FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 18, 2012
Contact:
Joel Ryan, Joel@wsaheadstarteceap.com, (253) 486-9077
Katy Warren, Katy@wsaheadstarteceap.com, (206) 291-2021
In her budget released today, Governor Gregoire recognized the critical part that quality early learning plays in getting the outcomes we need in our K-12 system. She called for a $50 million expansion of ECEAP, reaching more than 5000 new at-risk children with the kind of services they need to ensure they arrive at kindergarten ‘school-ready’.
Joel Ryan, Executive Director, Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP:
“We applaud the Governor for committing to the kind of investment that we know results in better outcomes for children – more successful students, healthier children, and higher graduation rates. High quality early learning programs, in study after study, have been shown to be the single most cost-effective way to close the achievement gap and improve outcomes for children in K-12 and beyond, and ECEAP is one of the best state pre-k programs in the country. Last fall, for example, only 43% of the incoming ECEAP class were assessed at or above their expected age level on language and literacy. After 9 months of ECEAP, 95% of those kids had met those goals and were ready to succeed in kindergarten. Simply put – high quality early learning makes it possible for at risk children to catch up and succeed alongside their middle class peers. Just funding K-12 classrooms by itself will not buy the kind of results taxpayers expect and children need, and we’re thrilled that the Governor agrees. “
DEL ECEAP Outcomes Report key findings: