A combination of Washington SEA and district presenters highlight how the collaboration across departments broke down informational silos, which in turn is guiding districts to expand services and implement state early learning initiatives. Our presentation will begin with an Early Learning Program Supervisor Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) who will speak about Washington's early learning initiatives and policies. They will be followed by a Title I, Part A Program Supervisor who will speak on how she worked with and learned from the Early Learning Department to include best practices and policies in a Title I, Part A/Early Learning Guidance Document. Then two representatives from a Washington district will discuss how they work together, alongside the guidance from OSPI to creatively blend and braid funds to build, expand, and implement highly effective and inclusive preschool programs.
Emily Statler is a Title I, Part A Program Supervisor at OSPI she is the lead on her team regarding utilizing Title I, Part A funds for Early Learning and is the author of the updated Funding Early Learning with Title I, Part A Guide, she is a certificated teacher and has worked in an elementary school as both a classroom teacher and intervention specialist.
Dr. Debbie Haney is a passionate early learning advocate of inclusionary practices for all young children. In her current role as Assistant Director, Early Childhood and Family Engagement in the Bellingham Public Schools she work with district leaders and teachers, community partners and families to create inclusive classrooms for all young children. Since 2019, Debbie has been instrumental in blending IDEA, and Title I funds to provide inclusive classroom for children ages 3 and 4 receiving special education services. She has spent nearly 30 years, serving as administrator, teacher, coach and a liaison supporting the birth to 5 community as well as the K-12 systems. Since 2012, Dr. Haney has been an adjunct instructor at Western Washington University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Inclusive Teaching. In June of 2021, she graduated with her doctoral degree from the Leadership for Learning Program: Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Washington. She received a Washington P-3 Executive Leadership Certificate from the University of Washington in November 2017. She also holds a Master of Education in Exceptional Children from Western Washington University.
Deb Hampton is currently the State and Federal Programs Manager with Bellingham Public Schools. With over 20 years of non-profit youth and educational program management experience she is skillful in navigating funding opportunities to maximize program impact and truly believes in the value of relationship- and stakeholder-building to build organizational capacity. Deb is always willing to bring a creative and data-informed lens to the table in order to maximize program funding. This has served the Bellingham schools well by putting the district at the forefront of braiding Title I and Special Education funding to offer an expanded inclusive early education setting for the community. Her passions lie in data management, analysis and creating a better, more equitable and data driven system for funding education.
Latisha Conley is the Early Learning Program Supervisor of the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Since she has been with OSPI she has contributed her expertise to many education bill reforms. Latisha had hands on experience and , knowledge of inclusion practices and program models such as Federal, State , Title1, and development preschool programs.