A DVANCING R ACIAL E QUITY IN E ARLY L EARNING IN W ASHINGTON J ULY 17, 2012

B ACKGROUND AND C ONTEXT  Washington State Early Learning Plan  Focus on ensuring that ALL children are ready and successful for school and life  Changing demographics in our state  We know that some of our children need more/different/specialized supports to support their development and success  Unparalleled opportunity as a state to reach all of our children

W HY N OW ?  Washington State Early Learning Plan  Focus on ensuring that ALL children are ready and successful for school and life  Funding from the Kellogg Foundation  Increased focus on state-local connection  Changing demographics of Washington State  Data on how our kids are doing

W HY A R ACIAL E QUITY T HEORY OF C HANGE ?  Articulated and intentional strategies for eliminating racial disparities in early learning  Mapping out how we will do our work to ensure ALL children are ready and successful  Process is part of the product – building a community to do the work

W HAT D OES S UCCESS L OOK L IKE ?  More people are informed, engaged and committed to closing the opportunity gap for our youngest kids  The process for creating the RETOC is inclusive, transparent, and responsive to different ideas and perspectives  The RETOC is a relevant, useful tool  The RETOC process and tool influence policy development and implementation planning going forward

P ROGRESS TO D ATE ?  Convened two statewide meetings of stakeholders from across the state – over 100 people have participated  Building a stronger and larger community of individuals and organizations committed to this work  Collectively exploring how structural racism impacts Early Learning Plan outcomes and strategies  Collaboratively examining an outcome statement to drive the ARE-TOC

P ROCESS Large Stakeholder Meeting: April 18 th Large Stakeholder Meeting: May 31 st Large Stakeholder Meeting: July 19th Large Stakeholder Meeting: September 20th Draft Racial Equity Theory of Change Work Group PHASE I: April – July 2012 Fund and Operationalize Actions and Strategies Identified in Phase 1 PHASE II: August 2012 – Onward