Creative action to save Parent Education

Parenting Education program staff and families traveled to Olympia to draw attention to the planned closure of a program offering affordable early childhood education and workforce development 

OLYMPIA, WA (May 7, 2026) — Families and faculty members from Washington state’s Parenting Education program traveled to Olympia on Monday to deliver artwork made by children in the at the state’s parenting education preschools to the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges and the Governor’s office. The action is part of the families’ and workers’ efforts to prevent closure of a program that has supported working families for 80 years.

Parents and educators delivered hundreds of paper plates decorated with handprints made by kids in the program to state board leadership and governor’s office staff. Some plates included messages in support of parent education, written by parents and their children.

If closure of the Parenting Education program and its affiliated co-op preschools goes ahead as planned, approximately 4,500 families statewide will lose access to early learning programs for their children. AFT Washington, which represents some of the staff in the program, pointed out in a news release that this closure compounds pain felt in communities across the state as resources for early learning were cut from the state’s budget in the 2026 session.

Parents and educators from the program delivering artwork to SBCTC Executive Director Nate Humphrey and Deputy Executive Director for Education Joyce Hammer. Photo: Cortney Marabetta/AFT Washington

“The state legislature eliminated at least 10,000 state-supported ECEAP [Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program] seats and other program cuts and closures have squeezed ECE [Early Childhood Education] and daycare resources even tighter,” said AFT Washington in a news release.

Parents and educators were blindsided by the planned closures, caused by a change in the state’s higher education funding model, making some programs like parenting education no longer eligible for funding via tuition waivers.

“The impact to the program was never discussed with the Organization of Parenting Education Programs, an SBCTC workgroup, or with the affected families and faculty,” per the union. “We are asking the SBCTC, Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges and the state Legislature to work together collaboratively to resolve this issue and preserve stability for Washington students and families.”

An ongoing effort to fund parenting education via donation should the state fail to prevent the closures has so far raised more than $695,000.