Gov. Gregoire addresses the Children�s Museum of Tacoma �Power of Play� luncheon

September 17, 2008

AS WRITTEN

Good Afternoon, and thank you, Joanne Bamford, for the kind introduction.

I�m glad to be here today.

It occurs to me that so many of you folks are here today because you understand a simple idea: Kids learn when they�re having fun.


Many of you have, in fact, devoted your careers to giving all Washington kids the chance to �learn through the power of play.

And I want you to know, I�m grateful to you for the important work you do.

I look back on my own wonderful, exhausting days as a young mother, and frankly, I didn�t think a lot back then about the latest brain research or the newest theories on child development.

Mike and I just read to our girls�a lot�and Courtney and Michele just played�a lot.

They played in the yard � in the living room � with their friends at other people�s houses � in our great state parks � and sometimes in places or with things they shouldn�t.

I know every parent has a story of rushing their child to the emergency room with a Light Brite peg lodged firmly up the nose�

�Or a story of their child proudly bringing their favorite new �pet��and why are these new pets always a worm, snake or spider?�into the house.

Many times Mike and I joined in and played right along with them�except if there was a worm, snake or spider involved. I have my limits.

When Courtney and Michelle played and used their imaginations, it was a delight to watch, certainly, but 25 years ago, the importance of what they were doing was not as well understood by me or by society.

Today, thanks to incredible research at the University of Washington and elsewhere, we know that play is vitally important to children� brain development.

They don�t play just because it�s fun. They do it to learn -- and boy do they ever.

We now know that play teaches them how to get along with others. It teaches them the value of invention. They learn how to negotiate.

They learn how to think. They develop their physical dexterity and language skills. In short, there is no end to what they learn.

And underlying it all is maybe the most important thing of all.

Play teaches kids that learning is fun!

And isn�t that what we want for all children in Washington? To instill in them in their earliest years a lifelong love of learning?

That�s why the Children�s Museum of Tacoma and the more than a dozen facilities with similar missions across Washington are such a gift to our state -- and to my strong focus on Early Learning in Washington.

In fact, it�s estimated that about 1 million adults and children visit children�s museums in Washington each year.

That�s pretty amazing in that 30 years ago these kinds of facilities were extremely rare in this country.

It�s also amazing what you offer � kids never had it so good�

�Hands-on exhibits, play areas, reading nooks, theater productions, art projects and other ways for kids to learn through play in a safe early learning environment.

There�s also the added bonus for parents that they can trust their kids are safe while they learn, and they can talk with and learn from other parents while they�re there.

Raising kids can sometimes be isolating, and we shouldn�t underestimate what children�s museums do for parents.

I�m pleased to say that our new Department of Early Learning is living up to my expectations by always looking for ways to partner with early learning environments beyond child care and preschool � from zoos to children�s museums.

And so we�re working with children�s museums across Washington right now.

We were hearing that many families could not afford children�s museum admission, or didn�t have transportation to the museum in their community.

So this spring, the Department of Early Learning partnered with 13 children�s museums around the state to help open the doors to more children and their parents or caregivers. We gave about $20,000 in state funding to each of the museums.

With this funding, the children�s museums were able to offer more than 10,000 free admissions.

On top of that, this funding helped foster partnerships with local social service agencies, libraries, preschools, child care providers and schools.

As a result, museums offered more than 8,500 free and reduced memberships and day passes.

Thousands more children are benefiting from updated exhibits, new play guides, new toys, games and costumes, and new programming.

One of the great things about this partnership was it was truly a public-private partnership. Many of the museums used the dollars to leverage additional funding from the private sector.

And many of the museums used the dollars to offer transportation and admission to families served by the state-funded preschool program, E-CEAP, or the federal Head Start program.

Before I close, let me say a few words about what we�re doing about my big passion � Early Learning.

I mentioned our Department of Early Learning, which I proposed and the Legislature approved in 2006.

This agency is a key part of my effort to transform Washington�s education system into a world-class, learner focused system of lifelong learning � from very early childhood through adulthood.

And as for Early Learning, the disturbing fact is that half the kids enter first grade unprepared for what lies ahead.

And we know that too often, when kids start behind, they stay behind.

So now in Washington we have changed the conversation about the importance of Early Learning.

With the new Department of Early Learning�and its nonprofit partner, Thrive by Five Washington�we can focus and expand the ability to educate parents and offer services so an increasing number of kids start kindergarten ready to learn.

Here are just a few important steps we have taken in the last two years.

In 2007, I proposed and the Legislature approved an historic expansion of ECEAP � the preschool program for low-income kids.

In addition to high-quality classroom learning, this program also makes sure that kids get health and nutrition screenings, and that parents are involved.

In the past few years, we have expanded the number of kids in this preschool program by almost a third, and we have at least one classroom in 38 of 39 counties.

At the same time, we are sending a growing number of kids � in areas of the state that need the help the most � to all-day kindergarten. And we are on a path to gradually expand all-day kindergarten.

What a tremendous leg-up this is to help make sure all kids start school ready to succeed.

We�re also focusing more attention and resources on ensuring child-care providers offer safe, nurturing environments for the children in their care.

And that brings me back to all of you...to nurturing environments.

I just want to say again how grateful I am to you who spend your days providing creative, rich environments for learning.

The power of play!

We know there is no better way for our kids to learn, and you are among the people who have unleashed that power for the benefit of our children and our state.

Thank You