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State Profiles
Washington
The mission of the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is to help low-income and other at-risk children succeed in both school and life. The program provides Washington’s most-in-need children with early education, parental involvement, family support, and health and nutrition services.
Ninety percent of all children served in ECEAP must come from families earning up to 110 percent of the federal poverty threshold. Public and private community-based organizations and schools receive direct funding from the state through a grant process and can also contract with other organizations to offer services. The program meets six of the 10 benchmarks of quality as established by the National Institute for Early Education Research. Plans are under way to improve the program in areas such as early learning standards, professional development, and class size.
Key Milestones
| 1985 |
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The Washington State Legislature approves a planning grant of $30,000 to start ECEAP. |
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| 1987 |
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ECEAP serves 1,000 children with a $3 million budget. |
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| 2004 |
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A ballot initiative, spearheaded by the League of Education Voters, proposes to create an education trust fund for pre-k through higher education. The proposed trust fund would be financed by a one-cent increase in the state sales tax and would allocate $100 million to expand pre-k. The initiative fails to pass in November. |
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| 2005 |
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Governor Christine Gregoire proposes and the legislature approves a $2 million increase to ECEAP, raising total state spending for pre-k in FY06 to $28.8 million. Governor Gregoire also establishes the Washington Early Learning Council while the legislature creates Washington Learns, an advisory committee charged with an 18-month review of Washington's entire education system, its structure and funding.
Washington Learns issues an interim report that makes significant recommendations for education in the 2006 legislative session, including the creation of a cabinet-level department for early learning. |
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| 2006 |
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Governor Gregoire proposes a $2.3 million increase to ECEAP. The legislature increases funding by $1.1 million and votes to establish the Washington Department of Early Learning with start-up funding of $1.4 million. The new department will administer and coordinate early care and education programs, including ECEAP, child care, and Head Start.
ECEAP revises its program standards, including class size, child-adult ratio, and ongoing professional development. For the first time, children in the foster care system also receive priority in enrollment.
Governor Gregoire, through executive order, creates Thrive by Five, a public-private partnership funded in part by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to expand resources and promote school readiness for all children. |
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| 2007 |
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Governor Gregoire proposes an increase in ECEAP funding of $8.7 million in FY08 and another $9.6 million the next year, for a total of $53.8 million in FY09. The legislature goes beyond this proposal, increasing FY08 funding by $12.4 million and adding another $8.5 million the next year, for total FY09 funding of $56.4 million.
This increase adds 2,250 new slots over two years at $6,500 per child and is part of a comprehensive early learning package that includes funding for a quality rating and improvement system, home visitation, full-day kindergarten, and professional development. |
Pre-K Champions
Former Governor Booth Gardner (1985-1993) created ECEAP during his first administration and continued to champion education reform throughout his two terms.
Elected in an extremely close race in November 2004, Governor Christine Gregoire is an advocate for children and families and has helped raise them to the forefront by supporting recommendations to create the Department of Early Learning and proposing multiple funding increases for the ECEAP pre-k program.
The Washington State Department of Early Learning’s founding director, Jone Bosworth, has spent her career working to enhance opportunities for children. Her first year as leader of the new Cabinet-level Department of Early Learning saw the biggest funding increase for the ECEAP in the last five years. Before coming to Washington, Ms. Bosworth’s work focused on children's mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice services.
Representative Ruth Kagi is chair of the Early Learning and Children's Services Committee and advocates for early childhood programs, including ECEAP, in the legislature.
Robbin Dunn has been instrumental in the creation of ECEAP and the design of the ECEAP Performance Standards and previously served as executive director of the Washington Association of Head Start and ECEAP.
Dr. Graciela Italiano-Thomas, one of the nation's leading early learning experts, is the founding CEO and president of Thrive by Five Washington. She has served as CEO of Los Angeles Universal Preschool, CEO of Centro de la Familia de Utah, and as a senior consultant to the National Head Start Bureau.
Since 2006, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids has worked with police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and crime victims in Washington to advocate for early education as a cost-effective crime prevention strategy.
Next Steps for Washington
Advocates will work to increase access to the ECEAP program by expanding eligibility to three and four year olds from families earning more than 110 percent of the federal poverty threshold.
ECEAP will continue to improve its on-site monitoring system to assure consistency and quality in the services children receive.
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Meeting the Challenge of Rural Pre-K
Families everywhere struggle to find high-quality pre-k programs for their children, but the problem is even more acute in rural areas. Pre-K Now has come out with recommendations for federal policymakers to help states meet the unique challenges of rural pre-k.
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Video: Briefing on America's Pre-K Movement
Pre-K Now held a briefing for congressional staff, cosponsored by Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Kit Bond, on October 1. Hear what a governor, three superintendents, two directors of early childhood programs, and a national teacher of the year think Congress should do to increase families' access to quality, state-funded pre-k.
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Tour a Pre-K Classroom
Through our virtual classroom tour and our short video following real children through their pre-k year, we will help you recognize high quality, understand why it makes a difference, and show you how children benefit.
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