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Closing the kindergarten gap
Executive Constantine and a Seattle delegation visited schools in Boston and New Jersey last month to learn about their successful models for universal preschool. At Kiddee Korner in Jersey City (above), a child shows the Executive a book she created, and to engage her analytical skills he asked her questions about it, a common educational technique at the preschool.
See photos from the Executive's visit to preschools on the East Coast, and read his policy brief on Closing the Kindergarten Gap [PDF].
As the Executive outlined in his State of the County address, building equity and opportunity here in King County means children must be ready to learn when they arrive at kindergarten. In partnership with the University of Washington College of Education, the Exec will map the services now provided for kids and develop a countywide plan to link early childhood development with success in school.
The Executive told elected leaders in the Sound Cities Association, representing cities across the county, that we need to examine what helps children learn from birth to five. "Seattle is studying a 'Preschool for All' plan," he said, "and that is a conversation we all need to have. A child's prospects should not rise and fall depending upon which side of a city boundary they live. If preschool is good for children in Laurelhurst or Beacon Hill, it's good for children in Shoreline and Tukwila."
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Building equity and opportunity in King County
Inequities hurt everybody - not just people on the lower rung of the social and economic ladder. For our region to continue to prosper in the future, we need everyone to have a fair shot at success, regardless of where they started out in life.
By any measure, ours is a region with one of the highest qualities of life in the world. But take a closer look and significant portions of our communities are being left behind.
Building equity is a priority for Executive Constantine's second term. See what we're doing...
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150,000 residents newly enrolled in affordable healthcare
One year ago, the Executive set the goal of enrolling every newly-eligible King County resident in affordable healthcare. Following the March 31 deadline, more than 150,000 people are now signed up thanks to our "all-hands-on-deck" enrollment campaign.
This historic milestone was made possible by the combined efforts of our partners in government, non-profits, labor, and business, as well as the diligence of our Public Health staff, enrollment partners, and in-person assisters - people like Seattle Urban League Young Professionals, who pitched in at a March 15 enrollment event at Miller Community Center on Capitol Hill (pictured).
Follow the incredible work being done by Public Health enrollment staff at CoverKingCounty.com.
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Youth obesity drops 17% in schools where Public Health invests
From coast to coast, King County's obesity prevention program is getting national attention. New findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tied investments made by Public Health to a 17 percent drop in youth obesity rates in South King County.
The New York Times wrote that "a hint of what strong public policy can achieve came in King County." School districts that improved nutrition in school meals and focused on physical education showed much bigger declines in obesity rates in 2012 in grades 8, 10, and 12.
Read more about our approach to reducing childhood obesity that is now a model for the nation.
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Executive Constantine in the news
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