to help them work on transitions to kindergarten, early numeracy and literacy.

“Local communities often have the best ideas, but the most limited funds,” Thrive by Five Washington president Nina Auerbach said in a statement. “These mini-grants are seed money to move promising ideas forward.”

The school districts will spend the money on a range of work, from buying evidence-based curriculum for child care centers to training providers to help smooth students’ transitions to kindergarten. Another interesting initiative will help develop meetings between early learning staff and kindergarten teachers.

To get a grant, a school district had to show “a local P-3 partnership that included the district, early learning providers and an existing early learning coalition,” DEL said.

The U.S. Census offered a surprising snapshot of stay-at-home moms last week and tucked into that report is a finding that suggests the need for diverse doula programs: Roughly a third of stay-at-home moms were born in other countries.

While the summary doesn’t break down all of the nations, it suggests a demand for doulas familiar with the foreign cultures that define neighborhoods where early learning groups focus their efforts.

An obvious example is the Seattle-area’s White Center neighborhood. Open Arms Perinatal Services, with the support of Thrive by Five Washington, has launched an outreach doula program that helps that community’s Latino and Somali moms get the help and support they need through their pregnancies and births and for up to two years after their child is born.

Of course, reaching moms from Somalia, Croatia, Mexico, Russia, China, Vietnam and other countries isn’t easy. That’s why program workers need to know their communities and focus on the greatest need.

Other interesting findings from the Census report:

• In the U.S., 62 percent of children were in households with married parents who both worked.
• Married couples headed 67 percent of families with kids, a drop from 87 percent in 1970.
• Stay-at-home moms are younger than working moms - 44 percent were younger than 35, compared to 38 percent of working moms.

Finally, as a part-time stay-at-home dad, I have to question the Census finding that there are 165,000 stay-at-home fathers in this country. I counted at least three in my daughter’s 15-student pre-kindergarten class.

But this is a story for another day, maybe tomorrow.

Further reading:

• “A Closer Look at Stay-at-Home Moms,” The Early Ed Watch Blog.

At 1 p.m. today, Bette Hyde and I will present to the House Early Learning & Children Services Committee on the progress of the field test of Seeds to Success, the state’s quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). The presentation will include a progress report on the work being done in each of the five communities involved in the pilot. In addition, a provider-coach pair from both Clark County and Yakima County will speak about their experiences with QRIS and provide perspective on the impact QRIS is having in their communities. 

Watch the hearing LIVE on TVW.

It is a big news week in Washington, with the region’s leading early learning agencies joining forces to help kids get a good start through age eight.

On Tuesday, Thrive by Five Washington, the Department of Early Learning and the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction signed a joint agreement to develop an early learning system that spans birth to age eight.

Of course, these groups have worked together for years, but this news is another sign of Washington’s commitment to early learning during one of the worst economic climates in a generation. The Washington State Early Learning Joint Resolution guides the partnership and outlines how the three entities will work together to promote school readiness in such key areas as kindergarten readiness assessment planning, child care quality, parenting information and support, and early literacy.

First signed in 2008, the resolution has been updated to reflect new priorities, responsibilities and leadership among all three agencies.

This week’s joint announcement contains more than a few highlights, including:

• A commitment to accountability, a critical element in any government plan with such broad ambitions. (It will be interesting to see how these groups create this accountability.)
• A renewed effort to make even better parenting resources available and to recognize a parent as a child’s first and most important teacher.
• Belief in one of the keys of early learning quality, professional development.

In related news, DEL chief Bette Hyde announced her Early Learning Advisory Council will “unveil a comprehensive plan for children in our state, looking at health, safety and learning opportunities for children ages birth to 8” early next year.

This week’s news also is another step forward for the Pre-K/Third movement, which aspires to create a more seamless transition from pre-k through third grade, though this new effort also covers the first few years. (I wonder if folks working on these plans are reading “Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Montgomery County Public Schools.”)

Further reading:

• Conference to Support Early Learning Programs
  

(Editor’s note: We have big news out of Seattle today, as two of Washington state’s biggest players in early learning give a big boost to a pioneering effort. I’ll get out of the way and let them talk.)

Thrive by Five Washington and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced $8 million in new, joint funding to support two community partnerships that were launched last year and show progress in helping prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to be successful. Research shows that kids who have access to high quality early learning experiences are more likely to be successful in school and life.

To help better prepare kids to start school, the partnerships – also called the Thrive Demonstration Communities – are testing new ways to provide the best child care and early learning opportunities for children and their families. Each community’s partnership is a model for what can be done to substantially increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities for children from birth to age 5. Each will receive $4 million over the next year, as a second round of funding to continue their work.

The White Center Early Learning Initiative received $11.7 million in a first round of funding last year; East Yakima’s Ready by Five received $5 million.

“The two communities are working hard and with a sense of urgency to create the partnerships, programs and seamless network of supports and opportunities we desire for all young children and their families,” said Nina Auerbach, president and CEO of Thrive by Five Washington, which oversees the work in the two communities. “Within the first year, they have shown amazing enthusiasm and progress, and we’re very excited to begin year two.”

Some highlights from the past year’s work include:

In White Center, the White Center Early Learning Initiative:

• Broke ground on and completed fundraising for the nation’s 20th Educare early learning hub, which will open this winter. Educare is a national model for high-quality child care.
• Started the Outreach Doula program, a home-visiting program that will support Somali and Latino families with health, development and early learning information before their child’s birth and for up to two years after that, if needed.
  

In East Yakima, Ready by Five:

• Created the Kindergarten Transition Program with Yakima School District that brings new kindergartners to school two weeks before school starts to get to know their teacher, classmates, routines and expectations, so that positive learning begins on day one of the school year.
• Started Creative Families, a monthly program to help parents learn more about how to engage in activities with their children that promote learning.

“Every child deserves the best start in life possible. That includes having access to quality early learning experiences at home and in their community, so that every child who starts kindergarten is ready to learn and succeed in school,” said Valisa Smith, Senior Program Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Early Learning Initiative. “The work being done by Thrive by Five Washington and in White Center and East Yakima gives more children access to the experiences they need to develop their potential and creativity.”
 
Both communities are testing pieces of the state’s quality rating and improvement system, so that Washington can soon help child care providers increase the quality of care they offer and provide families with objective information – similar to ratings that are already available for restaurants and hotels – about child care in their community.

As part of their work, the communities are developing a continuum of programs for children birth to age 5 as well as their parents and caregivers. Some of the services and programs that will be offered include home visitation for expectant families; play-and-learn groups for toddlers; resources to support language development and literacy; parenting activities; and a kindergarten transition program.

"The continued funding for the White Center Early Learning Initiative means that hundreds more families will receive support getting their children ready for school and life, beginning at birth. This is a wonderful example of a public-private partnership, where philanthropic dollars leverage state and federal funding to benefit our community, state and nation," said Dr. Monte Bridges, superintendent of the Puget Sound ESD, which oversees the community partnership in White Center.

Added Helen Marieskind, executive director for Ready by Five in East Yakima: “Our community is excited to be a part of an early learning initiative that creates opportunities for the children of East Yakima to achieve school readiness and life success. We also know that our work has the potential to shape early learning efforts across the state and nation. We’re looking forward to continuing our services for the second year and our Board and Staff greatly appreciate the support from both the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Thrive by Five Washington.”
 
In 2006, White Center, located south of Seattle, and East Yakima were chosen to be the two Thrive Demonstration Communities because of their strong local leadership, diverse populations, size and community commitment to improving early learning. 

Welcome to Birth to Thrive Online, a blog where you will find the latest news, developments and debates in early learning.

We are launching this site at a critical time for those in early childhood education. Research continues to mount on the importance of quality child care, preschools and kindergartens, and our president and governor have made early learning a top priority. Yet the recession is stripping state budgets bare.

What does it all mean?

Our blog will help make sense of all this with daily posts and links to research, news, commentary and videos. On Fridays we will publish a weekly roundup of the biggest early learning news of the week.

In my two decades as a journalist, I’ve become adept at wading through news, trends and reports to find what matters, reporting on everything from the Federal Reserve and Congress to entrenched family poverty and economics.

On my last assignment as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s family reporter, I started covering the debate over early learning and realized that building quality, affordable childcare is among the most important issues facing this country — right up there with the budget deficit and bank bailouts. In the modern economy, it is a basic need, an anti-poverty tool and the subject of much debate.

I am also a parent, as challenged as many of you by the rewarding and exhausting job of raising three children — my new baby son, four-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. Periodically, I will drop my journalistic view and offer the latest parenting news.

Today, early learning is no longer just the territory of teachers, interest groups and academics. Parents, business leaders and now the White House are taking bigger roles, ensuring this debate will get louder and broader in the coming years.

Birth to Thrive Online will offer grist for the debate. Grab a cup of coffee, read, comment, exchange ideas, even argue and help us grow.