AS pediatric health-care providers, one of the most powerful tools we can pull out during exams is not a piece of medical equipment, but a book. Investments in a child’s earliest months and years offer the best chance for all children to succeed in life, but not every child has the same access to those investments.

Washington state has been missing opportunities to ensure every child goes to school ready to learn. We have 23,000 children who are eligible for the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) but cannot attend because the state has not funded enough slots to serve all of those who qualify.

Amanda Jacobsen, a physician and pediatric resident at Children’s Hospital, is a member of the Washington chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Michael Dudas, chief of pediatrics at Virginia Mason, is   president of the Washington chapter.

[For more of this story, written by Amanda Jacobsen and Michael Dudas, go to http://www.seattletimes.com/op...s-handing-out-books/]