Thurston County Council for Children and Youth January 2011 Thurston County Early Childhood Coalition

The State of Children Birth to Five in Thurston County

Thurston Early Childhood Coalition Increasing School Readiness and School Success An ad-hoc, interagency collaborative Members from the spectrum of early health, education and social services providers along with community volunteers Began with United Way in 2001, but independent since 2007 Governance structure: bylaws, officers, paying membership, and a fiscal agent Funding: dues, foundations, and state

VALUES Collaboration with stakeholders throughout the county Communication about early learning and care issues Community consensus to develop and maintain systems to provide early learning and care services to children and families Commitment to fund the early learning and care systems work

Washington State Early Learning Plan Ready and Successful Children Ready and Successful Parents, Families and Caregivers Ready and Successful Early Learning Professionals Ready and Successful Schools Ready and Successful Systems and Communities Three target populations include:  1.    Young children and their families and caregivers. More emphasis will be placed on addressing issues that impact children at risk of entering school unready and thus liable to experience later academic failure. 2.    The community as a whole, with buy-in and action throughout the county. Broad community consensus and commitment through participation in the planning process and formal adoption of the final plan by public and private funders. 3.    Service providers who “touch” the lives of young children and want to change learning outcomes and opportunities for Thurston county children.

Why Is Early Learning Important? 80% of the brain develops before age 3 The achievement gap begins before kindergarten The readiness gap is not restricted to children from low-income families There is a six year spread in pre-reading skills at the beginning of kindergarten (3 – 8 years) Children who start behind typically stay behind

What We Know About Early Learning

Early Learning Children are born learning, and through early experiences the basic architecture of the brain is built. Early learning happens through relationships and nurturing experiences and environments. Brain connections are built best in an environment of security and low stress. The ability to process complex information, cope with stress, and feel empathy builds on this early hard-wiring of the brain.

Brain Growth versus Public Expenditures On Children Age 0-18 Research demonstrates that the human brain achieves approximately 85 percent of its adult size by age 2 and one-half years, and 90 percent of total growth by age 3.

Investing in Early Learning is an Economic Development Strategy Return on investment in early learning is especially strong for very young, at-risk children. Community efforts to support school readiness make business sense. A good start in life is not only critical to a young person’s success, it is an economic investment. Quality early learning experiences are a foundation for strong schools and a strong economy. Studies show that children entering kindergarten with skills they need to succeed are more likely to graduate high school, and become productive workers. Nobel Lauriat economist James Heckman says “Investing in early education pays off, especially for very young children from low wage families. The return on investment includes higher graduation rates, better job skills, increased home ownership and less chance of criminal activities. Research conducted by the U.S Federal Reserve Bank found early learning programs could generate a 12 percent public rate of return. Numerous studies substantiate this, many with even higher return on investment rates.

High Return on Investment in Quality Programs for At-Risk Young Children ROI = Ranges from 1:4 to 1:17 Perry Preschool – 40 years Abecedarian Chicago Child-Parent Key Elements for Success: More than preschool: Comprehensive Highly qualified and paid staff Intensive service model with home visits and year round services. RETURN ON INVESTMENT WITH QUALITY PROGRAMS   *Reynolds et al. (2003) 17 year longitudinal study in Chicago calculated a $7.14 benefit to society for every $1 invested in children at Chicago Child Parent Centers (n=989) vs. a comparison group (n=550). *Rolnick and Grunewald ( Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis) analysis of the 40 year longitudinal study of the Perry Preschool program demonstrates a 16% real rate of return on investment with most of the benefits going to the public at large. The total benefit-cost ration was $8.74 to $1, with the public rate of return at 12%. This study of children in Ypsilanti, Michigan, showed substantial differences between the control group and the participants in: *need for special education *graduation from high school *earnings at age 27 *number owning home at age 27 *number of arrests by age 27 *Other studies, including the Abecedarian study in North Carolina, show comparable data.

Return on Investment with Quality Programs: Participants versus non-participants Higher graduation rates from high school Higher earnings as adults Reduced criminal justice involvement Decrease in child abuse and neglect Economic Stability: owned a home, car and had a savings account. This study of children in Ypsilanti, Michigan, showed substantial differences between the control group and the participants in: *need for special education *graduation from high school *earnings at age 27 *number owning home at age 27 *number of arrests by age 27   *Other studies, including the Abecedarian study in North Carolina, show comparable data.

What We Know About Thurston County

Thurston County Population From 2005 to 2020, the number of children ages 0-14 is expected to grow by 45%. 27,379 children birth to five (2008) 11% Hispanic 37% at poverty level F/R lunch 100% = 22,050 for family of 4 185% - 40,793 for family of 4 22% with single parent home 32% with at least one parent with HS graduation or less 46% participate in WIC

Thurston County Kindergarten Readiness Survey Conducted by United Way in 2004, 2008, 2010 Perceptual survey of kindergarten teachers

School Readiness and Success Nearly one in five Thurston County children entering kindergarten have difficulty with: Basic literacy Basic math Self-direction Attentiveness As the population of Thurston County grows and changes, so have our children. Our local school districts are experiencing an increasing diversity among kindergartners related to the skills they have to begin the learning process. Across Thurston County, nearly 25% percent of this year’s kindergartens do not have the basic skills needed to start the learning process. Because playing “catch up” in the early years of schools is difficult, children who come to school without the necessary skills are far more likely to experience failure, drop out of school and become economically dependent on society. .

Thurston County Kindergarten Survey 2004 2008 2010 Physical health (adequate rest, nourishment, energy level)   13% 14% Fine motor development (using scissors, holding a pencil) 22% 24% 21% Gross motor development (tossing a ball, running, jumping) 12% 9% HEALTH

Thurston County Kindergarten Survey LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT 2004 2008 2010 Receptive language (ability to listen and understand)   20% 18% 15% Expressive language (ability to tell about a picture when looking at it) 14% 12% Communication skills (ability to express needs and wants in socially appropriate ways)

Thurston County Kindergarten Survey COGNITIVE ABILITIES 2004 2008 2010 Literacy (able to read own name, letter awareness, beginning book sense)   20% 22% Math (counting to ten, knowing shapes) 16% 21% Memory (reciting simple songs, rhymes or alphabet) 14% 12% Self-direction (following through with simple, two step directions) 17%

Thurston County Kindergarten Survey SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2004 2008 2010 Social development (ability to play and work with others)   16% 15% 14% Problem solving (attempting to resolve conflicts with peers in an age appropriate manner) 18% 17% Cooperation (ability to take turns and share with peers occasionally) Attentiveness (ability to listen and not be disruptive during age appropriate learning experiences) 21% 22%

Thurston County Kindergarten Survey APPROACHES TO LEARNING 2004 2008 2010 Self -worth (confidence in his or her ability to succeed)   15% 12% 10% Enthusiasm (eagerness and curiosity about new learning experiences) 9% 7% Confidence in others 8% 5%

Current Programs Home Visitation Programs: Federal and State funded: Nurse Family Partnership, Parents As Teacher – focused on infants and toddlers Preschool Programs: Fee based: cooperative, private, and faith based. Unlicensed and unregulated. Preschool Programs: Federal and State funded: Head Start/ECEAP, special education: highly regulated. Child Care: A combination of fees paid by parents and subsidies paid by federal dollars. regulated licensed family and center; family, friends, and neighbor care

Learning Environments for Young Children

Changing Landscape State Department of Early Learning Coordinates with OSPI and Thrive By Five Child care, ECEAP, Infant/Toddler with disabilities Statewide vision and plan Regional and local coalitions working in partnership with DEL, Thrive by Five

Who “Gets Its”? State and federal policy makers Public Schools Many community members

So – What is Needed? Resources to complete the system and support all children to thrive Universal preschool in community based settings High quality childcare for all Parent education – new parents daily Choices for parents

Early Learning is the foundation for building human capital… If you can’t make waves make ripples…