Washington won one of only nine federal Race to the Top grants this morning, a victory that will not only allow it to expand its early learning system, but also positions the state as one of the nation’s leaders in early education.

Now, Washington will receive a four-year grant worth $60 million to expand its school readiness program (WAKids), child care Quality Rating and Improvement System and professional development work with educators. As important, the grant recognizes how far the state has come over the last seven years in early learning, a period when it moved from nearer the back of the pack to the front.

So why did Washington win and place third among the 37 applicants? At the heart of Washington’s successful application was its ten-year Early Learning Plan, according to Thrive by Five Washington’s president Nina Auerbach. Last year, leaders released the comprehensive blueprint for an early learning system that runs from pregnancy through third grade. The plan, and today’s award, highlight the increasing collaboration among the Department of Early Learning, Thrive by Five, and the Office of Superintendent of Instruction.

"The basis for the application was the Early Learning Plan,” Auerbach said. “I think having a road map and having a clear strategy and plan for implementing that roadmap really helped.”

The application also focused on outcomes, such as a goal of having 100 percent of children covered by the WAKids program by the 2014/15 school year and having 60 percent of licensed child care providers within the Quality Rating and Improvement System by 2015, according to the Department of Early Learning’s Bonnie Beukema. 

“They really are looking for people who are shovel ready,” Beukema said.

It also helped that Washington was the first state to establish a statewide early learning office. Five of the nine winning states had a similar early learning office, according to Laura Bornfreund, a senior policy analyst at the New America Foundation’s Early Education Initiative.

Overall, leadership played a critical role. Gov. Christine Gregoire, for example, has consistently championed early education, even as she was forced to make deep cuts to the state budget in recent years. And the person she chose to lead the Department of Early Learning, Bette Hyde, has gained national attention for her work.

"Even in tough economic times Washington for the most part has maintained its commitment to early learning," New America’s Bornfreund said.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also helped Washington’s bid. The world’s largest foundation has invested in a wide range of the state’s early learning programs, including Thrive by Five Washington, WAKids and the quality rating system.

“I don’t think Washington would be in the position it is now without the investment from the Gates Foundation in helping to support Washington's early learning system,” said Valisa Smith, former head of early learning work at the Gates Foundation, who worked on the Race to the Top application.

Now, the grant gives Washington “a real opportunity to be a model for other states looking to build coordinated systems,” New America’s Bornfreund said.

(We will dig deeper into Washington’s grant and the other winners next week.)