Deparment of Early Learning
The Department of Early Learning (DEL) was created in 2006[1] as a means to combine all of the pre-kindergarten agencies in the State. It is the first of its kind, and therefore is deemed to be setting an example for the rest of the country. Statewide the DEL employs 180 people with satellite offices ranging from Bremerton to Spokane Each office has basically the same structure consisting of front line employees and their supervisors; each region, consisting of 6-7 satellite offices is supervised by regional supervisors. This goes all the way up to the state level[2]., and the goal of these offices is to make sure that children who have yet to enter kindergarten are prepared for school.
The clients served are families with children under the age of six, whose income is 145 percent below the state’s poverty line[3]. There has been a recent push, by Governor Chris Gregoire to really help children at this age to jump start their learning. What I find most interesting about this particular bureaucracy is that there is really very little opposition to it. I have my own opinions, which I will address a little later, but in looking at the political map, you can’t really see a whole lot of opposition.
Defining the Political Environment
Starting with the principals, there is the state legislature and the Governor. I think that this was a stroke of genius on Governor Gregoire’s part. She hasn’t had the best run at governor and this particular program is a great one for credit claiming on her part. As for the state legislature, they have also taken this as a way of credit claiming, and as such, have been appropriating what this program needs. There have also been some private donors, such as the Gates family[4], that has given quite a bit of money.
The clients have already been discussed, but others that have a stake here are the communities where low income families live, as well as friends and families of those who receive support from DEL. However, the rivals were not as easily defined. They are mainly, as far as I can see, private pre-schools. DEL is in direct competition with them with their public preschools as well as contacts with preschool teachers.
The burdened were a little easier to define. They include care professionals, as well as child care providers. DEL is also stressing proper health and nutrition among these young children, and naturally, families that are this far below the poverty line will have issues in paying doctor bills. Also, DEL has made a lot of new rules and guidelines concerning licensing as well as taking care of the children; one such rule would be routine evaluations every 18 months. Low income families who are not below the line drawn are also included in this list. It is very difficult to include everyone because there is only so much in the state budget, so there could very well be some angry families here.
The biggest group here is the allies. From looking at the map, one can see that there are quite a few. I think that when it comes to small children, it is really hard to oppose any action taken in favor of their (children) welfare. The private donors are important to note, as well as the Tribal support. Though not under the jurisdiction of the state, per say, the Native Americans have opted into this program by creating guidelines themselves. Most of the other allies are other government based agencies, both on a state and national level that have similar goals and interests.
I think that a case can be clearly made that DEL is definitely based in the client politics realm. The beneficiaries are clear, the children and their parents. The costs and opponents are clearly diffuse, seeing that I really couldn’t find any opponents, and the taxpayers are responsible for the costs.
Challenges Facing the Agency
First and foremost the burdened groups need to be addressed. It is up to DEL to turn the health care providers as well, as well as the child care providers, into allies. There could definitely be opposition here because of the many rules and regulations set in place by DEL, so instead of stressing the rule (though enforcing them is a must), the health and welfare of the “Country’s or State’s future” is very important. If DEL can get all these people on their side, then the rules and regulations will seem a “necessary evil” when compared to the importance of raising these children, and helping to prepare them to succeed later on in life.
Addressing the private preschools is another (much smaller scale) issue. Most private schools have no problems here because low income families can’t usually afford to send their kids to them. However, I think it would be good for the agency to try and make efforts to create allies out of these preschools as well.
The last challenge that needs to be met is the results. This one is very difficult to judge, seeing that the agencies goal is to foster brain development in small children to prepare them for success in life. However, there has been a lot of scientific evidence to help this cause along, and I think that if DEL stays on top of things by promoting the “latest” in scientific research, the agency will stand a good chance of staying around for a while.
Conclusion
DEL has found a very distinct niche. Let’s face it, when it comes to getting the best for our children, we want to go forward with it. Therefore, in order for DEL to stay afloat a key thing for them to do is to really get in with the communities and to put on a face that shows “we have your children’s best interest at heart!” This not only needs to be stressed on a community level, but in the private sector as well. The children need to be stressed, and if the burdened and the rivals can see DEL eye to eye on this one issue, I think that there will be a huge joint effort to make things work.
[2] www.dop.wa.gov (department of personnel)
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Tags: Bureaucracy, DEL, Department of Early Learning, Early Development, Gregoire
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