Governor Gregoire Announces Director of New Washington Department of Early Learning

For Immediate Release: August 22, 2006

New department will work with partners, including Thrive by Five, to improve early learning opportunities and outcomes

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today announced that she has appointed Jone M. Bosworth as Director of the Department of Early Learning. Ms. Bosworth is the first director of the department, which was created by the Legislature this year at Governor Gregoire�s request.

�I am confident that Ms. Bosworth�s background and her experiences advocating for children will help her guide Washington as a model for child care and early learning,� said Governor Gregoire. �The position of the first director of the Department of Early Learning brings with it high expectations and I am committed to support Ms. Bosworth and the department as they tackle new challenges and opportunities.�

Ms. Bosworth most recently served as Senior Director of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative in St. Louis, where she supported partnerships with public and private non-profits to create enhanced opportunities for young people aging out of foster care systems. She also worked with state child-welfare departments to develop plans to prepare foster youths for adulthood. Prior to this position, she was the administrator for the Division of Child and Family Services in the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services and child and family services consultant at The ORBit Group, Inc. She worked in Mexico and Kenya as a foreign services officer with the U.S. Department of State and earned her law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law.

�With this new department, Washington will have a unique opportunity to lead the nation in early learning,� said Jone Bosworth. �I am very excited to be part of this effort to make sure that all our kids are prepared to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.�

Early learning programs in Washington previously were administered by three separate state agencies. Under the direction of the Director of the Department of Early Learning, these functions are now combined into one department that will reduce bureaucracy, utilize funds more efficiently and serve as an effective resource for parents and teachers.

�We must prepare Washington children to succeed in a global economy and we are making it clear that education in Washington begins long before kindergarten,� said Governor Gregoire when she signed the early learning legislation into law. �Early learning is the new frontier in education and Washington can lead the nation in quality child care and early learning programs.�

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