Early Learning

Experts estimate that more than half the children in Washington state enter kindergarten without the skills they need to succeed.

To get off to the right start, children need to enter kindergarten emotionally, socially, and intellectually ready for learning. If they are unprepared in these ways and lack other early skills—such as knowing colors, sitting still, following directions, or getting along with others—they may start kindergarten behind and never catch up.

Quality learning experiences help lay the groundwork for children’s success.

By age 5, children who have benefited from nurturing attention from preschool teachers, parents, and caregivers are ready to learn when they begin kindergarten. 

Public investment in early childhood learning in Washington state has been too low for too long.

A quarter of the state’s youngest children—nearly 110,000 babies, toddlers, and preschoolers—grow up in low-income families. For many of these families with working parents, high-quality child care centers are hard to find and harder to afford.  Poor children who lack access to quality early learning environments are more likely to drop out of high school, fail to keep a steady job, experience homelessness, or spend time in jail when they grow up.

We’re helping make sure all children in Washington state start learning before they begin school and start kindergarten ready to succeed.

By 2015, we want to significantly raise the kindergarten readiness rates for children living in two demonstration communities in Washington state, sharing what we’ve learned along the way with our state and local policy makers so that all children begin school on the right foot.

Next: Our Approach

Guided by more than 40 years of academic research, we’re supporting expanded access to high-quality and affordable early learning opportunities for at-risk children (from birth to 5 years old) and support and education for their families. We’re collaborating with a wide variety of state and private partners to help close the school-readiness gap in Washington state in the following ways:

Collaborate statewide with public and private partners.

Along with more than a dozen funders, we’re supporting Thrive by Five: The Washington Early Learning Fund. This public-private partnership champions high-quality, affordable child care and preschool for young children, along with support and education for their parents.

Demonstrate the value of comprehensive early learning in two communities.

We’re helping two Washington communities—King County’s White Center neighborhood and East Yakima—offer families and children a full range of proven early-learning supports, including expansion of quality child care centers, parenting education, and supportive home visits for parents with infants. We will share what works with leaders and families across our state so they can tailor these strategies for children in their towns.

Recognize promising models and help them expand into more communities.

We’re funding the replication and expansion of other school-readiness programs already under way and showing good results for Washington state’s children. The more children who experience quality early learning, the more who will begin kindergarten ready to succeed.

Set high standards for early-learning teachers and child care centers.

We’re working to raise early-learning standards statewide. We fund professional development programs to encourage teachers of early learning to pursue advanced training. We also support development of a voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement System to provide key information for parents and new incentives for providers who work with young children.

Increase awareness and broaden support of quality early learning.

We’re funding efforts to help parents, child care providers, and community leaders understand why it’s imperative—and how it’s possible—to close the school-readiness gap.