As the U.S. economy slumped over the last two years, poor families faced longer waits for spots in state-funded preschools and pre-kindergartens in Washington State, as the number of families on waiting lists soared 263 percent, one group reports. As 2009 closed, the waiting list stood at 3,540 kids.

At the end of 2007, there were 1,246 four-and-five-year-olds waiting for spots in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program – a state version of Head Start, the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP reported last month, citing figures from the Department of Early Learning. (more)

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