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Based on an initial review of the U.S. Department of Education's plan for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it appears that despite some promising rhetoric, this blueprint places 100 percent of the responsibility on teachers and gives them zero percent authority, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.
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by Dawn Cofone On February 17th Wendy Paulson, Josephine Ermitano, and I began our trip to Olympia. Once there, we visited with Spokane representatives telling them "THANK YOU" for their support by voting "YES" for HB1329. They were extremely positive in their support for early childhood education. We also visited with Senator Chris Marr who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate. He has always been a great ally in early childhood education, and he explained that he feels it is extremely important work and that he will continue to support us. We also made a stop in to say a quick thanks to Representative Pettigrew who sponsored House Bill 1329. Although I do not live in Representative Pettigrew's district, I felt it was important to let him know the positive impact that he has made across the state. |
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The new standards released on March 10 by the Common Core State Standards Initiative represent the best effort so far to transform today's patchwork quilt of 50 sets of state standards into one set of strong, consistent expectations for what all students should know and learn, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.
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Yakima area members Sarah Arambul, Cynthia Holm, and Connie Oldham from Country Kids Child Development Center attended Lobby Day in Olympia on February 8, 2010. The women discuss their Lobby Day experiences with organizer Linda Tyler Murray, who also attended. |
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WEEL/AFT staff and members attended the Washington State Labor Council's 2010 Legislative Conference in Olympia on February 11, 2010. Members Marianne Ewing from Vancouver, Chrissy Amundson from Port Angeles, and Leona Adams from Loon Lake participated in the conference and had the opportunity to meet with members of other labor unions, as well as their representatives and Governor Gregoire. |
On Monday, February 8, Paula Gamez and Priscilla Bocanegra traveled to Olympia to visit their state legislators. For Priscilla it was her first time to meet with her elected leaders. Paula is the director at Sunnyside Learning Center and Priscilla is one of the teachers. They were able to meet with Senator Jim Honeyford and Representative David Taylor from the 15th legislative district.
While the conversation with Senator Honeyford was brief, Paula and Priscilla spoke about their role as educators, the need to stablize their staff, and urging the support of SHB 1329. Read more. |
YAKIMA, Wash. -- Proposed cuts to a state program that subsidizes child care for working families drew opposition Thursday from Yakima providers, teachers and parents. Click here to read the entire article, which quotes WEEL/AFT members Deanne Eikenbary, Katie Newquist, and Sarah Arambul.
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Social Networking for Early Childhood Educators
Join us on Facebook! |
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Visit the full article page for links to other useful sites for early childhood educators. |
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WEEL/AFT, represented by Yakima-area Organizer Linda Tyler Murray, is now a part of the Professional Development Consortium (PDC). In 2009 the Legislature approved House Bill 1943 which mandated that the Department of Early Learning (DEL) convene a group of early learning experts and stakeholders to work on creating a clear, comprehensive early learning professional development system in our state for those who work with children ages birth through school age. The final report is due to the Governor’s office by December 31, 2010. The Professional Development Consortium (PDC) has developed a draft of standards for education for positions that currently exist. The group is also working on compensation packages (which would include salary and benefits and where the money would come from) and the delivery system for professional development and how providers can access the system. Once the draft is complete, everyone in the state will have a chance to give feedback to the Consortium before a final draft it submitted to the governor's office.
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Vermont is the newest state to come on board with a campaign to unionize child care providers through collective bargaining with their state. The beginning of the campaign was to be September 2009, but the organizers who would see this campaign to fruition were on maternity leave, so they asked for help. AFT National Representative Mary Jo Shannon was in the office the day I walked in, ready for a change. She asked if I wanted to go to Vermont and I said yes. I left my family behind and spent three months in Vermont to initiate a campaign for child care.
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On Wednesday, January 27, 2010 a delegation of teachers, parents, and children from PRIMM ABC Child Care in Seattle visited the state capitol to advocate on behalf of their centers and colleagues of WEEL. For some in the delegation, it was their first visit to the Capitol. We went with a specific request to our legislators -- support HB 1329 and restore funding to ECEAP, Working Connections, and the Career and Wage Ladder.
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The 2010 Legislative Session has started off with with Washington Educators in Early Learning hard at work. The Southwest region kicked it off with a handful of leaders meeting with Representatives Don Benton, Jamie Herrera, Joseph Zarelli, Craig Pridemore, Jim Jacks and many more. They were able to reach all of their representatives and senators. |
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WEEL Organizers and Members Assist with Vermont Campaign
A number of organizers and members across the United States went to help our fellow union Sisters and Brothers in Vermont. It was exciting to meet childcare providers all across the state and hear their stories and concerns in the field of early learning. We made a huge impact in Vermont and reached a lot of providers and were able to share our stories to advance the childcare profession. Vermont's providers are ready for change and see the strength in building a union to have their voice heard and having a place at the table when it comes to making decisions for childcare. It was an amazing time and I look forward to seeing their union grow. -- Becky Lacey, SW Washington WEEL Organizer
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WEEL/AFT member and teacher Kimberly Cox testified before the House Education Appropriations Committee on January 14, 2010 regarding the Career and Wage Ladder budget cuts. Kim is a teacher at Primm ABC Childcare in Seattle's Rainier Valley. Click the title above to read her remarkable testimony.
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Get STARS continuing education credit for professional development through WEEL/AFT, a STARS-certified training organization. |
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Now is the time to act for health-care reform! The AFT and AFT Washington strongly support healthcare reform that will guarantee high-quality, affordable healthcare for all. The U.S. House of Representatives' bill addresses these needs. H.R. 3200, will provide: Stability....You can't be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions or your age. Choices....You can stay with your doctor or choose another one; and choose to keep your curret health insurance or switch to another one. Lower Costs....A government public option will help force private insurers to remain competitive and keep costs low. Please contact your senators and representative about reforming health care. Rising healthcare costs strain family budgets, burden businesses, and squeeze state and federal budgets. Click on the title to get talking points on health care reform and links to more information. |
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Washington Educators in Early Learning/AFT-WEA is proud to annouce the first winner of the Dorothy Gibson award. This new annual award honors one of our first and most active members, Dorothy Gibson. It is an award that focuses on our major purpose: organizing to change the balance of power. A true early education pioneer, Dorothy set in motion the fight for child care directors, owners, and workers to receive worthy wages, respect, and access to professional development. Years ago, she recognized the need for early childhood educators to come together to solve problems and tackle issues such as quality child care, apprenticeship, and employment benefits. Nominees for the award included Tyson Fellman, April Krubally, Marci McLaughlin, and Pam Wilson. At the leadership meeting on May 30, 2009 Dorothy announced the winner and presented the very first annual award to Marci McLaughlin. Click the title of this article to read Dorothy's speech and view images of the nominees with her. |
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Directions to the New WEEL/AFT Office
625 Andover Park West, Suite 111 Tukwila, WA 98188 For driving directions, click the title link. |
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ELLs in Early Childhood Education: Recruiting Immigrant Families: This article by Colorín Colorado is the first of a two-part series that details the importance of enrolling English language learners in preschool. The article also examines how preschools may better meet the needs of ELL students.
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The National Early Literacy Panel, which convened in 2002, today issued its final report. Its findings show that young children’s exposure to and mastery of several emergent literacy skills, such as knowing the alphabet, understanding how books work, and awareness of the sounds in words, are strong to moderate predictors of their later reading skills.
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What are very young children capable of learning? What are the potential cognitive gains of the preschool years? How can preschools maximize these gains so as to help reduce America’s enduring achievement gap? Information on how content-rich programs ensure the best investment of valuable preschool dollars.
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On May 1, 2008 -- Worthy Wage Day -- WEEL/AFT presented Washington State Representative Eric Pettigrew a Children's Champion Award for his commitment to ensuring good early learning environments for children and good working environments for the adults responsible for their care amd education. The award was presented by Angie Maxie, director of Tiny Tots Development Center in Seattle. Parents, children, and WEEL/AFT staff were onhand to congratulate Representative Pettigrew and to thank him for his continued support.
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State Representative Eric Pettigrew recently met with Robert and Tracey Delgardo, owners of Toddler Tech Day Care Center at their site. |
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New Tool Calculates Family Budgets
The New Tool Calculates Family Budgets |
Photographs and illustrations, as well as text, cannot be used without permission from the AFT.