It was another year full of early learning news. In the spirit of the season, here is a chronological list of Washington State’s top 10 early education stories of 2010:

• National Model for High-Quality Child Care Opens in Seattle Area: Washington takes another big step in its effort to improve early learning in the state when a center modeled after some of the country’s highest quality child care (Educare) officially opens its doors in the Seattle area - the first resource of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. 

• Governor Signs Bills for Preschool, Early Intervation and a Birth-to-Three Continuum: Gov. Chris Gregoire signs several early learning bills, showing her continued to commitment to making sure all children in Washington state get off to a great start in life. 

• Early Learning Does OK in Spring Budget: While Washington state has a nearly $3 billion budget deficit, policymakers deliver a decent early learning budget, with the final plan preserving funding for child care subsidies and making a relatively small cut in state-supported preschool, according to a new legislative analysis.

• University of Washington Kicks Off Brain Research Effort: The University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) kicks off a multi-million dollar effort to unlock how children learn, unveiling a cutting edge brain-imaging machine that can map what happens inside the brains of babies and toddlers as they react to their world.

• Washington Wins $17.3 Million for Education Data System: Washington state wins $17.3 million to build a statewide data system that will track student progress from pre-kindergarten to work.

• Seattle Superintendent Endorses PreK-3rd: Seattle public schools chief Maria Goodloe-Johnson gives the PreK-3rd movement a boost today, endorsing a move to a PreK-12 system as the most powerful step education policymakers could take. (Plus: Seattle Moves to Build a National PreK-3rd Model: …A powerful coalition of groups finalizes a five-year plan to integrate pre-kindergarten and the first grades of Seattle public elementary school.)

• State Releases 10-Year Plan for Early Learning: The plan is the roadmap for building a comprehensive early learning system in Washington over the next decade. It is designed to better coordinate all of the great work already happening for children and families and guide policy, funding and ongoing work by organizations and agencies.

• Washington State Awards $355,000 in Home Visiting Grants: It is a tough budget season, but Washington state will send $355,000 in grants to support four home visiting programs, part of a new initiative created this year.

• UW Lands a $40-Million Head Start Grant: The University of Washington lands a key role in the national effort to revamp Head Start, winning a $40-million grant to lead work to improve teaching and learning within the federal program.

• Washington Gov. Proposes Early Ed Cuts: Gov. Christine Gregoire unveils the first version of her budget proposal for the next biennium. One of the biggest cuts to early learning is a plan that would scale back the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), which, like the federal Head Start program, provides state-funded preschool to eligible three- and four-year olds.

For a review of the top national early learning stories, check out Early Ed Watch's "The Top Early Ed News of 2010."