February 2025 ECEAP Reminders and Links

Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families sent this bulletin at 02/03/2025 08:00 AM PST

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ECEAP is Washington’s pre-kindergarten program that prepares 3- and 4-year-old children furthest from opportunity for success in school and life.

February 2025 Issue

ECEAP Icon

ECEAP Updates

ELMS Update

Maintaining and Prioritizing Waiting Lists: Remember to remove children from waiting lists in ELMS when you learn the children no longer need services or have enrolled in Head Start. ELMS will remove children when they are no longer age eligible. ECEAP waiting lists may include children who are also on Head Start waiting lists.

ELMS Data Entry: Remember to keep ELMS updated. The data is used regularly to monitor compliance with ECEAP requirements, answer questions from legislators and other policymakers, and inform decisions about ECEAP policy. See Data Entry - Minimum Requirements for details.

Please check the ELMS News page for additional information and updates.

For assistance, email elms@dcyf.wa.gov.

Prospective ECEAP Contractors  

DCYF is releasing an Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) Interest Survey for prospective contractors. The purpose of the survey is to gather information regarding ECEAP needs and challenges in 2025-26. Responses will help us understand the early learning landscape better in Washington and inform this legislative session.  

The interest survey will also help you understand ECEAP requirements better and self-assess your readiness to contract with DCYF and deliver ECEAP services.

If you feel you will be ready to serve ECEAP children and families in the coming year, this survey also provides an opportunity for you to estimate your need for ECEAP slots for School Year 2025-26. 

If you have questions or concerns, please send them to dcyf.eceap@dcyf.wa.gov.

For more information on becoming an ECEAP provider, visit the Become an ECEAP Provider webpage.

ECEAP Services Purchase Request

An updated purchase request form is on the DCYF ECEAP Contractors webpage. Use the updated purchase request form moving forward. Form submission and questions on how to use the form can be directed to the ECEAP Inbox at dcyf.eceap@dcyf.wa.gov.

Purchase approval is an ECEAP services contract requirement before using or contributing any ECEAP contracted funds to acquire:

  • Equipment, defined as any article of tangible, nonexpendable, property having a useful life of more than one year with a unit cost or total purchase cost of $5,000 or greater, including ancillary costs. Ancillary costs include, but are not limited to tax, shipping, handling, and installation.
  • Playground or facility improvements with a unit or total purchase cost of $5,000 or greater, including ancillary costs. For playgrounds, this includes but is not limited to the costs for equipment and site preparation.

The Contractor must provide a cost-allocation plan if the purchase is not solely for ECEAP use.

DCYF ECEAP will review purchase requests to make sure they are reasonable, allowable, properly allocated, and/or in support of the purpose of the program.

DCYF Helps You Find Eligible Children

Each year, DCYF provides interested ECEAP contractors and HS grantees with the names and addresses of DSHS client families whose children may be eligible for ECEAP or Early ECEAP.

If ECEAP contractors want to receive names and addresses of age-eligible DSHS clients for recruitment and enrollment efforts:

  • The ECEAP Director or Director’s designee (one person per contract), enters zip codes in ELMS by Feb. 1.
  • To do so, please use the following steps:
    • In ELMS, go to the “Locations and Classes” tab.
    • Click the “Service Areas” link next to your contractor name.
    • Review and/or add zip codes from which you recruit children for ECEAP.
    • Answer YES to the question, “Would you like to receive this information for families residing in the zip codes entered above?”
    • Enter the name and email address of the person who will act as the contact person for your contract.
    • Click “Save.”
    • This same process can be completed for grantees by the Head Start Director on the Head Start tab in ELMS, under Grantee Information.
  • Complete a Non-Disclosure Agreement for each person who will have access to this confidential information. Email all completed nondisclosure forms to elms@dcyf.wa.gov by Feb. 1. If you received data last year, complete a Certification of Data Disposition and email it to eceap@dcyf.wa.gov as soon as possible.

In This Issue:

Important Dates:

Feb. 1-

DSHS Client Information

Feb. 15-

ELMS Child and Family Updates

A-19 Invoice

ELMS Monthly Report

Questions?

Email questions about newsletter topics to eceap@dcyf.wa.gov or your Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Specialist.

For additional information about ECEAP or the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), please visit our Contractor webpages.

DCYF Training Opportunities and Support

Tribal ECEAP Workgroup

  • Third Wednesday of each month from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
  • Next meeting is Feb. 19, 2025
  • Register at Tribal ECEAP Workgroup

Mobility Mentoring® Monthly Webinar

Family Support Staff Check-In

Las Platicas De El Puente

This monthly check-in is offered in Spanish only.

Mobility Mentoring® Online Foundations Course

This course is available for all family support staff to access at no charge. It is designed for learners to see Mobility Mentoring® in action, learn about intentional practice, and prepare them to use the coaching approach. The course is broken into four modules that take between 8-10 hours to complete. If you are new to the platform, you must first click the button that says, “sign up.”

Mobility Mentoring® Foundations Monthly Reflection Session

Completion of this session is mandatory to receive STARS credit and to be eligible for Trauma-Informed Care incentives. After successful completion of the Mobility Mentoring® Foundations Course, you need to attend one reflection session to receive STARS credit.

B-5 ECEAP Coach Check-In

  • First Friday of each month from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., September through June.
  • Next meeting is Feb. 7, 2025.
  • Join B-5 ECEAP Coach Check-In

Health Coordinator Check-In

Join us for the Health Coordinator check-ins as we discuss trends, share resources and plan for the coming year.

Teaching Strategies ECEAP Office Hours

Register to attend Teaching Strategies ECEAP Office Hours. Register in advance and attend to get answers to your specific questions about any of your Teaching Strategies digital resources. 

 

ReadyRosie for ECEAP - How to Get Started

Join us to learn how to get started with ReadyRosie! This session is for administrators and educators new to ReadyRosie or those needing a refresher. In these sessions, we'll cover: What is ReadyRosie? How to invite families to join, share customized content, communicate with families, and read data.

Early Care and Education Newsletter

This monthly newsletter informs, educates, and inspires child care providers, professionals, and advocates. Read previous issues on the Engagement Efforts Newsletters webpage and subscribe at Early Care and Education Newsletter.

Trainings, Seminars, and Resources Offered by External Partners

Arts in Education (AIE) Sustaining Project Grant

Educators, teaching artists, and nonprofits: Is your organization seeking funding for an arts-learning project serving preschool to 12th grade students? 

The AIE Sustaining Project Grant is a two-year grant that supports a variety of arts-learning projects in Washington’s schools, nonprofits, Tribal communities, and other community settings. This grant funds efforts to sustain, deepen, and grow arts-learning opportunities for PreK-12 students.

Apply for two-year funding with the ArtsWA Arts in Education (AIE) FY26-FY27 Sustaining Project Grant.

Application Deadline: 5 p.m., Feb. 13, 2025

Funding Amount: Up to $30,000 over two years (up to $15,000 per year)

Apply at ArtsWA Community Investments.

Equity, Child Development, Education, and Health

Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences

Tufts University has developed a framework for HOPE – Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences – to “drive healthy child development and lessen the lifelong effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).” Visit HOPE to learn about the framework and how to promote HOPE in children and families.

Winter Indigenous Film Showcase

Feb. 16-22, 2025 Seattle, WA

Daybreak Star Radio is proud to announce the first annual Winter Indigenous Film Showcase, a week-long festival dedicated to amplifying the voices and stories of Indigenous, First Nations, and Native American filmmakers. This free event will feature a wide range of films, from narrative and documentary to animated works, spoken word productions, and web series, each crafted by Indigenous storytellers from across the Americas. Visit Daybreak Star Radio for more information. 

Free Infographics from The Trauma Stewardship Institute

The Trauma Stewardship Institute raises awareness of, and responds to, the cumulative toll on those who are exposed to the suffering, hardship, crisis, or trauma of humans, living beings, or the planet itself. The Institute was founded in 2011 by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, author of “Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others.” Check out Trauma Stewardship Institute’s free infographic resources.