Tagged Articles:
Early Childhood Education

Ruby Bridges Early Learning Center opens in central Vancouver ‘desert’

October 21, 2024, 1:21pm Clark County News

A new Vancouver preschool named for American civil rights activist Ruby Bridges recently opened in central Vancouver. Read story

Vancouver early learning centers get more than $400,000 from state to make renovations

August 27, 2024, 2:45pm Clark County News

Four Vancouver early-learning providers received a combined $400,000 from the Washington State Department of Commerce. Read story

Jenna Carodiskey-Wiebe, assistant teacher with ECEAP, right, watches as two-year-old Zakiah Jatta plays with Play-Doh in her classroom at Akin’s Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin’s early learning center in Auburn. (Ellen M.

Washington falls short of covering child care subsidy costs

August 6, 2024, 7:18pm Latest News Free

Even with state subsidies, families in Washington still cannot afford child care and providers are struggling to pay their staff, according to a new report. Read story

Sen. Patty Murray visits with Alivia Estrada-Houghton, left, and her twin Alayna, right, both 2 and of Vancouver, at the Hough Early Learning Center.

Can the child care crisis be fixed? Q&A with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray

May 26, 2024, 12:26pm Latest News

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray has been working on child care since the 1980s, when she taught preschool in Shoreline. Now, the Washington Democrat, who’s served in Congress for three decades and chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, is one of the country’s most powerful politicians. Read story

Educational Opportunities for Children and Families CEO Rekah Strong, right, speaks at a press conference opposing Ballot Initiative 2109 on Wednesday at the early learning nonprofit’s headquarters in Vancouver. I-2109 would repeal Washington’s capital gains tax, which is expected to provide billions of dollars in support for early childhood education and schools funding over the next few years.

Rep. Monica Stonier, Clark County educators rally to protect Washington capital gains tax

May 22, 2024, 6:20pm Clark County News

Leaders of Vancouver’s early-childhood programs gathered Wednesday to warn voters that a Washington ballot initiative would undermine a system that already fails to reach children in need. Read story

A national report ranks Washington 33rd in the nation for preschool enrollment for 4-year-olds.

Washington 33rd in U.S. on preschool access, reinforcing assertions of Clark County education leaders

May 2, 2024, 6:07am Clark County News

A recent national study found Washington falls behind in preschool access compared with other states, reinforcing the assertion from local education leaders that the demand for early-learning programs has far outpaced funding. Read story

Educational Opportunities for Children and Families buys Battle Ground property for new early learning center

November 28, 2023, 5:56am Clark County News

Educational Opportunities for Children and Families, a local provider of early learning care for children ages 3-5, announced the purchase of a 1.68-acre property in Battle Ground to house a new Battle Ground Early Learning Center. Read story

House funding bill would cut Head Start services for 1,400 kids in Washington

Teacher Tamara Harris playfully cautions Head Start students to stay quiet at Evergreen High School in 2022.

November 15, 2023, 4:27pm Clark County News

The U.S. House of Representatives is weighing a funding bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education that may cut key early learning services to over a thousand children in Washington next year. Read story

Debt ceiling bill could hurt early learning providers in Clark County

May 28, 2023, 6:07am Clark County News Subscriber Exclusive

With national buzz surrounding negotiations between the White House and Republican leaders over a debt ceiling bill to reduce the national deficit continuing, early-learning advocates in Washington outlined how a potential deal may lead to child care program cuts next year. Read story