Washington state’s pre-kindergarten program for low-income children and families enrolled its 150,000th student in September. The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, or ECEAP, was created in 1985 to expand the benefits of the federal Head Start program. Since then, it has provided coordinated preschool education, family support and health and nutrition services to poor 3- and 4-year-old kids and their families. Services include dental screenings, well-child health exams, English instruction and help with behavioral problems. Washington is one of only three states that provide such services through a statewide pre-kindergarten program, according to the state Department of Early Learning. For the current school year, ECEAP (pronounced EE’-kap) has slots for more than 8,000 children in almost every county across the state. During the 2007-09 budget cycle, the Legislature expanded the program by 38 percent, but the economic downturn forced 173 slots to be cut for 2010.
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OTHER Early Learning Briefs …
Federal Stimulus Dollars Benefit Early Learning
The federal stimulus bill that President Obama signed into law in February set aside about $2.1 billion for the federal Head Start and Early Head Start programs. It also allocated $2 billion nationally for Child Care and Development Fund grants to help low-income families get access to affordable, high-quality child care and to improve the quality and availability of child care. Most of the money goes toward helping families find and pay for child care while working, looking for work or taking part in job training. Washington state received about $33.4 billion in economic recovery act money through the Child Care and Development Fund program. About $27.7 million of that goes to child care subsidies. To find out whether you qualify for financial help towards paying for child care, go to www.del.wa.gov/care/help/Default.aspx.
Program Offers Low-Income Parents Health Care Training
Snohomish County’s state-funded Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, or ECEAP, has teamed up with UCLA/Johnson & Johnson to help parents learn how to recognize and address common health problems at home, to know when to call a doctor, how to minimize or avoid costly medical bills and how to communicate effectively with health care providers. The program is called the Health Care Institute and it serves more than 300 families in Snohomish County. Since 2001, the Health Care Institute has taught thousands of low-income parents how to treat everyday childhood illnesses at home, which has eased the burden on emergency rooms and clinics. Last year, Snohomish County officials say the program helped decrease the number of doctor visits for common illnesses by more than one-third. There also was a 55 percent decrease in the number of emergency room visits for common illnesses.
Spanish Early Literacy Parties
The King County Library System is hosting a series of free weekly workshops for Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers of newborns to 5-year-olds. The Fiestas de Alfabetización Temprana en Español (Early Literacy Parties in Spanish) began in late October and are being offered at six locations – the Carnation, Kenmore, Muckleshoot, Redmond, White Center and Woodmont branches – through December. The goal: to help parents and caregivers prepare children for kindergarten. The program offers free Spanish-language books, craft materials, snacks and beverages. Families with children are welcome, though child care is not available. Registration is not required but space is limited. For more information, call 425-369-3443, or go to www.kcls.org/fiestas.
