From The Imprint 9/18/2025
In recent weeks, Catherine Dennis welcomed parents and their young children to the Yakima Valley nonprofit preschool she runs — with a dire new challenge.
Her bright, freshly painted classrooms in Washington’s sun-drenched wine-and-apple country are understaffed due to state budget cuts, and she has had to entirely eliminate one long-standing program for babies and toddlers from low-income families.
“We used to have a teacher, teacher aide, support specialist, a floater to provide relief for breaks, behavioral support and wraparound support for parents,” Dennis said. Now, with “fewer bodies in the room,” she added, “there’s more emphasis on management of the classroom, rather than effective interactions.”
Read more: https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/state-cuts-in-washington-scale-back-once-ambitious-preschool-options-for-low-income-families/265616
