Early Learning

 

Join us for an energizing and powerful day of action! Including:

The month of October has brought big news for young kids, in the form of high quality child care that their families can afford, thanks to the Fair Start for Kids Act. 

This July 1, kids and families across the state should begin to feel the effects of the Fair Start for Kids Act—the historic investment in early learning that state lawmakers passed during the 2021 legislative session.

Washington’s children and economy are threatened because the COVID-19 pandemic has put our early learning infrastructure at risk.

A two-page overview of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Washington's early learning system and child care providers. Download pdf.

A full 6 page brief on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families and child care providers, and recommendations to aid recovery. Download pdf.

A letter to legislators from ELAA highlighting the impacts of COVID-19 on families and child care providers, and explaining what is needed for recovery. Download pdf.

Washington’s economy and workforce cannot recover without child care. We must support our families in need, protect our frontline workers, and invest in the child care system which has long been the most underfunded component of our state’s education system.

A letter from the Early Learning Action Alliance to Governor Inslee and Secretary Hunter to request financial aid and support for the early learning and child care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From their earliest weeks of life, babies are growing in a very special way. They’re building their ability to interact with the people in their lives.

This document explains the "Homeless Grace Period" and the argument for extending it and investing funds to increase early learning opportunities for vulnerable children. View and download (pdf).

This document explains the positive impact of home visiting and outlines how lawmakers can invest state funding to expand the program. View and download (pdf).

This document gives an overview of the Early Learning landscape in Washington state and outlines the ELAA legislative priorities for the 2020 session. View and download (pdf).

 

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Join us for an energizing and powerful day of action! Including:

Affordable, high-quality child care is out of reach for the majority of Washington families, according to a first-of-its-kind survey of parents statewide. The survey, part of a recent report by the state Department of Commerce’s Child Care Collaborative Task Force, finds that: - 49 percent of Washington parents find it difficult to find, pay for and keep child care; - 27 percent quit their jobs or left school or training because of a lack of child care; - 9 percent were fired or dismissed because of child care issues.

Working with parents, policymakers and community leaders from across Washington state, Children’s Alliance advances public policies that address the barriers of poverty and racism in order to give every child the opportunities they deserve. In the 2019 session, our advocacy produced the following results:

These areas are the product of systemic racial oppression both past and present: the interplay of policies, practices, and pernicious stereotypes that have deprived families of color while inordinately enriching white households. But these systems can change—with the joint work of government, engaged parents and community leaders.