Early childhood

How is King County doing?

To promote healthy cognitive, linguistic, and social development, children need a safe and predictable environment that provides a range of growth-promoting experiences. Families use child care services for many reasons. Parents choose child care programs that will provide their children with enriching experiences, but primarily they depend on child care when adults are at work and unavailable to provide that care themselves. Increasing numbers of infants and preschool age children are spending time in formal and informal child care settings. Families need child care services that are high quality, accessible and affordable, and convenient to their work and family schedules. In 2007, 54 percent of King County children from birth through age five were in regularly scheduled non-parental care.

In addition to high quality child care, reading to children promotes successful early childhood development. Reading to children encourages language development, reading comprehension, and later success in school. Reading and/or telling stories in any language helps young children be prepared for school. Parents/guardians who were in a couple relationship and those who had graduated from college were more likely to read to their children everyday.

What else influences these indicators?

The quality and cost of child care can vary widely in a community. Often, the burden of poor quality and limited choice falls on poor families. Public funding of early childhood education addresses some of these gaps, but falls short of serving all eligible children. In King County, an estimated 27% of eligible children will be served by Head Start and ECEAP in 2007. The number left unserved is projected to be over 9,100.

What role does King County government play?

Public Health - Seattle & King County (PHSKC) offers a suite of programs that supports early childhood health and development. The department provides health prevention and promotion services to children without insurance or access to care to promote optimal growth and development. PHSKC also provides immunizations at its clinics and works with other providers to promote immunization.

The Department of Community and Human Services manages an Early Intervention Program for children with developmental delays to provide services and supports in the home or community settings.