PORT TOWNSEND — The slogan “9-9-9” is now used by a political candidate to describe a tax plan.
But the triple digits have a different meaning to a Port Townsend print shop.
The Printery completed a nine-part job for the state in June, producing a child-rearing help tool in nine languages in just nine days.
The final product, which is distributed through the state Department of Early Learning, helps parents judge their child’s development.
“There is no training to be a parent. It just happens all of a sudden,” said Printery co-owner Mike Kenna.
“A lot of parents have limited access to health care and might not know what to do, so this can give them some help without them needing to spend any money.”
The wheels are intended to inform parents of normal levels of vision, hearing and development, and encourage them to seek assistance if their child shows abnormal behavior in those areas.
In June, the Printery received a call from the state Department of Social and Heath Services — or DSHS — for a rush job to complete nine different versions of a “birthing wheel” that outlines normal behavior for nine age ranges.
For instance, parents can dial the wheel to the 18 months to 2 years slot and learn that normal kids of that age will scribble, move in time to music and mimic other children.
The back of the wheel provides directions about its use, stating that it should be used as an observational tool and not when the child is tired, ill or irritable.
If the children aren’t acting normally, the wheel provides a contact number for the Family Health Hotline (800-322-2588) to determine what the situation requires.
The job was a challenge, according to Printery co-owner Pat Kenna.
“It wasn’t easy,” she said.
“Working on a tight deadline, we had to format complex language information in text big enough to read onto a 10-inch diameter card.
“We couldn’t be off by a millimeter.”
In June, the Printery was invited to bid on the camera-ready job, which would pay about $25,000 and be distributed throughout the state.
The job, however, needed to be completed by July 1 — nine days away — or the Printery wouldn’t get paid.
The rush was attributable to the fact that the grant paying for the service was about to expire.
Mike Kenna said that he didn’t know why DSHS waited until the last minute to call for bids.
“With a government agency, you never know what they’re thinking,” he said.
The job included 45,000 copies of the wheel in nine languages; English, Spanish. Russian, Korean, Cantonese, Russian, Vietnamese, Japanese and Laotian.
The data files were supplied to the printery in two parts, a spin top with a view window and a two-sided information circle.
The printing took five days while attaching the two parts took four days because it needed to be done by hand using metal grommets, Mike Kenna said.
The wheel is printed on durable cardboard, so it’s likely that it could remain intact during the six years that it is in use, he said.
The finished product is available statewide from the Department of Early Learning, 360-725-3500.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
