Meeting Summary
June 26, 1998
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
John L. OBrien 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 OKeeffe, 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 states 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 publics 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 Childrens 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 Governors
budget and policy proposals for the 1999-2001 biennium.
Governor Locke asked the Commission to recommend
creative solutions that will involve the
states 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 Governors 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 Commissions 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. Lockes 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. Brunells 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
Commissions 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 Commissions 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
states 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 childrens 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 OKeeffe 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 Kesslers 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. Yasudas 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,
Washingtons 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 childrens 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 childrens 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 childs
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 Commissions contact list will also be distributed at the July meeting.
Articles pertinent to the Commissions 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.