What's Happening in Washington State

Governor Gregoire’s Early Learning Summit supports regional efforts

In mid-November state and local early learning efforts came together, following the release of the Washington Learns report.  The Governor’s Summit was intended to (1) Increase coordination around early learning initiatives; (2) Enhance collaborations between public and private sectors, and (3) Improve state-local communication.

The focus of the Summit was on regional delegations representing communities across the state. While health involvement is still fairly light, it was wonderful to have four pediatricians participate in the Summit. Dr. Phyllis Cavens from Cowlitz County, and Dr. Francie Chalmers from Skagit County served on their delegations. Dr. Michelle Terry and Dr. Sells also attended, and Docs For Tots was part of the planning team. The other Summit participants were statewide policy makers, funders and service providers who can help communities enhance their early learning systems and services.

The Summit included sessions for sharing promising practices and building community capacity. Participants also had the opportunity to network and to share with Governor Gregoire, representatives of Thrive By Five Washington, the Director of the Department of Early Learning, and national experts on building connections in early learning. Each of the 18 regional teams will have ongoing community level efforts, which would benefit from pediatrician involvement. As Dr. Caven’s commented, “We must impact early brain development, early nurturing and parenting skills if we are going to improve readiness to learn.” Please let Dr. Sells know if you are interested in being connected with the team from your area.