But I can t think globally. I d rather think locally, about where I live and what I want our future to be right here in King County. This proposal invests in our children by investing in their teachers. Good childcare matters, a lot. Children who acquire fundamental social, emotional, self-help, language and critical thinking skills during their first years build on that foundation and carry those skills with them throughout their lives.
Good childcare depends on recruiting and retaining good teachers.
Please do what you can to create and sustain decent childcare by lifting wages to a level at which gifted people can afford to start, and stay, working with our children. You will be doing something that benefits deserving teachers now, and our county for years to come. At the end of July 1999, District 925, the King County Labor Council and the Economic Opportunity Institute worked with King County council members and County Executive Ron Sims to pass an ordinance to supplement the wages of teachers in childcare centers which offer a package of benefits or have a collective bargaining agreement. The majority of council members and Sims enthusiastically supported this ordinance as a way to address the poverty level wages of childcare teachers and to improve the quality of care for our children. We particularly appreciate the leadership of Councilmembers Greg Nickels and Kent Pullen.