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Winter 2021 Newsletter — Volume 2, Issue 1
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Welcome to the second issue of DEEL’s new Department newsletter! We’re already a few months into the new year, but things still feel fresh, with optimism for a kinder, healthier, and more just year ahead.
DEEL continues to pivot our programming and investments to prioritize support for those most impacted by COVID-19 and persisting structural racism. You'll read below about our childcare copay relief for families and childcare stabilization grants for providers and friend, family, and neighbor caregivers. Our childcare providers are among our greatest heroes during this pandemic and central to ensuring that Seattle families have ongoing access to affordable, quality childcare—essential for both economic recovery and a strong social infrastructure.
DEEL is also looking to when our children and scholars can once again learn together in physical environments that promote a strong sense of being, collaboration, and a zeal for learning. This cannot be business as usual. Our young people, teachers, and community have experienced different levels of trauma and setbacks that require new supports and commitment to recovery. But we also see great learning happening despite the challenges. Read about our investments in college readiness and the arts during the pandemic, as well as about the largest Seattle Promise class to date, with record numbers of students of color and first-generation college-goers who are embarking on a tuition-free journey to a postsecondary degree.
We also introduce you in this issue to another one of our staff units—the Early Learning Program Intake team. Our Program Intake Representatives (PIRs) support families in finding the childcare and early learning opportunities they need. We're proud that when families reach out to access DEEL’s Early Learning programs for their youngest children, they’re supported by human beings who care about the experiences they have.
The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted our lives like nothing we’ve experienced before and given us the opportunity to reimagine how we support our communities more equitably and intentionally. We at DEEL feel strongly that our institutions must better reflect our values, and we’ll continue pursuing that goal as we emerge from this crisis together.
In partnership,
Monica Liang-Aguirre
Early Learning Director
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 IMPORTANT UPDATE!
This week, Governor Inslee announced that licensed child care providers and educators in Washington state were immediately eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in the current Phase 1B, Tier 1 group, regardless of age. The Department of Education and Early Learning is celebrating this great news!
DEEL is working closely with the Mayor’s Office to provide our childcare and preschool partners with access to the City’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines through the Seattle Fire Department, and initial opportunities for providers in priority zip codes have already gone out. More opportunities will be available in the days ahead, and DEEL will be in frequent communication with our child care and preschool partners about vaccination availability each week. We are also working to develop flexible clinic hours that fit our providers’ schedules. Partners, please watch your email for more information!
The City is also working with education and labor partners and child care agencies to coordinate vaccine access for teachers and providers across Seattle. DEEL will share more details about these efforts as they emerge.
For more information about the City’s vaccination efforts, visit www.seattle.gov/vaccine. The site contains vaccination information in seven languages, and in-language assistance is also available over the phone with the City’s Customer Service Bureau at (206) 684-2489 any time between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday (except holidays).
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 Seattle Preschool Program Sites Receive Funding for Facilities Improvements
DEEL recently announced awardees for our SPP Facilities Fund, which supports improvement and expansion of preschool sites and increases access to high-quality early learning environments across the City. In a recent blog post, we share about Angelia Hicks-Maxie, CEO of Tiny Tots Development Center. Angelia shared with us how the SPP Facilities Fund helped her expand her—and her mother's—dreams.
Read DEEL's blog post on Tiny Tots and the SPP Facilities Awards here.
Image credit: Angelia Hicks-Maxie
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 City of Seattle Announces Grants for 506 Child Care Providers and Caregivers
The City of Seattle, in partnership with Child Care Resources, has awarded grants totaling more than $2.3 million to child care providers and friends, family, and neighbor caregivers throughout Seattle. This funding was passed as part of the 2021 city budget to alleviate impact of COVID-19 on the childcare industry and ensure access to high quality care for Seattle families essential for economic recovery.
Read more about Child Care Stabilization Awards here.
Image credit: Alessandro Biascioli
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 Student Participation in Seattle Promise Continues to Grow
Last fall, DEEL and our partners at Seattle Colleges and Seattle Public Schools celebrated the largest enrollment in the program’s history, with 846 Seattle youth pursuing their postsecondary education goals. Seattle Promise scholars receive two years (or up to 90 credits) of tuition-free college education, as well as support services designed to increase student success. On February 1, applications closed for the next incoming Promise class for fall 2021, again with the largest applicant group to date. The next step for these future college-goers is to complete their financial aid paperwork (FAFSA and WASFA) by the April 15 deadline.
Read more about the Seattle Promise 2020 Cohort here.
Image credit: Seattle Colleges
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 Students Receive Art Kits for Use at Teen Learning Hubs and at Home
This school year, DEEL joined in partnership with the Office of Arts and Culture and their Creative Advantage program to provide arts kits for students enrolled in our 30 levy-funded schools who are learning at home, as well as for youth participating in any of the City's Teen Learning Hubs (more info on teen hubs in Student and Family Resources below). In addition to furthering arts education, these kits help provide children with the materials they need to express themselves creatively during remote learning and contribute to their social and emotional wellness in a challenging academic year.
Learn more about our Arts partnership here.
Image credit: Eric
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Academy for Creating Excellence (ACE) Investing in Black Youth and Educators
On February 17, Academy for Creating Excellence (ACE) held their second Black Educators Cafe event, focused on empowering Black educators and constructively transforming education for Black students.
DEEL is investing $1 million this school year in youth mentorship and educator diversity programming with ACE, whose F.A.M.E. program (Family, Academics, Motivation, and Environment) serves 9th and 11th grade students in Seattle. Applications for the F.A.M.E. Saturday Academy program are still being accepted.
Read a recent article on ACE's work in the community from the South Seattle Emerald here.
Image credit: Willie Seals, III, Academy for Creating Excellence
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During Black History Month, DEEL Celebrates a Pioneer in Seattle's Early Learning Community
Jeanette Lee Causey founded one of the first African American led child care centers in Seattle and devoted decades to the care of our city's youngest learners.
In honor of her work and the 100th anniversary of her birth, Mayor Jenny Durkan proclaimed February 6, 2021, as Jeanette Lee Causey Day.
DEEL is proud to continue our partnership with the Causey Learning Center, which participates in both the Seattle Preschool Program and Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and carries on the legacy of this remarkable pioneer. Watch our tribute video to Jeanette Lee Causey and her family here.
Image credit: Jeanette L.Causey family
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Join the FEPP Levy Oversight Committee to Advise on Over $80 Million in Annual Education Investments
The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is currently accepting applications for three new committee members for the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy Oversight Committee (LOC). Read more about the LOC's work and the opportunity to join the committee here.
Interested community members are encouraged to apply through the City of Seattle Boards and Commissions website. Applications are due by Friday, March 5, 2021.
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DEEL Upward Bound Counselor Roberto Lopez Offers Insights on College Access
In December, Upward Bound Academic Youth Counselor Roberto Lopez shared from the heart about his experiences as a youth counselor for the City of Seattle's Upward Bound program. "I teach my scholars that if we explore careers that excite us, seek out colleges that have the environments that will support us, and learn about who we are, what we value, and what we want out of life—we can increase the likelihood of [success]." Read DEEL's full interview with Roberto here.
Upward Bound is a national college-readiness program available to students grades 9-11 at Garfield and Rainier Beach High Schools that prepares first-generation college students for higher education by promoting academic achievement, goal setting, and career exploration.
Image credit: Roberto Lopez
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DEEL Staff Spotlight: Program Intake Representatives
This month’s newsletter spotlights DEEL’s Early Learning Program Intake Representatives, whose work supports the department's efforts to provide family supports and ensure that more Seattle children are kindergarten-ready.
Image below: (Top, L-to-R) Janet Thomas, Tracey Saeturn, Michelle Chavez, (Center, L-to-R) Nan Htet, Amy Donnelly, Delia Urrea, (Bottom, L-to-R) Natalie Evans, Alea Adejumobi. Not pictured: Mohammad Abdi.
DEEL’s Early Learning intake team is one of the department’s main connection points to Seattle families. The Program Intake Representatives (PIRs) who comprise much of this team help connect families in need of preschool and child care services to DEEL’s network of providers in both the Seattle Preschool Program and Child Care Assistance Program. The PIR team is also supported by an administrative assistant and a manager.
A PIR’s work consists of reaching out to families who submit program applications and finding out what their family’s specific needs are, such as non-traditional work hours, dual-language program requests, or limited transportation resources. PIRs help parents find the right provider for their needs, assist them with the application and documents they need to submit, and connect them to resources that will make their enrollment process easier, including language supports.
But to think their role ends at enrollment would be an oversight. PIR’s are essential to DEEL’s work of providing equitable access to affordable, quality childcare. They are experts about our network of providers and help connect families to support resources. They serve as family advocates, helping parents meet challenges that may come up in the classroom, keeping lines of communication open with providers, and even identifying topics for future provider professional development in collaboration with DEEL's coaching team. Most recently, PIRs helped advocate for family copay relief, knowing from their first-hand interactions that many parents were facing a tremendous loss of income that made childcare costs increasingly difficult to cover.
When COVID-19 first hit in spring 2020, PIRs played a critical role in calling providers to determine who was open for care and how many kids they could take. Their work helped the department launch our Emergency Child Care program within a couple short weeks when school buildings closed, and as a result, many parents working essential jobs—first responders, health care workers, and grocery and pharmacy workers—had reliable care for their children in the pandemic's early days.
One of our PIRs, Natalie, shared this about the important role of DEEL’s intake team: “Our work is incredibly important to us, because we know we hold a lot of responsibility to represent who the City is to both families and providers. We are always looking at how we can make our processes and communication as clear and responsive as possible, with few barriers, so families know they are actually cared about by the human beings who work at the City.”
Thank you, PIRs, for the incredible work you do in supporting Seattle families and children!
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Reduced Family Co-pays for City Childcare Programs
The City of Seattle is offering a 50% discount on family child care co-pays for qualifying families enrolled in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) or who receive a scholarship at one of the 17 Seattle Parks and Recreation school-age child care programs. Participating families can receive 50% off their co-pays through June 2021.
The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps income-eligible working families or families with a parent attending school pay child care costs for children ages one month to 12 years. Families receive a monthly voucher for child care that can be used at any one of the City's more than 200 participating CCAP providers. For more information, visit seattle.gov/ccap.
Image credit: Malija
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In-Person Learning Supports at Teen Resource Hubs
Seattle Parks and Recreation is currently offering middle school and high school students with support in their remote learning and access to recreational, enrichment, and mentoring programs. Seven resource hubs are open, including Garfield Teen Life Center, Southwest Teen Life Center, South Park Community Center, South Shore PK-8, Meadowbrook Teen Life Center, Magnuson Community Center, and Bitterlake Community Center.
The program runs Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with lunch provided daily. Learn more and register here.
Image credit: Seattle Parks and Recreation
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Opportunity Promise Internships
As part of Mayor Jenny Durkan's efforts to build a workforce of the future, the City of Seattle (including DEEL and HSD's Seattle Youth Employment Program) are partnering with Seattle Colleges and local businesses to provide internship opportunities that connect Seattle Promise scholars with the city's top employers and labor organizations, as well as access to high-quality pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeship training.
Student applications to participate in Opportunity Promise are due April 2, 2021. For more information, visit seattle.gov/OpportunityPromise or download the flyer here.
Employers interested in providing internships can learn more here.
Image credit: Seattle Human Services
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Up to 60% Discounts on Utility Bills
COVID-19 resulted in loss of income for many families who are struggling to keep their lights and public utilities on. DEEL understands the impact of financial struggles on a family and on a child's education, particularly for students of color. The City's Utility Discount Program offers up to 60% discount on Seattle City Light bills and up to 50% discount on Seattle Public Utilities bills.
For more information, visit: http://www.seattle.gov/UDP
UDP information and application is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Somali, and Amharic.
Image credit: Seattle Public Utilities
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Seattle Public Schools Resources
2021 In-Person Learning Plan - Families and students can learn more about the Seattle Public Schools four-phase re-entry plan for gradually enrolling students in in-person learning, starting with PreK-1st grade and students receiving special education services.
Technology Support - Eight technology resource centers are open for walk-ins and appointments to assist students and families with technology access during remote learning.
For additional SPS Resources, visit the SPS Resources web page.
Image credit: JR-50
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Seattle Preschool Program Wins National Honors Again for High-Quality, Accessible Programming
Partner Chat with Rory Gill, Seattle Preschool Program Teacher
March 5: Applications to join the FEPP Levy Oversight Committee due
March 15: Seattle Preschool Program enrollment opens for 2021-2022 school year
April 2: Student applications for Opportunity Promise internships due
April 15: FAFSA/WASFA applications due for class of 2021 Seattle Promise applicants
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