School Readiness and Preschool

Compensation Project

Free Preschool Programs for Three- and Four-Year-Olds Parent-Child Home Program Early Childhood Education Professional Development Compensation Project

The 2004 Seattle Families and Education Levy included funding for the Compensation Project, which provides compensation for the education and wages of teachers serving children birth to age three in Early Learning Network programs.

As part of the Early Learning Network, the Compensation Project will serve approximately 40 teachers working in Step Ahead preschools in southeast and southwest Seattle that include child care for children birth to age three.

The program will:

• Improve the quality of early learning for children to prepare them for kindergarten and enhance their long-term school success
• Professionalize and prioritize the field of early childhood education as a public good that promotes the well-being of our children
• Establish a model that includes educational, wage and benefit standards for the early childhood education profession that can be sustained over time

The Seattle Human Services Department provides approximately $114,000 of Families and Education Levy funds in 2007-08 to the nonprofit, community-based organizations benefiting from the Compensation Project.

2008 Funded Agencies and Programs

• Jose Marti Child Development Center
• LaEscuelita Bilingual School, 206-723-2906
• Refugee Women’s Alliance
• Seed of Life, 206-726-6001
• Tiny Tots Development Center, 206-723-1590
• Zion Preparatory Academy

Information

For more information about Seattle Human Services Department-funded services for children and families, call Deborah Harris at 206-684-8852 or e-mail childrenandfamilies@seattle.gov.

For information about our partners and related programs, contact the agencies listed above or the 211 Community Information Line by dialing 211 or 1-800-621-4636.

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