Transcription of Public Testimony at Governor's Commission on Early Learning

Public Testimony, GCEL

September 21, 1999

Maroon identifies those protesting the GCEL and interesting differences between this transcript and that reported in the September GCEL minutes.

Edsel Hammond: I'm here to represent myself and the citizens I work with. I think it's about time for a reality check. As I took back on the years, it's like the old adage, before WWII when Hitler and Stalin were coming to power, they said, "Give us your children and we'll rule your country." I'd like to also know where all this funding is coming from what was seed money from the legislature and the ten million dollars that might be for the foundation. Will the foundation request more money from the government to spend on the "Children's Bill of Rights?" I just wonder where all this is going. What makes this group think that these poor young people coming up don't have sense enough to wipe their nose and need to be told how to raise their kids? If you look back, how did all of us get here?

Jim Keeffe: I'm a parent from North Bend. First of all, I am just appalled at the fact that there's an elite group of people up here trying to tell most of parents in this state how to raise their kids. If we don't know how often to read to our kids or how often to sing to them, I think there are plenty of books where we could go. But I inherently know how to raise my kid. The Governor said that in the beginning that this foundation [commission] was created by state and had no agenda in the beginning. He also stated that our kids "must come to school ready to learn." It is interesting to not that our Federal Goals 2000, Goal One states those exact words so I would recommend connecting the dots to this Commission to the Federal Goals 2000 that the state is mandated to implement. I would also say that the foundation of this Commission is based in research that is at the very least questionable and at the most has been refuted. So I call for the disbandment of this Commission IMMEDIATELY [audience responded with shouts of agreement and clapping] and all tax payer funds be returned to the treasurer.

Lloyd Gardner: I am from Federal Way. I am speaking for myself. It is my impression that most of the money, most of the success of this program would depend on the DSHS making some sort of determination as to which 25% of the parents need all this help. Well, it seems to me then we would have to ask some questions. I would kind of like to know how much money is going to be spent on this program by DSHS versus the committee here and other people who are going to be recipients of the contract. When we look at the DSHS being a significant part of the success of this program, then we immediately start looking at some of the events the DSHS has been involved with. I think the most recent one that comes to mind is the case of the Kitsap mother who was just murdered near to the point of delivering a child. Now the case worke…

Please wrap it up

From the stand point of the citizens we have great doubt about DSHS because all the incidences of impropriety that they're involved in. I think we don't have any confidence whatever with a program where they [DSHS] become a major element of the problem.

Jean Hueston: I am just very happy with the Commission. I do not agree with the previous speakers. One of the comments that you were discussing was getting the legislators to change that 3 months to a year. You're dealing with a few who resent the fact that welfare mothers are getting more [Jean never mentioned TANF]. But one of the things I'm trying to build in the community and the groups I'm working with is the awareness that our whole community is affected by children who do not get this loving care either from their parent or from a very good child care person. It isn't just what happens to my baby. What it's costing me to take care of my baby or get care for but what you're doing to the community, what you're doing to the schools when you get these kids in class that have no concept of caring about anyone else because they have not had that early help.

Lois McMann: I am from Olalla and a private citizen. The goal that many of you have to involve parents from the earliest moments of their children's lives is very commendable. I, too, encourage YOU to seek out private entities that provide parental counseling or perhaps parental classes that you can take part in because it is the job of the individual to these kinds of things, this is not government's job at all. It is the publicly funded commission that I'd like to address the rest of my thoughts to. The concept that this Commission has been operating on, the concept expressed in the "Children's Bill of Rights", is in total opposition to the American Bill of Rights. The incompatibility of such a thing as socially acceptable behavior which is in that Bill of Rights [CBR] on politically correct behavior with the US Constitution is undeniable and inarguable. Socially acceptable or politically correct takes the form of attitudes speech or association held to be desirable by the government, quoting "a society with our Bill of Rights does not permit our government even to say much less dictate what is desirable or acceptable." I think a case could be made for everyone of us by someone else that we are not loving caring parents. Most people who know me would consider me to be a good parent but I'm sure there is someone out there who could make a case that I was not a loving caring parent and I think I could make a case for YOU to, if I tried so it is not government's job.

Cris Shardelman: I was here last time. I was cut off last time as I was giving research. I will just quickly tell you again that experts have said that placing these children in early childhood care leads to depression, feelings of inferiority, permanent impairment of capacity to make human attachments in later childhood from day care. Children are 15 times more aggressive and become capable of serious disorders of impulse control, unable to make human relationships that are permanent and become a possibility of blood curdling crimes because they have not the appearance of conscience the parent have built in them. There are other problems with that and that leads to the "early learning" is harmful to children's academics in the opinion of psychologist, David Elkind, he said, "Nearly half of reading problems are found in students resulting by starting them too early." Samual Sava also said the same thing that when children are forced early on they become turned off in respect to education. This is born out by an analysis by Joseph Coats for Technology Analysis of Assessment for the US congress, "Children placed together with other children for extended length of time as in day care makes for slower intellectual growth." I hope you're considering that changing diapers may not be fun but you can still be joyful about being a parent.

Dorothy Jane Youtz: I am from the Children's Health and Safety Network and the Greater Seattle Church of United Women. I want to say I am, we are excited and applaud the work and the progress you are making. We look forward with great expectation not only to your recommendations but the Network has already decided to focus its work in the next two years in Early Childhood development and we hope to work cooperatively with you. And we thank you for giving of your busy time.

Cathy Cooper: I'm from the Office of Adult Literacy and I work with family literacy programs in our state. I also just wanted to make a recommendation to you, as you think about your awareness campaign: which is to remember that we have about 1.3 million adults who lack some basic skill. Many of them would need and benefit from the kind of information I think you're talking about; the difficult part of making sure that they, too, will have access to this information.

Joan Sharp: Good morning. I am representing United Way of King County. I would also like to thank you for the work you have put in over the last years. In regards to the issues of early childhood development and family support, United Way, King County, has launched a children's initiative. We're currently in the planning phase and we look forward to working with the products of your work and with other community partners to be able to, in King County, to promote some of these concepts that you've identified as being critical to the well being of children. Again I just thank you and carry on because I think there is good work yet to be done in this arena. The community based partners are a critical part of what's going to deliver the product of your effort which is that impact on children, on families in every community in this state. Thank you very much.

Gail Gosney: I work for Community Trade and Economic Development's office of Child Care Policy. I am on the staff of the Child Care Advantages Committee that was created by the legislature in 1989. This committee is made up of 9 employees including Boeing, Seafirst, Weyerhouser, WRQ and several others. I just want to ask you as you go forward in your implementation plans for the foundation that there is already a program in place that is involving employers now for about nine years and we have made great strides. There are about 72 companies in this state that do on site or near site child care representing about 5,000 children which is about 2.5 % children in licensed care; so I hope these companies are included in the foundation plans and that also as you move forward in the child care TEACH program that you look at what's happening with STARS, and that we add to STARS, not a replacement of STARS.

[Editor's Note: She was on the panel at the next Commission meeting in October, STARS and TEACH were the agenda.]

Sharon Oldfield: I will make my comments as quickly as possible. I am disturbed that the agenda for the meeting was not up on the net. It was not up at 7:30 A.M. this morning even. I wonder why that is not communicated earlier.

This Commission is being driven by definitions such as what is the definition of "Early Learning" that is where your power comes, it's not defining what you mean by these phrases and that gives you more control - we're well aware.

The left/right brain research, I want to remind you, has come under criticism it is part of the scientific findings that is in Early Learning. Also, the synapsis connections are very specific and have been done with eye sight and hearing and have not been done with musical or any other kind of ability that has not been in the scientific findings. It hasn't even been studied yet. This is … junk science!

Rachel Hawkridge: I am a private citizen and Common Sense Northwest. Representative Kessler's point about mothers going back to work when those children are very tiny is a very good one. Because we have to go back to work, we have to go back to work when those children are tiny in order to pay for programs like this. The more programs that are imposed upon us, the more taxes we have to pay and the bigger difference it makes to our children. These kinds of programs don't affect Mrs. Gates and Mrs. Locke. You're not at work full time. You don't have to go back in order to pay your taxes but some of us do. I think that's really important for you to keep in mind. We have to pay the taxes to pay for these programs and it is the lower income people who are the hardest hit by these taxes and programs. Thank you.

Joan Gorner: I am a private citizen. I am a school teacher of 33 years. A couple of years ago, my principal came to me to tell me that we were going to implement what he called a new program. He described it, and I said, "but Mike, we tried that twice before and it didn't work. Why are we doing this again?" "We have to, the state mandated it." "But Mike, it didn't work, we're reinventing the wheel."

That's what you're doing. The program that you are talking about has been done in Scandinavia. This is a retread of a 50 or 60 year old Swedish model from which the Swedes are now attempting to move away. "Scotty Beam me up." I don't understand this. Thank you!

Julanne Burts gave her time to -

Del Parker: I'm Del Parker, Mercer Island. Throughout this state there are 10's of thousands of parents without their children today. Especially fathers who've gone through litigious divorce proceedings with outrageous enactments by the state racketeers in this industry of parasitical, pedophilic, psychological industry which is keeping children from their parents.

My advice to you, Melinda Gates is to get out here with these people who sincerely want to raise their children and do everything you can to help these people and get away from these bunch of racketeers who are only involved in churning and burning families for the sake of their own pocketbook.

Joan Martin: I am the executive Director of Skagit preschool and Resource Center. I have worked in Early Childhood Education for about 25 years. I don't consider myself as nearly an expert though I'm working on it. But I think most of my expertise comes from raising two sons who are now grown. I would like to say what you are talking about today and over all of your meetings is extremely important to the growth and continuation of our society. We do have families who are in trouble. We have families that need support. We have families that love their children but that may not know how to support their children because of how they were may be not supported themselves. We need programs, but we need programs that are family friendly. We need programs that are called instead of parenting classes; we have one now called coffee and cookies and conversation. There we have people exchange books and then we talk about things, things are terribly supportive. James Baldwin said a number of years ago "These are all our children and we will all profit by or pay for what they become." Thank you.

Dave Hall: I'm a psychologist in Seattle and I guess I am getting a political education here this morning, once again. I'm sympathetically to parents who want to be able to raise their own children. I think the Commission is trying to make resources available in ways that they have not been. We're almost to the point in the state of Washington and we are in the United States to the point almost putting as many of our young people in prison as we are in college. We have better ways of using our resources, better ways of using our taxes, than to allow our children — when we have ways of preventing it — not to be raised with the best resources that we have available, and to encourage parents to take advantage of those resources, and make these resources widely available. There are many parents that would like to do better by their kids. I work a great deal with parents, as well as children, that have been badly maltreated, some of them in their up bringing, not because their parents, or as parents they themselves want to mistreat their children, but many factors make parenting very complicated and difficult profession. So, I would just like to commend you for what you do. Hopefully, the focus is to making resources widely available information widely available so that there is free choice. We don't want a Nazi society. We want society of healthy kids. Thank you.

Melinda Gates: Okay. At this point we will wrap it up and say thank you to everybody who was here, both Commission members and members of the public, and we'll see you at the next meeting.

As transcribed by Sharon Oldfield

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