Reach out early and often. Follow up on your emails, letters and phone calls until you get a response.

1. Statistics and facts are great, but personal stories are what matter and resonate most.

2. End your emails, letters and/or phone calls with a direct call to action. What do you want from your outreach?

3. Get your friends and family involved. Send them a link to this website. 

4. Thank legislators, organizations, media outlets, college representatives etc., who are advocating for this cause! Gratitude for those who are lending their support should be  visible and loud. 

5. Pat yourself on the back for doing something hard! We are all busy and overwhelmed, but you took action and are making a difference! That is no small accomplishment! 

Dear Legislators,

Thank you for your support for our community and technical college Parent Education Programs earlier this year. We deeply appreciate it.

Unfortunately, the situation has become more urgent. SBCTC denied all Parent Education certificate applications and revoked every existing certificate. The stated reason is that these programs do not lead to a specific workforce outcome, a decision made using criteria that is only being applied to parent education. No other workforce certificate in the state is being held to the same standard. That decision makes Parent Education courses ineligible for state funding under SBCTC’s new allocation model, a significant change from how these programs have been funded for nearly 80 years. 

Colleges who want to support their communities through these programs are facing a significant financial burden if Parent Education classes are no longer eligible for state funds. 

Outside of Head Start, there are no other state programs that include affordable early learning, part-time childcare, and parent education. In Fall of 2025, 13 SBCTC Parent Education programs were thriving and served 9,000 parents and children throughout the state. The decision of SBCTC to bar Parent Education from a workforce designation closed 4 of these programs. At a time where many early childhood programs are facing budgetary cuts, Washington families cannot lose 4500 additional preschool seats. As of June 2026, only 9 programs remain in operation, all of which may close at the end of the 2026/2027 school year without intervention by our elected officials

How Parent Education Works

Parent Education does not have just one workforce outcome. For some parents, it provides a direct connection to the workforce, supports continued education, or helps them prepare to return to work. For others, the primary purpose is learning how to support their children and families. Others attend our programs as part of their work as child care providers.

Parent Education combines early learning for young children with education for their parents and caregivers. Parents enroll through their local community or technical college and take Parent Education courses while their children participate in cooperative or laboratory preschool programs. Parent educators work with families on child development, parenting, family relationships, and the challenges that come with raising young children.

The programs also have important workforce connections. Some participants go on to work in early learning or education, use their coursework toward STARS hours or OSPI clock hours, continue into other college programs or workforce credentials, or return to the workforce. For parents who have stepped out of the workforce for caregiving, these courses fill gaps in resumes with college level instruction and documented supervised teaching experience. These are the only college courses in the state that allow parents to attend with their children.

Not every Parent Education student follows the same workforce path. Some move directly into early learning or education jobs, some continue into other college and workforce programs, and some are better able to return to work because of the education and support they receive through the program. Currently, roughly 85% of college affiliated cooperative preschool teachers and Parent Education college faculty participated from college Parent Education programs.

What Happens Now

Programs are looking at every available option for continuing to serve students and families - this includes local funding, private grants or other partnerships with nonprofits.  These options are mostly short-term and vary significantly from college to college. As of June 2026,  access will depend on where a family lives and what resources its local college or community has available; most programs likely will close.

We Would Like to Work with You on a Legislative Solution

Community and technical college based parent education courses are unique to the state of Washington, and provide significant benefit to the health of the state:

• High quality and low cost early childhood education throughout the state. Preschools with community and technical college affiliation range in cost from 50% to as little as 15% of the market rate for comparable education opportunities in most counties.

• Equitable access to affordable college classes and the benefits of being a college student for parents.

• Parent education that addresses all five of the Child Abuse Protective Factors. Existing DCYF programs primarily serve parents in crisis, while college based parent education reaches families before they exhibit risk factors.

Clarifying in statute that Parent Education parenting is an essential vocation and is an appropriate part of the mission of Washington’s community and technical college system and is eligible for state support would not require any new money, it simply returns these programs to the status they’ve had as an integral part of our CTC system since 1947.

We would appreciate your ideas and your help identifying a path forward. We know the state is facing a very difficult budget, and importantly, we believe there may be legislative solutions that could restore state support for Parent Education without requiring additional state resources. Specifically, we believe one solution would be for the legislature to mandate the restoration of funding for these programs. Are there statutory, funding, or other solutions you think we should explore to keep these programs open?

Thank you again for standing with Parent Education families. Please let us know your ideas - we look forward to working with you on a path forward.

Jacqui Cain, President, AFT Washington

On behalf of The Washington Coalition for Parent Education