Washington’s preschool enrollment is wedged at one of the most-in-need-of-improvement levels in the country, according to an Annie E. Casey Foundation national report.
This disheartening information defies a near-universal principle: Early learning is a must-have if we expect students to do well as they get older. Indeed, folks for years have maintained that the youngest kids need to start off on the right educational foot in order to sustain success on through their school careers. Children of color and children in low-income families are especially ill-served in a society that ignores the significance of early learning.
In the years 2009-2011, almost 60 percent of the three- and four-year-olds here in the 
Evergreen State were not enrolled in preschool. Our 59 percent figure, in fact, was way above (and this isn’t a good thing) the national average of 53.7 percent. Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and a good many other states surpassed Washington in providing opportunities in early learning. As you can see in this map, Washington’s youngest kids are among the country’s most unfortunate in terms of receiving instruction in a preschool program.
The 2013 Legislature took steps to rewrite our unfortunate narrative of early learning negligence. House Democrats championed the successful House Bill 1723, which establishes a framework for an Early Start program to emphasize birth-to-five education. The program in HB 1723 hones in on home visits to new parents, quality child care, and yes, preschool. The legislature also approved a measure to assist low-income families in their search for good, reliable child care.
Speaking of “early” learning, did you know that our very own Washington is one of only two states in which youngsters aren’t even actually required to start school until they’re eight years old? Discussed this past session, House Bill 1283 would have lowered our compulsory school-attendance to start with six-year-olds. But although the legislation passed the House, it died in the Senate.
Also see: The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest Kids Count report, The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success.