OLYMPIA – Today, in a 67-31 vote the House passed HB 1491, the Early Start Act, sponsored by Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Seattle.
“Half of Washington’s children are set up to fail,” said Kagi. “On the first day of kindergarten, they’re behind on math and language and don’t have the social and emotional skills to succeed. These kids are starting a lifelong race 20 yards behind. Most never catch up. If you’re a mom or dad, a business owner or a taxpayer, you should care. Because when children fail, we all pay the price.”
The Early Start Act expands the effective, high-quality programs and policies that have made Washington state a nationally recognized leader in early learning. It is based on proven brain science and the positive long-term impact quality early learning has on a child’s school readiness, overall health and life.
“If we want to improve school outcomes for students, our best investment is in high-quality early learning,” said, Rep. Ross Hunter of Medina. “We now know how to assess the quality of pre-school programs and assess outcomes. We just have to be serious about doing it. The evidence is really clear – quality early learning is the best investment we can make to close the opportunity gap here in Washington.”
A large, bipartisan group of representatives stood up in support of the Early Start Act. Rep. Maureen Walsh, R-Walla Walla, spoke about the importance of empowering parents to help their children in the most early and critical years of the life. Rep. Norm Johnson, R-Yakima spoke of the value of investing in Early Learning to help bring children out of poverty and put them on a path to success.
“When we change the beginning of the story, we can change the whole story,” said Kagi. “A strong start for children leads to more successful schools, stronger families, more self-reliant adults and safer communities. It’s as simple as pay now or pay a lot more later.”
Early Start now heads to the Senate for consideration.