Retired Rear Adm. Alan Steinman was correct in emphasizing that quality pre-kindergarten programs are important not only for our children’s futures, but also for our nation’s future security and economic prosperity.

Access to quality early care and education programs is also a critical workforce issue for businesses and families. And we don’t have to wait 18 years for these investments to bear fruit. A new America’s Edge report shows that early learning investments in Washington will increase employee productivity today and help us attract and retain skilled workers and new businesses.

As the former president and CEO of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, I also know that a well-established predictor of where families choose to live includes elementary school test scores. Children with access to high-quality early learning programs improved math and reading performance in the elementary years compared to children left out.

Quality early learning experiences help children develop reading, writing and math skills as well as critical social and emotional abilities to become good communicators and problem-solvers – skills that are essential to success in school and throughout one’s career.

I join Steinman in urging Gov. Jay Inslee and the Legislature to support adequate funding for our state’s Early Childhood Education & Assistance Program (ECEAP) at the same time they are addressing the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision for full-funding of basic K-12 education.

Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WAKIDS) is a great transition-to-school program for new kindergartners across Washington state. One thing the program is still missing, however, is the unique perspective child-care providers can contribute.

Many children come to elementary school on the first day already having had “early childhood education” with Head Start, Early Head Start, ECEAP (Washington’s Head Start equivalent), or child care in a licensed family home or child-care center.

According to our data, approximately 175,000 children are in child care on any given day in Washington. The providers who care for these children – sometimes since birth – can share with kindergarten teachers so much knowledge about the children, their learning styles, where they excel and where they might need extra help.

The state Department of Early Learning is working with Thrive by Five Washington, Child Care Aware of Washington and many other groups to figure out how best to include child-care providers in this exciting new effort to help children make a successful transition to kindergarten and beyond. We are excited to be part of this important work and encourage all parents of kindergartners to invite their child-care providers to participate in these conversations with their child’s new teacher.

(Moss is deputy director of Child Care Aware of Washington.)