This report is the culmination of an 8-1/2 month study designed, at the request of the Washington State Board of Education and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, to provide the data base necessary for consideration of voluntary early childhood education programs in the common school system of the State of Washington. Four major tasks were involved in the study design: (1) a description of Washington's 3- and 4-year-old population; (2) a collection of parent and provider information through a survey and the convening of Parent Forums throughout the state; (3) the identification of model programs and promising practices; and (4) the submission of a final report, drawing conclusions from the data generated, which would provide the basis for recommendations concerning the status of existing programs and future directions in early childhood education. Findings from each of the above tasks are presented after an introductory overview of the study's objectives, a discussion of early childhood programs from national and state perspectives, and a review of relevant research. Also included in the report are an executive summary of the study, a bibliography, and appendices. Included in the appendices are copies of parent and program questionnaires and cover letters, as well as a list of states that recognize CDA, and a list of professional organizations associated with early childhood education in the state of Washington. (MP)