And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison's Life in Stories by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Daniel Minter

From imaginative child to visionary storyteller, Toni Morrison was a fiercely inspiring writer that helped change the world. This poetic picture book is part love letter and part biography, praising the power of this Nobel Prize winner. With its tender refrain, readers will know how much Morrison's stories -- and their own -- mean to the world. She was loved -- and so are they!

And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison's Life in Stories

We are excited to announce the re-posting for the Early Support for Infants & Toddlers (ESIT) Senior Administrator role at DCYF.

Apply for ESIT Senior Administrator (WMS03)

Closing date: Thursday, Sept. 4. 

This position has primary responsibility for implementation of a statewide system of early intervention services including, governance and finance, partners and tribal engagement, accountability & quality improvement, data systems, workforce development, and training & technical assistance. 

If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment or if you would like to request an accommodation throughout the application/interview process, contact Veronica Jones, DCYF Talent Acquisition Specialist, at veronica.jones@dcyf.wa.gov. 

Are you a parent or caregiver of a child, or children, receiving early intervention services through the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program?

Do you want to grow your leadership, public speaking, and advocacy skills, to help tell your lived-experience story and influence systems of support for infants and toddlers with disabilities across Washington state?

Join the Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ (DCYF) Parent Institute for Engagement’s (PIE) cohort 8!

As an incentive, DCYF provides reimbursement to PIE cohort members for child care, travel, and lodging costs.

Applications are due: Sept. 25, 2025.

Chosen applicants will be notified: the week of Sept. 29.

Follow the link below to apply:

PIE Cohort 8 Application

Flyers are available for providers and partners to distribute to families. To request flyers, application links, or for any questions, please contact Vanessa Allen, Family Engagement Coordinator. For more information about PIE, visit the ESIT Parent Rights page.

Let’s continue building strong family leaders, one cohort at a time.

Congratulations to the inspiring parent leaders of the Parent Institute for Engagement (PIE) Cohort 7! ESIT is proud to share the PIE Cohort 7 Graduation Video, where members reflect on their powerful journeys and share what PIE has meant to them—in their own words. Watch the video (16:38):

Parent Institute for Engagement (PIE) Cohort 7 Graduation

Hear the voices of real families leading the way in early intervention advocacy, leadership, and system-level impact.

To learn more about the Parent Institute for Engagement and how to get involved, visit the ESIT Parent Rights & Leadership webpage. 

SICC Member Application

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is recruiting members for two open positions on the State Interagency Coordinating Council:

• (1) Public or private provider of Early Intervention Services,
• (1) Member of the State Legislature.

Apply on the Governor's website, and under 'Board Information,' select Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Their Families, State Interagency Coordinating Council:

Apply here for SICC board

SICC Sub-Committees Application

The SICC Data, Finance, Personnel & Training, Public Policy, and Service Delivery Committees are accepting applications from qualified and interested individuals:

Complete Sub-Committee Interest form

If you have any questions, please contact DCYF ESIT Community Collaboration Coordinator, E Renae` Antalan.

Did you know that there is a subsidy available to support children who have special needs in child care? 

Find out how you can support child care and family access to this funding stream for ESIT enrolled children who may be eligible.

Matt Judge, Department of Children, Youth, and Families' (DCYF) Child Care Administrator, and Jason Ramynke, DCYF's Child Care Subsidy Program Administrator, will share the latest information about requirements, who may qualify, and answer questions about the Child Care Subsidy for Children with Special Needs.

Who should attend?

We recommend any ESIT staff, especially those who support service coordination, education and therapy services with families whose children are in, or might enroll in, child care. Registration is open now!

Thursday, Sept. 18 | 10 - 11 a.m.  
Register for Child Care Subsidy for Children with Special Needs

Accommodation Requests

ASL, live captioning, and other accommodations to fully participate in this webinar are available to you upon request. Please submit the Training and Event Access Support request form at least two weeks prior to the event. DYCF may not be able to fulfill requests made less than two weeks in advance.

Questions?

Email Laurie Thomas at Laurie.Thomas@dcyf.wa.gov, or Michelle Baker, at michelle.baker@dcyf.wa.gov.

*CLAs and ESIT Provider Agencies, please widely share with your ESIT contractors*

ESIT's Resource and Sustainability Team is hosting several Fiscal Learning Opportunities! Priority registration will be given to budget/fiscal staff.

Revenue/Expenditure Year-End Report Sessions

Year-End Revenue/Expenditure Report Sessions will include guidance on completing your organization’s FY24 ESIT Revenue & Expenditure Year-End Report using the updated instructions and template within the Fiscal Workbook.

Dates and Times

• Tuesday, Sept. 9 | 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.  | Registration
• Wednesday, Sept. 10 | 9 – 10 a.m.  | Registration
• Tuesday, Sept. 23 | 10 – 11 a.m.   | Registration *for County Lead Agencies and their affiliated ESIT Provider Agencies.

Fiscal Workshops

Fiscal Workshops will include guidance on the following topics:

• Part C Purpose and Fiscal Requirements,
• State Lead Agency (SLA) Responsibilities, and
• ESIT Fund Sources and Contracts.

* Workshops are two hours. All workshops will cover the same material (no need to attend all four).

Dates and Times

• Wednesday, Oct. 8 | 9 – 11 a.m.  | Registration
• Wednesday, Nov. 12 | 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.  | Registration
• Wednesday, Feb. 4 | 9 – 11 a.m.  | Registration
• Wednesday, March 4 | 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.   | Registration

Accommodation Requests

ASL, live captioning, and other accommodations to fully participate in this webinar are available to you upon request. Please submit the Training and Event Access Support request form at least two weeks prior to the event. DYCF may not be able to fulfill requests made less than two weeks in advance.

Questions?

Email Kali Wraspir at kali.wraspir@dcyf.wa.gov.

Resources for Families Impacted by Immigration-Related Concerns

DCYF is excited to announce that the Family Separation Rapid Response Team Resource Flyer is now available in multiple languages on the DCYF website.

This is a comprehensive list of trusted resources for families at risk of separation due to immigration-related detention or deportation.

View and download the flyer here: Resources for Families Impacted by Immigration-Related Concerns

To learn more, read the web article.

Washington Continues to Offer Free to Low-Cost Early Care and Education to Families in Need

As you may be aware, the federal government has announced a policy change related to several federal funding streams, including Head Start, that could impact the ability for undocumented families to access educational programs for young children.

We are still assessing the impact of this federal policy shift. However, families — regardless of their immigration status--continue to have access to the following free to low-cost child care and early learning programs offered by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

View this bulletin to learn more about Working Connections Childcare (WCCC) and ECEAP.

Spread the Word about Free/Low-Cost Child Care

Many families living in Washington state qualify for free or low-cost child care, but they may not know about it. You can help by sharing information with parents, caregivers, and your community.

The Washington state Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) has put together a toolkit with ready-to-use materials that make spreading the word easy!

Visit www.dcyf.wa.gov/childcare/toolkit to access printable flyers, sample social media posts, and email templates.

Whether you work directly with families or want to help your community stay informed, these resources make it easy to connect families to the support they need.

Want to know more about the Working Connections Child Care Subsidy Program? Visit www.dcyf.wa.gov/childcare or call 844-626-8687. Help is available by phone in multiple languages.

From the Barnard Center Free Lecture Series, this talk will explore how a mother’s unresolved trauma stemming from abuse or the loss of significant others can affect the quality of care she provides for her child. Specifically, we will describe frightening and anomalous caregiving behaviors over their child’s first two years of life and show video examples. We will discuss how these early experiences relate to emotional and behavior problems in middle childhood. Finally, we will discuss the implications of this research for clinical intervention.

Register, read more, and learn about the presenter, Deborah Jacobvitz, Ph.D., the Phyllis L. Richards Endowed Professor in Child Development at the University of Texas:

Sept. 22 | 9 - 10:15 a.m. | Free
Frightening and Anomalous Maternal Behavior in the First Two Years of Life and Its Impact on Children’s Development

The current cohort of Tribal Early Learning Initiative (TELI), which started in early 2022, will end in December 2025. In addition to providing universal technical assistance to 41 TELI Network Tribes, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has been partnering with 8 TELI Collaborative Tribes to provide intensive support to assist them in planning and carrying out their priorities to improve efficiencies and be more responsive to the needs of young Native children and their families. The new TELI cohort will run from January 2026 to December 2028 and will emphasize food security and nutrition. To learn more about TELI, view the TELI informational flyer.

To apply to participate in the TELI Collaborative, please fill out the Statement of Interest and submit to TribalECD@acf.hhs.gov by Friday, Oct. 31.  

This free, virtual conversation series, form Brazelton Touchpoints Center, offers a warm and inviting opportunity to connect with other parents and families of children with differences in or challenges to their development. Through conversations with parents of children with developmental differences, challenges, or disabilities, we explore the unique as well as common experiences of loving and raising children whose developmental process and journey is delayed or atypical. We discuss the challenges and joys of family life with children with a wide array of ways of being in the world. Over the four conversations, we cover topics near and dear to the hearts and experiences of families as we all learn from each other how to best support and advocate for our children, the whole family, and our communities. 

Sign up for one or all, everyone is welcome! The conversations are on the following Mondays:

• Oct. 20 | Noon – 1 p.m.
• Nov. 17 | Noon – 1 p.m.
• Dec. 15 | Noon – 1 p.m.

Learn more and register to Parenting While Rising to Child Developmental Challenges