The Kittitas County Early Learning Coalition provides an on-going program for achieving school readiness that jump starts children into kindergarten by: 

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1. engaging parents and children in STREAM (Science,Technology, Engineering, Reading/wRiting, Arts, Math) activities by providing learning tools for use at home; 

2. providing families with books and tool kits for STREAM learning in the home; and 

3. offering telephone based developmental screening that enables parents to identify delays and receive interventions that enable every child to have the best opportunity for school success. 

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EARLY LEARNING IS ESSENTIAL 

From birth to age 5, a child learns at a speed unmatched the rest of his or her life. Early learning experiences influence success in school and beyond. Every year 40% of children walk into kindergarten one-to-three years behind. These students struggle to catch up and most never do. Students who start kindergarten behind form the largest group of school dropouts and have less than a 12 percent chance of attending a four-year university. A child’s learning starts at home. Education begins at birth, not in kindergarten. 100 percent of the achievement gap in reading and 67 percent of the gap in math originates in the home before a student’s first day of kindergarten. To achieve school readiness, parents need to understand the need and have the ability to provide a rich home early learning environment for their children. 

 

Jump-start to Kindergarten is valuable to each child, each parent, each family and the Kittitas County community. 

 

The President’s Council of Economic Advisors (2014) report states that “early childhood education can lower involvement with the criminal justice system” and “early childhood interventions can reduce the need for remedial education.” “Expanding early learning initiatives would provide benefits to society of roughly $8.60 for every $1 spent….” 

 

 

We were STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and now we are STREAM because Reading/wRiting and Art are important too! 

 

 

CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 

When parents play with children and learn with their children, children are more successful. 

We provide: 

• We serve parents and their children ages 0 through 5 and their siblings: 

• Free children’s books; 

• Information on age appropriate learning targets; 

• Developmental screening and intervention; 

• Spanish interpreters; 

• Tool kits for home use; and 

• Written materials in English and Spanish 

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A parent remarked, “You prepared us to enter kindergarten. We are ready!”