Washington Early Learning - Recently Updated Pages

Early Learning - Resources

bkaplan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:21:57 CDT

Children's Web Hub

Another online tool that partners in the early field have been collabotarting on is the Children's Web Hub. The Children's Web Hub is an online center where the Children's Alliance, Foundation for Early Learning and Early Care and Education Coalition decided to work together to deliver important messages about early learning.

Interested in learning about how you can take action?
Visit the Children's Alliance page - and subscribe to their messages.

Want to learn more about the Born Learning - Washington campaign?
Visit the Early Care and Education coalition join page - and sign-up to receive their monthly newsletter.

Interested in parenting tips, the lastest in early learning research, or just in time messaging?
Visit the Foundation for Early Learning join page - and sign up for one or all of their subscriptions.

Want to learn more about what the Pierce County School Linkages is?
Pierce County School Likages

Are you a parent who needs child care or a family home or center child care provider who needs referrals or resources?
Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network

Do you have a resource that you prefer?

Please TELL US about it! We want to share that information with other early learning supporters.

Click on the "comments" link at the bottom of the page and please tell us what you think.

Infant Cold Care

Ween — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:59:56 CDT

How do you make sure parents, grandparents and child care providers know about the recommended treatment for children’s colds?

Last week the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) recalled several over the counter cough and cold medications for infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) web site says: “Several studies show that these products are not effective in children under 6 and can have potentially serious side effects. Dosage guidelines for cold and cold mixtures are based on adult data and thus inaccurate for children.”

Anyone who plays a role in the life of a young child wants to help a sick child feel better. It is important to make sure that all parents and other caregivers know to avoid cold medicines in young children, and how to help children be more comfortable. Changing habits is hard! What do you do to make sure children are getting the best care? Share with us what works for you when talking to parents, grandparents, child care providers and other caregivers about treating young children. Together we can share the latest recommendations with other moms and dads.

Have an idea about how to make sure caregivers know to avoid cold medications while still making young children more comfortable? Click on "Add a Comment" below to share your experience.

infants, toddlers & television

Ween — Wed, 09 May 2007 12:16:06 CDT

Two research studies were released this week regarding infants and television.

One study found that one out of five children under the age of two has a television in their bedroom.

The second study said that 40% of three-month olds and 90% of two-year olds are watching television regularly.

While the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages television viewing during the first two years, studies show that the number of young children watching TV continues to rise.

What do you think?
Click on the "comments" link at the bottom of this page and tell us what you think about the increase in infants and toddlers watching television.

Addtional Online Resources

Visit the Foundation for Early Learning bookmarks on del.icio.us

Local Early Learning Efforts

Ween — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:43:33 CDT

There are a lot of people working together to help ensure that children in Washington State enter school healthy and prepared to succeed. Several partnerships and local community collaborations currently exist across the state.

quality relationships and learning

rgpeterson — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:50:15 CDT

For babies, toddlers and preschoolers, having nurturing, responsive relationships with their parents and other adults in their lives is their ticket to learning.

As a parent or caregiver, what are some specific things you do to create that nurturing relationship?

Children's Book Review - March

Ween — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:13:11 CDT

Do you think laughing is contagious?

Take Action!

Select the book together

Read the book together

Talk about the book together

Read it together, again. Children learn through repetition.

Click here for - Reading Tips for Preschoolers (pdf)

Our book selections, offered by the staff of Seattle Public Libraries, highlight books that include laughable poems and the re-telling of a West African Tale that provides food for thought and discussion.

Share your fun!

This month we would like to collect stories and pictures from our book review friends. Please “join” this site and write a comment about the time you shared reading together. *Click on the "Add a Comment" link below, to share your story. We’d love to hear from parents, grandparents, child care providers, and others who have the privilege of reading to young learners.

Learn more

One of the most important ways to help your child get ready to read is to read aloud. For more information about Early Literacy Skills, check out the King County Library System’s Ready to Read web site.

Children's Book Reviews

Dinosaur Dinner with a Slice of Alligator Pie: Favorite Poems,
by Dennis Lee
J811.54 LEE 1997
Lots of kids think poetry is BO-ring. Not so! Pull out this hilarious collection of poems by Dennis Lee, and let the fun begin. Reading them out loud allows you to discover the rhythms that bring each verse to life. Try “I Eat Kids Yum Yum!” for a sassy twist on monsters, or “The Perfect Pets” for a raucous reflection on owning animals. “Alligator Pie” is perfectly yummy, too! Quirky illustrations add another humorous touch to this outstanding selection that’s easy to enjoy. Super silly ingredients will have kids of all ages craving another helping of Dinosaur Dinner! - Susan, Lake City

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale,
Retold by Verna Aardema
J398 AARDEMA
Ever wonder why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears? When Iguana plugs his ears to avoid hearing Mosquito’s silliness, a chain of events begins that results in a tragedy affecting the entire forest. King Lion gathers the council to determine the cause, only to discover each animal’s actions were based on false assumptions. Vibrant pictures reveal the anxiety motivating the animals, until finally Mosquito is determined to be at fault. Part cumulative story, part cautionary tale, this richly illustrated book is a great choice for reading and discussing with kids.
– Susan, Lake City

Early Learning Tools and Resources

Ween — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:44:48 CST

This is an evolving online community where individuals can share ideas and collaborate about the importance of early learning.

Take Action!

Join this community and start participating by adding comments.
Authoring on this site is welcomed and strongly encouraged!

* Please read the Terms of Use for the site.

Learn More!

Visit our About Local Early Learning Efforts page to learn about what's happening on the ground in your community.

Click on the links in the navigation box (on the top left side of the page) to review the site.

Click on the "comments" link below and tell us what you think!

About - Foundation for Early Learning

Ween — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:01:06 CST

The Foundation for Early Learning's mission is to find, fund, foster and promote best practices that support early learning and school readiness for all children birth through age five.

One way the Foundation is working to do that is by creating these online tools so that the early learning community in Washington has a place to network and share ideas.

Read and comment on the Foundation for Early Learning's blog:

Jeanne Anderson, Executive Director

Click here to visit the Foundation for Early Learning website.

Click here to learn more about the Getting School Ready! campaign.

How has the Foundation for Early Learning helped you?

Please let us know. Click on the "comments" link and let us know what you think.

Early Learning - Parents

Ween — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:06:18 CST

Demand Exceeds Supply For Affordable High-Quality Child Care & Preschool

An article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer calls out the difficulties parents face enrolling their children in child care. The article, Parents' 15-hour Preschool Wait Illustrates Lack of Good Child Care discusses one example in King County where affordable high-quality child care is in demand and hard to find.

Join in on the conversation by subscribing to this web page and adding a comment. Please click on the JOIN link located in the box to the right to sign-up and add your own thoughts about this important issue. Scroll down the page and click on the COMMENT link to contribute.

Let's create a dialogue around the demand for access to affordable high-quality child care and see what solutions we can generate together.

Additional Resources

60-second speech on quality early learning

rgpeterson — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:55:29 CST

How do you convince an elected official or other influential person that high-quality early learning is important? If you have this person's attention for just 60 seconds, what's your best pitch?

Please click "Add a Comment" below, and share your 60-second speech!

To see Early Care & Education Coalition's messages on quality in early learning, and to sign up to get these messages by e-mail, go to http://www.childrenshub.org/ec2/home.html

Early Learning - Providers

wsccrrn — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:01:20 CST

Are YOU a child care provider?

We can help providers with training, resources and referrals. Call us Monday through Friday for help with your family child care home or center at
1-800-446-1114 or visit our web page: Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network

* Please click on the EASY EDIT button to contribute ideas and information about your success stories working with kids.

links and resources

bkaplan — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:13:18 CST

This is our list of links and resources. Please click on the EASY EDIT button to add the resources you find useful.

Child Safety and Health

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-vaccine/immunization requirements
Centers for Disease Control-Child Development Early Identification Tips
Consumer Product Safety Commission (product recall & child safety information)
National Safe Kids Campaign

Early Childhood Mental Health

American Academy of Pediatrics - (AAP) is pleased to announce the launch of its Mental Health Web pages. The site, housed on the AAP’s Web site, is a project of the Pediatrics Collaborative Care (PedsCare) Mental Health Initiative.It is designed to provide mental health information to both child health care professionals and parents. The pages cover many topics related to mental health, including general mental health information and resources, AAP mental health resources, community and state mental programs, and more.
Click here to view the guide site headings.
Comments and suggestions can be sent to wnelson@aap.org. Bright Futures
Research and Training Center

Governor's 2007 Budget

Kristin — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:19:32 CST

Governor Gregoire makes a commitment to early learning! Gregoire increased early learning investments in her 2007 to 2009 budget proposal released Tuesday. The proposed budget includes significant advances for early learning and investments consistent with the Washington Learns “learning to learn” years recommendations.

Building blocks and infrastructure investments for early learning
* Parent, family and caregiver supports

* Initial implementation for a new child care quality rating and improvement system
* Expansion of the state’s preschool program (Early Childhood and Assistance Program, or ECEAP)
* Support for early learning partnerships between the state and local communities
* A redesign of the early learning benchmarks
* An increase in subsidy rates for child care providers

What do you think about the Governor's budget? Click on "Add a Comment" below to register your opinion.

About - Children's Alliance

Ween — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 23:40:08 CST

The Children's Alliance is one of the founding members of the Children's Web Hub.

They are Washington's statewide child advocacy organization who champion public policies and practices that deliver the essentials that kids need to thrive - confidence, stability, health, and safety.

Some issues they advocate for are: foster care, childcare and early learning, health, hunger, juvenile justice, school nutrition, child abuse and state tax revenue.

Get involved in their work today. Click here to visit their website.

How has the Children's Alliance helped you or your organization?

Click on the "comments" link below and let us know!

Born Learning Washington: Success Stories

Ween — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 01:52:37 CST

Join this site and start sharing your Born Learning - Washington Campaign success stories! You can write about up coming opportunities and events, and share pictures and ideas with your peers.

Click on the "comments" link and let us know what your ideas are.

Born Learning Washington

Ween — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 01:51:14 CST

Born Learning - Washington is a network of statewide and local organizations that will share with parents, caregivers and child care providers how to turn everyday moments into fun learning opportunities for children from birth through age five.

The Washington campaign is affiliated with the national Born Learning campaign.

Are you involved with a local Born Learning Campaign in Washington?

Click here to share your story!

Born Learning - Signs PSA

Born Learning - Piggies PSA

Born Learning - Laundromat PSA

About - Early Care and Education Coalition

Ween — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 01:50:23 CST

The Early Care and Education Coalition (EC2) aims to ensure that all young children in Washington state have the opportunities they need to get a good start in school and life. EC2 was established in 2002 by a group of public and private funders.

As of July 2006, EC2 is pleased to announce that it is now a project of Thrive by Five, The Washington Early Learning Fund. This public-private partnership is working to help ensure that all Washington children succeed in school and life.

Our Current Focus: EC2 is coordinating Born Learning Washington, a public engagement campaign to boost early learning opportunities. There are 10 locally led campaigns, plus statewide activities drawing on the strengths of more than 40 partner organizations.

Learn more about Born Learning - Washington

Watch A Born Learning PSA - video

Watch A Born Learning PSA - video (Spanish)

Are you involved in the Born Learning Washington campaign?

Click on the comments link and share your ideas with us.

Click here to share your born learning success stories!

About - Kids Matter

Ween — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 01:13:59 CST

The State of Washington has created an outcome-based early childhood systems building
framework. Three statewide system building efforts sponsored by four organizations combined
to create one plan. This effort has been sponsored by the following lead organizations:

Public and private partners in early childhood across the state have helped to develop and
support the use of the common framework.
Kids Matter

Do you USE the Kids Matter Framework?

Click here to tell us what worked for you.

The Getting School Ready! Campaign

Ween — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:21:15 CST

Some children start school knowing how to share with other children, sit in a circle, and wait for their turn. They know lots of words and how to use them and they can sort things by shape, color and size. They know how to use the restroom independently and how to ask for help. They feel good about themselves. They are school-ready.

Unfortunately, Kindergarten teachers report that half of the children who enter school are not ready. They are unprepared to take advantage of the education available to them. As we know so well from the research, children are learning from birth and during the first five years we have a critical opportunity to help them build the brain capacity and establish behaviors for their success in school and in life. Early learning is the key to school readiness.

Click here to download Getting School Ready! booklets from the Foundation for Early Learning website.

Success stories

Ween — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 17:49:52 CST