State preschool program to cut 1,000 students

Associated Press

SEATTLE — More than 1,000 slots for needy children are to be cut from a state preschool and family-services program over the next two years.

Directors of the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program said they were forced to make the cuts after years of stagnant state funding.

Early childhood education advocates blasted state lawmakers, accusing them of ignoring the need for high-quality preschool programs at the same time they’re pushing for tougher academic standards and tests for primary- and secondary-school students.

"All the indicators are programs like this make a huge difference. So why, why would we defund this at a time when WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) scores indicate we already have high numbers of fourth-graders not passing the tests?" asked Elizabeth Bonbright Thompson, executive director of the state Child Care Resource &Referral Network.

"This is an alarming trend that has implications all the way down the line," she said.

About 15 percent of the program’s 6,857 slots are expected to be eliminated in the next two years.

Much like the federal Head Start program, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program offers preschool and family support services to the poor.

A state study says children who have been enrolled in the program are more independent and outgoing, have fewer behavior problems and show academic gains.

The state estimates 1,173 families will lose the services, which include half-day preschool, comprehensive family support programs, mental health screening, nutrition services and other programs.

State officials say there is broad political support for the program, but it must compete with a host of other needs.

The new state budget basically maintains funding for the program, while other human services took deep cuts, said Robin Zukoski, who advises Gov. Gary Locke on child care and preschool issues.

The program already has sliced class days and hours, time for staff planning and home visits, and increased the caseloads of family social workers — cuts that have left the program "marginalized to death," Zukoski said.

Officials and program directors who did not want the program to become "glorified child care" decided to cut slots rather than watch the quality of services suffer, said Garrison Kurtz, who oversees the program.

With fewer children, Kurtz said more will be spent on each child annually — as much as $6,500 per year per child compared to $4,000 now.

The state launched the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program as a pilot project in 1985. It has an annual budget of $31 million.

Despite a series of small budget increases over the years, the program funding has not kept pace with the cost of doing business.

Meanwhile, federal funding for Head Start, which provides more than 12,000 slots in the state, has increased dramatically; Early Childhood projects now receive just over half as much as Head Start programs to do virtually the same thing.