Sen. Randy Gordon is celebrating yet another legislative victory for the people of Washington after the Senate voted today to concur with House amendments to his early learning bill, SB 6593.

The legislation transfers responsibility for the administration of the Infant and Toddler Early Intervention Program (ITEIP) from the Department of Social and Health Services to the Department of Early Learning (DEL) this summer.

ITEIP provides children from birth to 3 with developmental disabilities educational support in an effort to help them reach their full potential.

“This will help the state refocus its educational energies on providing thousands of children with disabilities with top quality early learning opportunities,” said Gordon, D-Bellevue. “Right now the program is run by the Department of Social and Health Services, which has a myriad of other programs to administer and a different mission than the Department of Early Learning. My bill brings all early learning programs under one roof. It’s a good piece of legislation that has strong support among parents, service providers and educators.”

The program will be renamed the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) Program.

This is second bill Gordon sponsored to clear the Legislature in as many days. SB 6593 now goes to governor for her consideration and signature.