In 2006, after careful consideration and deliberation, consultation and discussion with community and funding partners, Thrive by Five Washington and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation selected two Thrive by Five communities—one in eastern Washington and one in western Washington—to design and implement a continuum of early learning and outreach services for families with young children. East Yakima and White Center were chosen because of their strong local leadership, diverse populations, and appropriate scale. These communities have great needs and even greater promise—and both support the dynamic, community-driven partnerships necessary for success.

Both White Center and Yakima communities are committed to developing and expanding existing high-quality early learning opportunities. They also have the infrastructures and public support needed to create dynamic, community-driven partnerships. Through a community process, Education Service Districts (ESD) have been chosen as lead organizations to cultivate community agreement and facilitate business plans for the efforts in White Center and Yakima.

Key Principles and Priorities
The goal of each Thrive community is to strengthen and build on existing community early learning efforts, while working closely with parents, early learning professionals and caregivers, and early learning leaders in each community to develop successful approaches. The following principles guide the Thrive by Five Washington programmatic approach to early learning:

• Parents are the primary teachers of young children.
• Programs must be culturally appropriate and reflect the diversity of the communities in which they operate.
• Using a mixed income model, programs should reach all families with children ages five and under.
• All programs will be based on proven practices that have been rigorously evaluated and shown to be effective.
• Coordination and participation of all community partners is essential.

• Ensure that parents and children who are most in need of services are targeted for participation.
• Reach children and families where they already spend their time. All environments can provide quality early learning experiences for children.
• Evaluate rigorously to demonstrate results, and refine programs as needed.

A Coordinated Network of Services and Resources



Thrive by Five Washington will continue to work closely with each community to align existing resources with new funds, develop, coordinate, and execute a strategic plan, and ensure that programs support community goals and address identified needs.

Key components of the Thrive communities will include:

• Coordination, integration and as needed expansion home-based support services such as home visiting programs for newborns and their families, promotion of early literacy and strong attachments at home, and family and caregiver support programs.
• Expansion of parenting and community education, including building a greater awareness of children's development, positive parenting, and the importance of quality early learning.
• A model child care center that provides the whole community with:
• Highly trained and appropriately compensated teachers
• Proven effective curriculum
• Family support programs
• A physically appropriate space
• Technical and programmatic assistance and learning opportunities for existing child care businesses

Thrive Communities
White Center: Thrive by Five Washington and its funding partners have announced grants to support the White Center Early Learning Initiative. This initiative will begin serving the community immediately. Learn more about the programs underway for White Center. Or take a look at the answers to some of our frequently asked questions about these programs.

East Yakima: Later this year, Thrive by Five Washington and its partners will announce the details of funding and programs in East Yakima. Learn more about the proposed programs for East Yakima.

As innovative and exceptional programs are expanded and tested, investments in these two communities will provide opportunities to field test and validate the best approaches for children and families. In addition to these efforts, the legislature also focused resources for field testing of child care quality improvements and innovative approaches to connecting early learning and primary school programs in these communities.

Please note that Thrive by Five Washington is not in a position to respond to unsolicited requests or proposals for funding at this time.

Exemplary Practices

"Thrive by Five Washington will continue to work closely with each community to align existing resources with new funds, develop, coordinate, and execute a strategic plan, and ensure that programs support community goals and address identified needs."