OLYMPIA -
Advocacy groups say Governor Gregoire's new budget is devastating for children and families. Some of her proposed cuts to the Early Child Education and Assistance program, for example, could affect some of the most vulnerable families in our state. As many as 1,600 slots for kids in ECEAP would be cut, eliminating all three year-olds from the program. The Governor says she doesn't support this budget, and she'll have a new version out next month to reduce these cuts and other social program reductions. Supporters of ECEAP are urging her to stick to her word.
For families who qualify economically, ECEAP is a pre-school for 3 and 4 year-olds, providing education, a healthy meal, and even family support at home. Studies show kids who take part in this state program are less likely to need special education and more likely to go to high school and college. Andrea Snyder relies on ECEAP. She's a waitress trying to make ends meet. But when she tries to work all the hours she can to earn more, that's more and more time away from her daughter. Snyder says, "Being a single mom and having to work in retail, I don't have a routine for her at home. It's different every day, pretty much. And so this right here is giving her that confidence that there's something she can rely on."
In this economy, more than 3,200 families are on a waiting list for ECEAP right now, 50% more than last year. ECEAP Director Joel Ryan says, "It's really the last line of defense in helping out these families." Ryan is hopeful the Governor's cuts don't end up in the final budget. But the governor's office says ECEAP is one of the programs in the discretionary part of the budget, the part most susceptible to cuts. Up against a $2.6 billion state deficit, experts predict cuts to dozens of programs like this ECEAP, even though Ryan says it's a solid investment for all taxpayers. Ryan says, "Parents and families that have been on the ECEAP program are less likely to use public assistance. This program not only helps kids get ready for school, but it helps parents get off of the system and live a productive life, and become taxpayers themselves."
The lesson's not lost on Andrea Snyder. As she describes this program, "We get to belong to something. We're not at home; we're not stuck."
For more information on the ECEAP program, follow this link. For details on the governor's budget, click here.
For families who qualify economically, ECEAP is a pre-school for 3 and 4 year-olds, providing education, a healthy meal, and even family support at home. Studies show kids who take part in this state program are less likely to need special education and more likely to go to high school and college. Andrea Snyder relies on ECEAP. She's a waitress trying to make ends meet. But when she tries to work all the hours she can to earn more, that's more and more time away from her daughter. Snyder says, "Being a single mom and having to work in retail, I don't have a routine for her at home. It's different every day, pretty much. And so this right here is giving her that confidence that there's something she can rely on."
In this economy, more than 3,200 families are on a waiting list for ECEAP right now, 50% more than last year. ECEAP Director Joel Ryan says, "It's really the last line of defense in helping out these families." Ryan is hopeful the Governor's cuts don't end up in the final budget. But the governor's office says ECEAP is one of the programs in the discretionary part of the budget, the part most susceptible to cuts. Up against a $2.6 billion state deficit, experts predict cuts to dozens of programs like this ECEAP, even though Ryan says it's a solid investment for all taxpayers. Ryan says, "Parents and families that have been on the ECEAP program are less likely to use public assistance. This program not only helps kids get ready for school, but it helps parents get off of the system and live a productive life, and become taxpayers themselves."
The lesson's not lost on Andrea Snyder. As she describes this program, "We get to belong to something. We're not at home; we're not stuck."
For more information on the ECEAP program, follow this link. For details on the governor's budget, click here.
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