Seattle voters could give early education a boost this fall.
In November, local residents will vote on a new Families & Education Levy, a proposal that could be worth up to $234 million, and double the number of available slots in one of the city’s main preschool programs.
The levy supports everything from preschool to career guidance. But, this year the levy advisory committee is proposing to double early learning spending from the current level. In particular, the group suggests improving training for early learning educators and child care workers, expanding health and mental health screenings for children in preschool, child care and in-home care, and creating more help for kids who start kindergarten below grade level.
Assessment tools implemented through current Levy investments indicate that some children enter preschool two to three years behind in their receptive English language skills. – “Recommendations of the 2011 Families & Education Levy Advisory Committee. 1/11.In order to reach the preschool children with the greatest needs, the new Levy will expand its quality and professional development focus to include children served in less formal settings, such as home day care centers and those cared for by family members, friends, and neighbors (known as FFN care).
Every seven years, Seattle voters consider the levy. The good news is they have never voted it down, since the proposal first made it on the ballot in 1990. In fact, the funding level in the last levy jumped to $117 million from the previous $69 million. The bad news is voters have never voted on this levy after such a deep economic downturn.
The recommendations also are not final and now move to the Seattle City Council, which will consider the report.
Here are other early learning highlights from the recommendations:
- …Using assessments to find out how well we are preparing children for school, and reaching out to families to provide them better opportunities to help their children get started on learning.
- Expand programs that work with families in their homes to develop learning skills for
their young children.
- Provide academic support for children not at grade level and help smooth their
transition from pre‐school to Kindergarten and from Kindergarten to 1st grade.