1crayon.jpg (10866 bytes)  June 26, 1998 -- Meeting Summary


9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

John L. O’Brien Building

Hearing Room A

Capitol Campus

Olympia, Washington

 

Commission Attendance

Mona Lee Locke and Melinda French Gates, Co-Chairs; Kathryn Barnard,

Lisa J. Brown, Don Brunell, Kim Cook, Alex A. Deccio, Robbin Dunn, Marty Jacobs, Lynn Kessler, Mary Ellen O’Keeffe, Dee Ann Perea, James Sinegal, Yvonne Ullas, Dee West, Kyle Yasuda, and Diana Yu.

Others in Attendance

Governor Gary Locke, Sherie Flies, and Russell M. Lidman, Staff.

Meeting Summary

Governor Locke began the meeting by thanking the Commission members for volunteering their time to examine the state’s role in improving the earliest stages of learning for children ages birth to three. He reviewed the charge to the Commission which is to ensure "that every child in Washington goes to school prepared to succeed."

The Governor asked the Commission members to focus on:

Identifying a set of specific activities that parents and child care providers can do with their children to help prepare them for kindergarten.

Raising the public’s awareness of issues surrounding early learning in children.

Identifying gaps in current state programs available for children from birth to age five.

Helping to organize a Children’s Summit and other public events to give parents and anyone caring for a child the chance to share information and learn about early childhood education and other relevant topics.

Recommending a legislative and budget agenda that could be included in the Governor’s budget and policy proposals for the 1999-2001 biennium.

Governor Locke asked the Commission to recommend creative solutions that will involve the state’s citizens, the marketplace, and government as a coordinator and that will reach into every home, in every community.

The Governor again thanked the Commission members for agreeing to serve and introduced the Co-Chairs, Mrs. Mona Lee Locke and Mrs. Melinda French Gates.

Mrs. Locke and Mrs. Gates expressed appreciation to the Commission members, the public, and TVW for attending the first meeting of the Governor’s Commission of Early Learning and reemphasized the need to focus public attention of the learning of youngest children. The Co-Chairs then asked the Commission members to introduce themselves and to identify their areas of interest for possible sub-committee assignments.

Kathryn E. Barnard, R.N. Ph.D. of Seattle, is a professor of nursing and psychology and an affiliate of the Center for Human Development and Disability at the University of Washington. She has conducted research in the general areas of child health assessment, early intervention with at-risk infants and families, and parent-child interaction. She has extensive experience in child care and early learning issues and is interested in the Commission’s work on training for parents and for child care givers.

Sen. Lisa J. Brown of Spokane represents the 3rd district, comprised of part of Spokane County. She served two terms in the House of Representatives. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado and holds a doctorate in economics, currently serving as an associate professor of economics at Eastern Washington University. She has one son, Lucas, who is in elementary school. Senator Brown expressed an interest in creating a proposal that will make a difference in the public policy arena.

Don C. Brunell of Olympia has been president of the Association of Washington Business since 1988. He also serves on Gov. Locke’s School-to-Work Task Force, the Executive Committee for the Foundation for Private Enterprise, the Washington Roundtable Economic Climate Committee and the Executive Committee of the Association of Washington Business. He is the father of six children. Family-friendly work places, including child care, is Mr. Brunell’s area of interest.

Kim Cook of Seattle is the regional director of District 925/Service Employees International Union, which represents professional, technical and office support staff, including librarians, accountants, social service providers and other professions. She also has held other social service and organizing positions, including work with Worthy Wages Task Force. She is working to create an advocacy organization of child care teachers and providers. Ms. Cook is interested in the Commission’s activities regarding child care workforce issues.

Sen. Alex Deccio of Yakima represents the 14th District, comprising part of Yakima County. Prior to serving as a Yakima County Commissioner, he was in the insurance industry. He has served on the Yakima Chamber of Commerce and the Yakima Valley Community College Board of Trustees. He and his wife have eight children and 13 grandchildren. As Vice Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Senator Deccio is interested in potential budget impacts related to the Commission’s proposals.

Robbin Dunn of Olympia is the Head Start/ECEAP director for the Educational Service District 113. She also has worked on developing program regulations, standards and procedures for the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program. She currently serves as president of the Washington Association of Head Start and ECEAP Programs and is dedicated to improving programs for young children and strengthening families’ abilities to care for their children.

Martha W. (Marty) Jacobs of Seattle is the executive director of the Washington Association for the Education of Young Children. The group works to support, advocate, train and interact with other organizations on children’s issues. She also has experience in child care training for caregivers and families, in clinical services and in research. Ms. Jacobs is interested in building a child care system for both children and their parents.

Mary Ellen O’Keeffe of Seattle is the interim associate dean for health and human services at Edmonds Community College. She has extensive experience in family support programs, as well as work in adult education and infant and toddler development. She also has served on the Family Policy Council, King County Commission on Children and Families and the Washington Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. She has three areas of interest, including parent/child programs, family friendly policies in the work place, and a system of support for families.

Rep. Lynn Kessler of Hoquiam represents the 24th District, consisting of Clallam, Jefferson, and parts of Grays Harbor counties. She is the executive director of the United Way of Grays Harbor, and serves on the Grays Harbor College Board of Trustees. She belongs to the local Rotary chapter, the Grays Harbor Economic Development Council and the YWCA of Aberdeen. She and her husband, Keith, have three sons and one daughter. Representative Kessler’s interests include both child care issues and public/private/business partnerships to bridge gaps in child care.

Dee Ann Perea of Issaquah is a parent education instructor at Bellevue Community College, where she leads classes in child rearing for parents of children up to age six. She has 22 years of experience dealing with parent-child relationships on a wide variety of academic, psychological and emotional levels. She has held membership in the Eastern and Western Washington chapters of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and is the mother of two. Ms. Perea listed programs for children ages 0-3 and child care as her areas of interest.

James D. Sinegal of Issaquah is the president, chief executive officer and director of Costco Wholesale. He has extensive experience in retail administration, merchandising and operations in mass merchandising. He has three grown children and five grandchildren. Mr. Sinegal indicated an interest in community and business partnering in child care and learning.

Yvonne Ullas is an elementary school teacher in Yakima and has worked in parent education programs through the Yakima School District. She has held membership in the National Education Association, the Washington Education Association and the Professional Education Advisory Board at Heritage College. She also was selected as the 1998 Washington State Teacher of the Year. Ms. Ullas’ areas of concern are dissemination of information to parents and programs to ready children for learning in Kindergarten.

Delores (Dee) West of Bellingham is the associate director of Early Childhood Opportunities Northwest. She has worked with the Washington State Head Start Staff Association, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Washington Association for the Education of Young Children and the Northwest Association for the Education of Young Children. She is the mother of one child. Her preferences for Commission subgroups are systems, 0-3 programs, and family issues.

Kyle E. Yasuda, M.D. of Seattle is the head of pediatrics at Virginia Mason Medical Center. He also is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and serves as president of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Yasuda’s interests are healthy kids and healthy learning.

Diana T. Yu, M.D. of Olympia is a health officer with the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department. She has extensive experience in public health, serving on numerous medical and health associations and committees, including work with school nurses, immunization programs, Head Start programs, tobacco-free coalitions, dental groups, tuberculosis, drinking water and food safety. Dr. Yu is interested in healthy families, healthy kids, and healthy communities.

Mrs. Locke indicated that the following five Commission members were unable to attend the first meeting:

Craig W. Cole of Bellingham is president and chief executive officer of Brown and Cole Stores, Washington’s oldest retail grocery firm founded in 1909. His company focuses on and supports family-friendly practices. He has been active in legislative issues and worked in human resources management. He has served on several state and local boards and commissions, covering topics from health, conservation, affirmative action and transportation to social services and education.

Peter A. Jackson of Spokane is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Northwest, The Community Foundation in Spokane. Foundation Northwest supports a variety of human services efforts in seven eastern Washington counties. Mr. Jackson has extensive experience in reviewing grant applications and grant management.

Scott D. Oki of Bellevue is the chief volunteer for the Oki Foundation. Scott and his wife, Laurie, established the Foundation in 1986 to support children’s welfare and educational issues. He also established Oki Developments, an investment company. He is recently retired from the Microsoft Company, in which he held a variety of executive positions. He is a past-president and continues to serve as a member of the Board of Regents for the University of Washington. He also serves on numerous advisory boards for private and not-for-profit organizations, and is the father of three children, including a one-year-old.

Rep. Gigi Talcott of University Place represents the 28th District, consisting of parts of Pierce County and the communities of Fircrest, Lakewood, Steilacoom, Tillicum and University Place. She is a former first-grade teacher and instruction at Clover Park Technical College. She is active in Habitat for Humanity, Safe Street, United Methodist Church and the Red Cross. She and her husband Ron have two sons and one grandchild.

Reverend Lawrence White of Tacoma is a sales manager at US West Communications, working with sales consultants in residential settings. He has worked with the Tacoma Black Collective, the Pierce County Boys and Girls Club, the National Urban League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He has two children and 52 nieces and nephews.

The Commission members and audience viewed "From the Beginning," narrated by Diane Sawyer, Prime Time Live, ABC News.

Dr. Kathryn Barnard presented information on scientific research on brain development which has emphasized the importance of children’s first years of life on their long-term health and well-being. She also spoke on the relationship of infants’ behavior and the caregiving environment to the child’s subsequent cognitive development. Each member of the Commission received a videotape on "Keys to Caregiving," a program developed to teach both professionals and parents about newborn behavior and appropriate, responsive care.

Commission Logistics and Plans

The next meeting is Tuesday, July 21, 1998 from 8:00 a.m. until 12 Noon at the WestCoast SeaTac Hotel.

Future meetings will be held on the third Tuesday of each month from 8:00 a.m. until 12 Noon in the SeaTac area.

Optional site visits will be scheduled after the monthly Commission meetings. A site visit, possibly to Child Haven, is planned for July. Mr. Brunell suggested a visit to the Vancouver area where a consortium of businesses, school districts and caregivers have successfully developed child care programs.

A list of optional subcommittees, based on Commission members areas of interest, will be developed and mailed before the July meeting. Commission members will be able to join the subcommittee(s) of their choice at that meeting.

The Commission’s contact list will also be distributed at the July meeting.

Articles pertinent to the Commission’s work will be provided at each meeting. Commissioners are encouraged to read the material between meetings.

Mrs. Locke and Mrs. Gates again thanked the Commission members for their participation.

The meeting was adjourned.

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