Archive

To align with the goals, strategies, and objectives of the Early Learning Plan, Thrive has refined our own vision and strategy, developing three areas of focus to advance the plan. 

The following archive contains information about some of our former initiatives and documents related to that work.

 

Culture of Literacy
Thrive by Five Washington’s Culture of Literacy program supported communities and families in promoting the literacy and early reading skills in children that set the foundation for school readiness and academic success. This work of this program has been absorbed by a larger statewide literacy effort that aligns language and literacy development from birth through 12 grade. 

• Thrive by Five Washington’s Culture of Literacy Initiative FINAL Report (January 2012)
• Thrive by Five Washington’s Culture of Literacy Initiative (COL) Evaluation Report
• Thrive by Five Washington’s 2010 Culture of Literacy Initiative Impact Brief

 

Demonstration Communities
In 2006, White Center, located south of Seattle, and East Yakima were chosen by the Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation to be the two Thrive Demonstration Communities because of their strong local leadership, diverse populations, size and community commitment to improving early learning. Thrive continues to work in the two communities in a new way. Learn more.

Read the baseline report for the communities:

• Better Beginnings: A Look at Early Learning and Kindergarten Readiness in White Center and East Yakima

In March 2010, White Center opened an Educare Center; a high-quality child care center based on the national Educare model. Read more about the grand opening and the series of quality briefs on the local Educare Center:

• Educare Quality Brief (December 2010) – Early Social-Emotional Development: The key to future school readiness 
• Educare Quality Brief (January 2010) – Language and Literacy Development in the Context of Multicultural Communities

Princeton-based Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) served as the third-party evaluator for the Early Learning Initative (ELI) and has been studying different aspects of the ELI. If you are interested in learning more about the Thrive Demonstration Community studies please review:

• Baseline studies of existing services and quality of services in both communities:
  • Building a Community-Wide Early Learning System: White Center at Baseline
  • Building a Community-Wide Early Learning System: East Yakima at Baseline
    
• Kindergarten readiness study of the children and families in both communities:
  • A Profile of Kindergarten Readiness in White Center: Fall 2007
  • A Profile of Kindergarten Readiness in East Yakima: Fall 2007

• Executive Reports about the Thrive Demonstration Communities:
  • Better Beginnings: The State of Early Learning and Kindergarten Readiness in East Yakima and White Center
  • Better Beginnings: The State of Early Learning and Kindergarten Readiness in White Center
  • Better Beginnings: The State of Early Learning and Kindergarten Readiness in East Yakima
    

Nurturing Families
The Nurturing Families initiative worked to strengthen the parent-child bond – especially from birth to age 3 – by helping parents understand how brain development and social-emotional growth affect their children’s school readiness and later success and then providing them with the tools and resources to help them do the best job possible.

Learn more about key elements of creating a nurturing and enriching environment at home in our research paper.

 

Seeds to Success
To help improve the quality of licensed child care – in centers and family homes – and give families more information about the quality of their local child care options, Thrive by Five Washington and the state Department of Early Learning (DEL) developed Seeds to Success, a voluntary quality rating and improvement system.

A two-year field test of the system took place in five communities – White Center, East Yakima and Spokane, Clark and Kitsap counties. The field test was completed in June 2011. DEL is now responsible for implementing the system statewide.

Learn more about Washington state's Quality Rating and Improvement System.

 

Results from First Year of Seeds to Success Field Test and Randomized Controlled Trial
When child care providers get one-on-one coaching and a modest amount of money to make changes to their program, the quality of care they give to children starts to go up, and the results are quick according to the results of a randomized controlled trial done by Mathematica Policy Research in White Center and East Yakima.

• Full Report
• Press Release
• Impact Brief
• Implementation Brief
• PPT Presentation of Findings
• Key Takeaways from the First Year of the Field Test
• About the Field Test

 

Other Publications & Research Materials

Universal Risk Assessment and Manual
Thrive by Five Washington and its partners in the Thrive Demonstration Communities, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and Dr. Deborah Daro (Research Fellow/Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago), worked together to develop the Universal Risk Assessment (URA). The URA was designed for use with home visiting programs and it assesses where a family may need support. If you would like to access the Universal Risk Assessment and manual please click here to register and download the tool.

• Universal Risk Assessment and Manual
• Please note: To access the URA and Manual you will be required to complete and submit the Universal Risk Assessment Registration form.

Statewide Voter Poll (April 2009)
Thrive by Five Washington commissioned a poll of 500 Washington state voters to gauge attitudes about early learning. This poll provides Thrive with a baseline to determine changes in attitudes over time. Polling was conducted by Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall, Inc.

Report on Opinion Research (March 2008) 
Thrive by Five Washington commissioned a comprehensive opinion research program in 2007 to gauge the perceptions of parents and child care providers across Washington state on child care, early learning and school readiness.