Eula Motelet, a parent of a child enrolled in ECEAP, will testify Thursday, January 13 before the House Education Appropriations and Oversight Committee at 1:30pm. Motelet, whose family was homeless when she enrolled her daughter in ECEAP, credits the program with finding her family housing and getting her child ready for school. She will be testifying against the Governor’s proposed budget cut to ECEAP—the state’s prekindergarten program for at-risk three and four year olds. The hearing will provide an opportunity for committee members to learn about the Governor’s proposed budget cuts to education and early learning and hear how these cuts will impact the most at-risk children and families. The Governor is proposing to cut 460 children from the ECEAP program starting in the fall of 2011.
Eula Motelet has one child enrolled in ECEAP. Her daughter, Phoebe, attends the ECEAP program in Tacoma run by the Puget Sound Educational Service District. When Eula enrolled her child in ECEAP her husband had just lost his business. As a result she and her children were living in a motel in Lakewood. ECEAP helped Eula find stable and affordable housing and the family now rents an apartment. Family advocates also worked hard to ensure that Phoebe had a stable home environment during this very difficult and chaotic time. She says that the program has done a phenomenal job teaching Phoebe all her letters and numbers, ensuring that she has nutritious meals, and taking care of a dental problem that had previously been untreated.
Hearing Information
The hearing will take place at 1:30pm in the House Hearing Room A, John L. O’Brien Building, Olympia WA.