Summary

At the White House Summit for Early Education, Executive Constantine shared ideas about expanding opportunities for children and young people and introduced participants to Best Starts for Kids, his plan to ensure that every child in King County has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential in life.

Story

WASHINGTON, D.C. — King County Executive Dow Constantine today joined other elected leaders and stakeholders for the White House Summit on Early Education to discuss ways to expand opportunities for children and young adults.

Executive Constantine shared his plan, called Best Starts for Kids, which is designed to decrease demand on the criminal justice system by investing in prevention efforts and evidence-based programs.

“The President’s leadership on early education will help our local effort to ensure that every baby born and every child raised in King County has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential,” said Executive Constantine. “We know what it takes to succeed: Invest in early childhood development, build on success throughout a child’s school-age years, and create communities that reinforce a child’s progress. With Best Starts for Kids, we can take proven ideas and turn them into action here in our region.”

Currently, three of every four dollars in King County’s General Fund must be spent on the criminal justice system of courts, cops, prosecutors, public defenders, and jails—rather than on more effective and less expensive programs that are proven to produce a better outcome in a person’s life.

Executive Constantine has brought together a broad array of stakeholders from brain science experts to community and human service providers to help focus Best Starts for Kids and determine solutions that will have the greatest impact.

During the White House Summit, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced two agencies in King County as preliminary recipients of Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership and Early Head Starts Expansion grants. The Puget Sound Educational Service District headquartered in Renton is scheduled to receive $2.9 million by March 2015, and in Seattle the Children’s Home Society of Washington is set to receive $2.2 million.

Relevant links

• Best Starts for Kids home page
• Youth Action Plan
• NEWS: New approach to building equity led by The Seattle Foundation, King County
• Feds announce grants to expand early education efforts in King County

Quotes

The President’s leadership on early education will help our local effort to ensure that every baby born and every child raised in King County has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. We know what it takes to succeed: Invest in early childhood development, build on success throughout a child’s school-age years, and create communities that reinforce a child’s progress. With Best Starts for Kids, we can take proven ideas and turn them into action here in our region.

For more information, contact:

Chad Lewis, chad.lewis@kingcounty.gov, 206-263-1250