Beverly Park Elementary School kindergarten teacher Richard Dunn says he’s never had such a great start to the school year … and the school year doesn’t officially start until next week.

Dunn and four other kindergarten teachers at the White Center-area school are at school this week with many of the school’s 76 incoming kindergartners as part of the new Kindergarten Transition Program. For three hours each morning, kindergartners are getting to know each other, their teacher and what to expect at school, such as how to behave in circle time, where to find the bathroom and how to get lunch. During this week, teachers also visit each family’s home to learn more about their students’ families, set share goals, and talk about school expectations and ways for families to support learning at home.

Dunn says it’s great to have this time with the kindergartners before the big kids show up next week and that it will make it so much easier to jump into the school year. Dunn advocated for the program to come to his school after hearing how successful it has been in Yakima schools.

Beverly Park’s Kindergarten Transition Program is supported by the White Center Early Learning Initiative‘s (WCELI), one of two Thrive by Five Washington Demonstration Communities.

The Kindergarten Transition Program first started three years ago in four East Yakima schools as part of the work of Ready by Five, the other Thrive Demonstration Community. Results from the 2008 pilot showed the power of an early start for kindergartners.

• Teachers said they could start teaching on Day 1 because children already knew expectations, routines and procedures.
• 99% of parents reported that they felt comfortable talking to their child’s teacher; 98% reported that their child liked school.
• Principals reported that the incidents of children crying or refusing to comply on the first day of school was markedly reduced and, in most cases, eliminated.

All elementary schools in  the Yakima School District offer the Kindergarten Transition Program. Participating teachers say it gives them, their students and their students’ families a much better start to the school year.

“This is my 14th year beginning the year with kindergarten students and NEVER have I had more of a successful start to my year,” said Leah Meiser at Yakima’s Garfield Elementary. “All but 5 know how to write their name mostly without looking. (Usually only 5 can scribble the first couple letters and the rest circles). Most know how to hold a pencil. Most know how to play school. The adjustment with these kids the two weeks before school starts is amazing. Just having these students learn procedures and take ownership of their own learning without older brothers and sisters is huge! Before this program, the kids would cry, bang their heads on doors, want to have their brother or sister with them all day long. I had one crier this year; it lasted as long as it took [the mom] to walk out the door. From then on, he hasn't cried. This time was meant to bond and build relationships and we did. I have never had a better start to my year and I have to say thank you.”

What: Grand opening celebration.
Where: Educare Early Learning Center, 625 SW St., Seattle WA 98146
When: Saturday, March 27. 1 to 4 p.m. Ceremony with remarks will be from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Open House for children and families will be from 2 to 4 p.m.

Washington will take another big step in its effort to improve early learning in the state Saturday when a center modeled after some of the country’s best child care and preschool officially opens it doors in the Seattle area - the first resource of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

The 44,000-square-foot state-of-the art Educare Early Learning Center in White Center, a community south of Seattle, will offer some of the best child care in the nation – three staff members for every eight infants and toddlers – and top quality preschool for 134 students in all-day programs that run throughout the year.

The center is the 10th of its kind in the country. Started in Chicago 10 years ago, the Educare model is known for its small classes and high staff/child ratios, emphasis on social-emotional development and language and literacy, research-based practices and strategies, continuity of care, family support and highly trained staff.

The center is also now the hub of a larger community-wide effort that began two years ago to help more children in this diverse community start school ready to succeed. With public and private partners working together, the White Center Early Learning Initiative (WCELI) is creating a comprehensive web of early learning services that cover everything from prenatal nutrition and birthing and outreach doulas to quality pre-kindergarten and teacher training.

And with the Educare Early Learning Center now open, a new level of services and supports can be offered. In fact, a weekly Play & Learn group in Vietnamese is already meeting and a growing number of families are learning about how to turn everyday grocery items into toys, good nutrition for their children or what quality child care looks by attending “Wednesdays with WCELI” after drop-off in the morning or before pick-up in the afternoon. And the center will help more than those living in the White Center and nearby Boulevard Park neighborhoods where it operates because its classrooms will serve as models of quality teaching and child care for providers around Seattle and the state.

In one sense, this center is the new heart of the White Center Early Learning Initiative effort.

“We are creating a beacon of light and hope for a community, for the children in the community … by giving them a great foundation for their primary schools,” Rafel Hart, director of the Educare program, said in an interview. “It is setting them up to be very productive citizens…”

Watch and listen to learn more:

• This week’s Learning for Life segment on KING 5 TV features a walkthrough and overview of the new Educare Early Learning center.
• KUBE 93’s Street Beat OnDemand – Tony Benton, community affairs director at Clear Channel Radio Seattle and Thrive by Five Washington board member, interviews Rafel Hart, director of the new Educare Center; Leilani Dela Cruz, director of WCELI; and Vanessa Manaao, Community Learning Director. Find out what they had to say about the country's 10th Educare center, the larger effort in White Center to make sure all children get a great start in life and school and how we all stand to benefit from what White Center is doing and learning. 

The White Center Early Learning Initiative is one of two Thrive by Five Washington Demonstration (link to our Web site) Communities in the state, modeling strategies and approaches that can be replicated in other communities to improve early learning statewide.

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.

(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.