The work continues throughout summer on advocacy for preschools and childcare centers.
WFIS provides support for current Providers trying to stay in business, and emphasizes diversity in early learning programming to support the diversity of children and families in Washington.
WFIS and Montessori School Representatives met with Frank Ordway at DEL in late June. The meeting focused on:
- Universal preschool and the negative/positive impacts it could have on providers already providing quality care.
- A crosswalk for programs already utilizing a system of quality improvement—accreditation— to get recognition of quality without having to use Early Achievers.
- Professional development and the equivalency chart that should allow for years of experience to count towards teacher qualifications.
- The importance, and our preference for, in-house teacher training versus mandated college degrees.
- The inherent conflict of interest of colleges making decisions on what degrees teachers should have in order to teach in a classroom while they are directly benefitting from an increase in required coursework.
With OSPI, WFIS is working toward establishing Montessori & WA State combined teacher certification.
