When child care providers get one-on-one coaching and a modest amount of money to make changes to their program, the quality of the care they give children starts to go up - and pretty quickly, according to a recent study done on the state's proposed system to boost the quality of licensed child care in Washington state.
 
The findings come from an independent evaluation of Seeds to Success, a voluntary child care quality rating and improvement system being field tested in five Washington communities - White Center, East Yakima and Spokane, Clark and Kitsap counties - by the state Department of Early Learning and Thrive by Five Washington.
 
Experts agree that high-quality early learning experiences give young children the start they need to enter school ready for success. But today, licensed child care quality in Washington varies considerably, and the children who need high-quality care the most, often don't get it.
 
Seeds to Success, like many of the country's other quality rating and improvement systems for child care, aims to help improve the quality of licensed child care - in centers and family homes - and give families more information about the quality of their local child care options.
 
This week's Learning for Life looks at one child care center that got the benefit of Seeds to Success coaching and a quality improvement grant over the past year and the changes that have been made to improve the quality of care being offered to all children.

Learning for Life airs every Wednesday on KING 5 Morning News on KONG 6/16 TV between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. View past Learning for Life series and specials on Thrive's website.