Every Child Ready. Every Family Supported. Every Future Bright.
High-quality early childhood education is a critical commitment to our children, families, and community on Orcas Island. It is often mischaracterized as a luxury or just babysitting. It is far from that. These three preschools are unique spaces being led by highly skilled professionals who are fundamentally necessary in preparing our children for kindergarten.
Low-Income Access Gap
Nationally, 54% of low-income preschoolers (ages 3-5) in 2019 did not attend any early childhood education programs.
Cui, J., & Natzke, L. (2021). Early childhood program participation: 2019 (NCES 2020-075REV). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
Health
Improvement
High-quality preschool attendance is linked to an increase in health-promoting behaviors, such as better nutrition and exercise habits, which contribute to long-term well-being.
Campbell, F., Conti, G., Heckman, J. J., Moon, S. H., Pinto, R., Pungello, E., & Pan, Y. (2014). Early childhood investments substantially boost adult health. Science, 343(6178), 1478–1485.
Positive Life Trajectories
Students who received a high-quality preschool education were 70% less likely to encounter the juvenile justice system for serious offenses compared to their peers.
Reynolds, A. J., Temple, J. A., Robertson, D. L., & Mann, E. A. (2001). Long-term effects of an early childhood intervention on educational achievement and juvenile arrest: A 15-year follow-up of low-income children in public schools. JAMA, 285(18), 2339–2346.
What could be more satisfying than knowing you gave a child an opportunity—regardless of their life circumstances—to achieve their personal best? It is inspiring to realize we are close to having every Orcas child entering Kindergarten prepared to succeed. What a great goal for us all!
Martha Farish & Joe Cohen,
Founding Investors
Access • Quality • Sustainability
We strive to provide all of Orcas Island’s youngest students permanent access to high quality preschool education.
Support our Future.
Our Impact
By providing $1 million in support for high-quality preschool, the Early Childhood Education Initiative has increased kindergarten readiness on Orcas by 20%, ensuring that our children have the foundation to thrive.
What We Do
The Early Childhood Education Initiative is dedicated to ensuring that every single child on Orcas Island has access to a high-quality preschool education, regardless of their family’s financial situation.