Everett Community College offers student-parents early learning support
Imagine its 7 a.m. and you’ve got a two-year old to dress, feed and change all before you get ready and leave for work. Sound like the start of a long day? It is for most new parents. Now imagine, on top of that, you’re also a student trying to finish high school or an associate’s degree. Your responsibilities have nearly doubled because, technically, you’re responsible for two students: yourself and the early learning of your child.
While many parents struggle to decide between early learning programs, the choice is even more difficult for low-income and single student parents. According to Thrive by Five, there are 2,107 child care centers in Washington state and only 144 are accredited as safe and effective environments. In low-come communities, however, there are only 26 accredited programs.
Thankfully, a program at Everett Community College has begun to address this problem amongst its students by offering parents a high-quality early learning option.
The Everett Community College Early Learning Center offers small play groups, lots of conversation and creative learning activities, quality toys, nutritious food, attentive teachers, and a culturally diverse staff. But perhaps most importantly, it’s accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
According to the Everett Herald, “Operating as part of the family life and early childhood education departments of the college, the Early Learning Center offers affordable child care and preschool programs for about 70 student families each quarter. Support for the center comes through funding from the college, student activity fees and payments by families, who pay around $1,500 a quarter for full-time child care.”
As many of the parents in the program have limited incomes, state grants offer the program free to 16 families enrolled in the center.
It seems nearly every education forum these days cites quality early learning as one of the most crucial elements for future success in school. If children are not placed in environments that cultivate learning at an early age, study after study tells us, many are not prepared to learn when they enter classroom. It’s great to see that Everett is offering student-parents a chance to advance their education and the opportunity to ensure their children are on track to learn in the future, as well.
To learn more about the Everett Community College Early Learning Center visit http://www.everettcc.edu/resources/elc/. To find out more about early learning, visit the Early Learning section of our website.