December
15, 1998 -- Meeting Summary
9:00am - 12:00pm |
The Snoqualmie Room |
Hilton Hotel |
Bellevue, Washington |
| Commission Attendance |
| Mona Lee Locke and Melinda French Gates, Co-Chairs; Kathryn Barnard, Lisa Brown, Craig Cole, Kim Cook, Yolanda Cortinas-Trout, Alex Deccio, Robbin Dunn, Sheri Flies, Peter Jackson, Marty Jacobs, Lynn Kessler, Mary Ellen O’Keeffe, Scott Oki, Dee Ann Perea, Gigi Talcott, Yvonne Ullas, Dee West, Lawrence White, Gayle Womack, Kyle Yasuda and Diana Yu. |
| Meeting Summary: |
| Melinda Gates welcomed the Commission and made a few announcements. First Melinda announced that the Governor had originally placed one million dollars into his budget to support the Commission’s efforts. Since then, the Governor has been able to identify another $500,000 raising the original amount to 1.5 million. The $500,000 must be matched with private funds. Next, Robin Zukoski made some brief housekeeping remarks. Robin gave an update on the Commission’s Parent to be held on January 14 in Bellingham and on January 28 in Vancouver. Robin explained that there would be time for comments from the public at the end of today’s meeting. |
| Melinda Gates then asked if there were any comments or questions. Mary Ellen O’keeffe noted that the Commission should also look for federal dollars through the infant/toddler care program. Melinda suggested that the Commission’s February or March meetings should focus on the public engagement campaign and that resource people could come speak to the Commission at that time. Several agreed. |
| Mary Ellen then shared with the Commission some pictures that were taken during the Yakima Parent meeting and brief discussion took place about the events during that meeting. |
| The Commission then moved to subcommittee meetings to further discuss their action steps on goal 1: Blueprint for Integrated Approach to Early Care Education and Parent Support that is family focused. |
| Varying slightly from the agenda, the Commission agreed to have longer subcommittee discussion with a report back to the full Commission toward the end of the meeting. The following outlines the reports from each subcommittee. |
| Integrated Approach Subcommittee |
Action Step 1: Identify good, comprehensive programs/models and promote across the state. Integrating programs (not duplicating efforts, working better together, finding out what works). |
Report: |
| The model of this subcommittee envisions a state-initiated system of incentives and strategic principles, with local management, coordination and evaluation. |
| New state funding is needed to fund initiatives, fill gaps and attract service providers into a coordinated network of services. |
| Local children’s commissions should be created or built upon by a lead agency to foster planning, assessment, coordination, and to distribute funds. |
| The lead administrative agency should be locally determined and might vary from community to community. |
| Local resources should be generated (public or private) to qualify for new state resources. |
| Administrative overhead costs need to be limited at a small, fixed percentage. |
| Some models to explore: |
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| Discussion: |
| Commissioners noted that limiting administrative costs is really important. Also mentioned is that the focus should be on statewide funding with local control. Some people felt that the community network processes must be evaluated before the Commission adopts that model. The legislature needs levels of accountability. If the lead agency was predetermined it might help ward off any administrative accountability problems and that it should be the state’s job to provide resources and assessment criteria to plan and coordinate with what is happening at the local level. |
| Bill of Rights Subcommittee |
| Action Step 2: Create a "Bill of Rights for Children (with a kids’ "passport" for medical history) on back of birth certificate. Include unmet needs for children birth to age 3. |
| Report: |
| This subcommittee presented the following draft Bill of Rights to the full Commission: |
| We hold these truths to be self evident, that all children are born with certain inalienable rights, among these are a safe home, caring parents, a healthy body, an educated mind, and an optimistic outlook on life. |
| As the most helpless beings of all humanity and the most under-represented citizens we have, it is a fundamental obligation that all children be raised in a safe, warm, nurturing home and community. Children have a right to live in a safe haven, free from physical and psychological mistreatment. Children must be protected from violence and abuse, be provided proper nutrition, given unlimited love, and be encouraged to pursue life in as ambitious a way as possible. |
| Children deserve to have the constant and loving attention of their parents. Parents give birth to children and must accept all the responsibility this act carries. Parents must be actively engaged in parenting during a part of each and every day, providing encouragement, support, discipline and love. |
| Quality care must be available when the parents are unable to provide personal care. Parents must fashion a quality environment by relying on an appropriate mix of personal, family, community and government agency support. |
| A healthy mind depends on a healthy body. Our children have a right to comprehensive health care that includes prevention, early detection and intervention, and treatment when ill. No child shall be denied access to physical and mental health services for any reason. |
| Every child has a right to learn a socially acceptable value system and obtain an age appropriate, quality education. As our children’s first teachers, parents need to become educated on how to parent and how to teach the basic rudiments for life-long learning. |
| To safeguard these Rights, We, the members of the Governor’s Commission On Early Learning, solemnly publish and pledge to support this Bill Of Rights For Children, so that all children can experience joy, happiness and hope and become responsible citizens and parents in their own right. |
| Discussion: |
| Much of the discussion of this draft Bill of Rights For Children centered around the purpose of the Bill of Rights. The Commission was generally in agreement that this represents an ideological and inspirational statement of the Commission. Comments included: change the name to "Vision For Children" or something other than "Bill of Rights; change the musts to shoulds; how does this relate to early learning? To the Commission purpose statement? Commission goals?; This could be used during a public engagement campaign. There was concern about specific language used in the Bill of Rights and that the subcommittee needs to address these concerns when writing the second draft. The group decided not to pursue the medical passport concept. The Commissioners agreed that they would revisit this issue at the January meeting. |
| Childcare Subcommittee |
| Action Step 3: Child care issues: licensing, quality, education requirements, pre-school, turnover, B&O tax credit, etc. |
| Report: |
| This subcommittee is looking at three major gaps: |
| Access Gaps |
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| Quality Gaps |
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| Affordability Gaps |
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| Discussion: |
| Commissioners noted that this is large and daunting list of gaps and that we should really focus on a few items at a time. It was also noted that the subcommittee should look at the child care system as whole and how it fits into and connects with other systems. |
| Commissioners agreed that they would e-mail suggested amendments to the "Bill of Rights" to Scott Oki at: [email protected] before the January meeting. |
| Public Comments: |
| Billie Young urged the integrated programs subcommittee not to allow different government structures in different communities but rather mandate participation of local government, school districts and united ways. She also urged the Commission to read the Child Care Financing Report published by the Finance Commission. Finally, Billie offered best practices information to anyone interested. |
| Jim Nibblett reminded the Commission that motion and exercise is also critical to child development. |
| Another person reminded the Commission that consistency of provider is important. |
| The meeting was adjourned. |