in a made for media event in West Seattle on Monday five-year-old Sabella Johnson met with the press as the make-believe "kid-governor" to share with Governor Inslee and state legislators what she would do if she were in charge and to highlight the need for early education funding.
She and the real Governor were both releasing their education budget today.
The Early Learning Action Alliance, and Sabella, released a toddler-friendly ‘board book’ version of the Washington State Budget for Early Learning, outlining the priorities that should be in the State budget.
Also present were Jennifer Jennings-Shaffer, Early Learning Policy Director of Children's Alliance who discussed the Early Learning Action Alliance priorities and how high-quality early learning is an investment in our littlest learners and our economic future.
Joel Ryan, Executive Director of the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) spoke about the priorities his organization would like to see addressed in the state budget.
“If I were Governor, I would make sure that all my friends and I got a great start in life and in our education with quality early learning,” said 5-year-old Sabella (well, with the assistance of her mom). “When I was three, I loved playing with blocks at my pre-school. I didn’t care then if it built my motor skills or developed my brain. Now that I’m grown, I know that those quality early learning opportunities made me what I am today, a successful kindergartener.”
On less weighty matters Gov. Johnson said she like "recess" at school and is good at reading. She ably demonstrated her ABC's for the press.
Priorities for Washington State to invest in:
Affordability
· Working Connections Child Care Subsidies
· Helping families keep continuity of care through 12 month authorization
Broader Access
· Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) for access to high-quality preschool
· Home Visiting to support our most vulnerable families
· Reach Out and Read to support parents and caregivers
Creating & Supporting Quality
· Early Achievers quality rating & improvement system for high-quality early learning environments
· Increased compensation to attract and retain qualified early learning teachers
· Supporting early learning providers in providing dual-language programming
· Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation for child care programs or child care professionals
Our state’s investment in early learning programs makes up just 2% of education spending. Increasing that investment to 3% will put Washington on the path to a quality 0-5 early learning system.
“By investing in early learning opportunities, we can ensure that every one of our littlest learners, like Sabella, gets a great start,” said Jon Gould, Deputy Director of Children’s Alliance. “In Washington, we believe all children should have a solid foundation to be successful in school and in life.”
To learn more about ELAA: http://www.childrensalliance.org/our-current-work/early-learning-now/ea…
