What We Do
A Commitment to Quality and Sustainability.
The Early Childhood Education Initiative was founded in 2014. We are fiscally sponsored by the Orcas Island Community Foundation, which is a nonprofit community-based organization. We are funded exclusively by grants and generous donations from individuals in the community.
We promote, fund, and facilitate a program that ensures that all children on Orcas Island have access to high-quality early childhood education. We work to prepare all Orcas children for kindergarten in the six areas of development and learning as defined by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Those areas are cognitive, language, literacy, mathematics, physical, and social-emotional.
The Initiative focuses on filling funding gaps for working families who do not qualify for state assistance — Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program and Washington Working Connections Child Care — but still struggle with the high cost of early childhood education. We also provide grants to the schools for teacher training, professional development, and data analysis. The goal is to provide these children with a strong foundation for future success, regardless of their family’s financial situation or if the child has a special need.
As a result of Early Childhood Education Initiative efforts to facilitate shared growth and collaboration between our supported preschools and the Orcas Island School District, a Preschool Workgroup was formed in early 2025. Through this professional networking, educators across all Pre-K and Early Elementary settings are now better equipped to support all learners, special education coordination has strengthened, and consistent behavioral language is shared across classrooms to promote continuity for students. All of this leads to a smoother, more supported transition to kindergarten for children and families and a stronger foundation for years to come
Our Steering Committee meets regularly to:
Monitor progress on mission-related goals
Review and approve strategies developed by educators to strengthen access and quality
Allocate funds to implement these strategies
Develop and implement long-term sustainability strategies
Our Goals are:
Access. Provide universal access to at least 12 hours per week of preschool education for all Orcas children, with additional hours for those needing more support.
Quality. Support high levels of instruction and student performance on research-based metrics, through funding staff certification classes, professional development, and coaching for all educators in our partner programs.
Sustainability. Focus on permanent access to quality early childhood education for all of our children on Orcas Island.
The Early Childhood Education Initiative gave us the ability to increase the amount of time our daughter spent in the classroom, which at two and a half has made a huge difference in her growth, confidence, and social skills. As first time parents, we’ve also gained a circle of trusted adults who truly know and support her. This scholarship has expanded our daughter’s world, and given our family stability in a challenging time.
Parent of an Early Childhood Education Initiative Scholarship recipient
Get Involved
We operate on the generosity of local community members, private foundations, and public sources. Find out how your donation of financial support or volunteering can make a difference.
Our History
A small group on Orcas understood that some children on the island were not attending pre-school and others could not fully participate due to the financial situations of their families.