What’s the DEEL? Department of Education and Early Learning

Department of Education and Early Learning

Seattle Preschool Grows with Help of Seattle Facilities Funds

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Tiny Tots Directors in Construction Hats
(L-R) Jacqualine Boles, Tiny Tots Director of Health and Family Services; Angelia Hicks-Maxie, Chief Executive Officer; Marcell Lyons, Childcare Compliance Officer

Angelia Hicks-Maxie got into the childcare business, in part because she loves helping kids, but also to follow in her mother’s footsteps. She had dreams to expand Tiny Tots Development Center, first founded by her mother in 1969 as an in-home child care operation, into a multisite, full-service early learning center. 

As an energetic addition to the business in the late 1990s, Hicks-Maxie had a lot of ideas. It was clear to her she would need to seek outside funds to bring those ideas to life, but finding the right sources is no easy task and growth took time.

“Without funding, preschool programs can’t grow. We’re not a profit center. In child care, you make about enough to cover your expenses and pay your staff—and not what they should be paid—and you’re struggling with that. There is no room for you to dip into a fund and say I’m going to get some capital for a new building.” 

Angelia Hicks-Maxie, SPP Provider Facilities Fund Awardee

Along the way, Angelia learned about the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) Facilities Fund, which invests in the expansion and improvement of high-quality learning environments for participation in the City’s award-winning preschool program. SPP provides Seattle three- and four-year-olds with access to high-quality, culturally responsive preschool services that improve kindergarten readiness and support subsequent academic achievement.  

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Child Care Stabilization Awards Announced

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This week, the City of Seattle announced that 506 grants have been awarded through the Child Care Stabilization Fund to child care providers throughout Seattle, totaling over $2.3 million. Funds will be disbursed to 344 licensed child care providers and school-age only programs and to 162 family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers.  

“We’ve seen how child care providers have been impacted throughout this pandemic and yet have continued to show up for Seattle children and families,” said DEEL Director Dwane Chappelle. “I want to thank our partners at Child Care Resources for their work in supporting our providers and helping disburse these much-needed funds as quickly as possible. We look forward to continuing to support this critical industry as we make our way to recovery as a city.” 

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Call for Community Volunteers: Join the FEPP Levy Oversight Committee to advise on over $80 million in annual education investments

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Seattle Boards_Seattle DEEL_FEPP logos

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). 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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Seattle Preschool Program Sites Receive Funding for Facilities Improvements

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SEATTLE (February 17, 2021) – The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) has announced that more than $727,000 has been awarded to improve and expand preschool facilities at four locations participating in the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP). All four programs receiving capital funding are owned by women and persons of color who serve linguistically and culturally diverse children in south and central Seattle.

The Seattle Preschool Program facilities funding is part of the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy, and is designed to help providers build, upgrade, and renovate their spaces for SPP, providing increased access to high-quality preschool for Seattle families and contributing to greater kindergarten readiness for the City’s youngest learners. This year’s investment will improve existing classrooms, develop a new community-inspired playground, and add 20 new SPP slots for children to attend the City’s award-winning program.

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Child Care Stabilization Fund Opens COVID Relief Funding for Seattle Child Care Providers

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Applications for more than $2 million in grants for licensed child care providers, and family, friend, and neighbor caregivers in Seattle opened on January 15, 2021, as part of the City of Seattle’s Child Care Stabilization Fund.

Few sectors have been so essential and yet felt as much financial impact during the COVID-19 pandemic as the child care industry, and DEEL is excited to be working with our partner Child Care Resources, who is adminstering the grant and offering application assistance and language support to child care providers.

Grants up to $10,000 are available for licensed child care providers and school-age only programs operating within Seattle city limits. Grants of $500 are also available to income-eligible family, friend, and neighbor caregivers living in Seattle who care for children aged 0-12 more than 10 hours per week.  

Additional information:

  • LICENSED PROVIDERS & SCHOOL-AGE-ONLY PROGRAMS
    • Application deadline: Wednesday, January 27
    • Provider application: Click here
    • Provider FAQs (eligibility, grant info, etc.): Click here
    • Application documents available in Spanish, Somali, Simplified Chinese, Amharic, Tigrinya, and Vietnamese upon request
    • Contact the Child Care Resources Provider Line at 1-800-446-1114 for lanugage support and assistance in completing applications.

  • FRIEND, FAMILY, & NEIGHBOR CAREGIVERS
    • Application deadline: Friday, January 29
    • FFN application: Click here
    • FFN FAQs (eligibility, grant info, etc.): Click here
    • Application documents available in Spanish, Somali, Simplified Chinese, Amharic, Tigrinya, and Vietnamese upon request.
    • Contact ffn@childcare.org for language support and assistance in completing applications.

Child care stabilization grants are noncompetitive; however, should demand exceed available funds, prioritization will go to FFN caregivers below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and to licensed providers and school-age only programs who are serving families on state or city subsidies or who are in a priority geographic area using the City’s Office of Planning & Community Development’s Race and Social Equity Index. 

Applicants should contact the Child Care Resources Provider Line at 1-800-446-1114 to receive language support and assistance in completing their application. Notification of awards will be sent by February 15, with disbursal of funds beginning in late February. 

Child Care Copay Relief Extended through March with 50% Off Family Costs

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The City of Seattle recently announced that child care copay relief for income-eligible families will be extended through March 2021. The City will cover 50 percent of the remaining copay costs for all families participating in the Department of Education and Early Learning’s (DEEL) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and scholarship-eligible families participating in Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) child care.

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DEEL Chat with Roberto Lopez, Upward Bound Counselor

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Photo: Roberto Lopez, Upward Bound Counselor (L), Javier Najera, Upward Bound Scholar (C), Brenden Brooks, Upward Bound Counselor (R) 
(Photo provided by Roberto Lopez) 

Upward Bound is a national college-readiness program that prepares first-generation college students for higher education. Here in Seattle, Upward Bound is available to rising 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students at two participating high schools: Garfield and Rainier Beach. 

In 2020, DEEL welcomed Roberto Lopez and the Upward Bound (UB) program into our K-12 & Postsecondary team. In this interview, Roberto shares his insight into Seattle’s young UB scholars and the Garfield College Network partners who help these students to thrive. 

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Seattle Preschool Program Wins National Honors Again for High-Quality, Accessible Programming

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Seattle Preschool Program logo

City’s Pre-K program wins its fourth silver medal from national study of the 40 largest U.S. cities.

SEATTLE (December 18, 2020) – Last week, the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) was awarded its fourth silver medal for preschool programming from CityHealth and the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. The honors stem from an annual, national report released by NIEER that rates how 40 of the largest U.S. cities are leading on policies that address health and well-being, including high-quality, accessible pre-K. This is the fourth year in a row that SPP has won a silver medal. Enrollment in both in-person and remote SPP classes is still available for this school year through March 14, 2021. Applications for the 2021-2022 school year will open in March.

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DEEL and Partners Celebrate Seattle Promise Fall 2020 Enrollment

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Last week, the City of Seattle, Seattle Colleges, and Seattle Public Schools celebrated the largest enrollment in Seattle Promise in the program’s history. This fall, 846 Seattle youth are on their way to earning a college degree with two years (or up to 90 credits) of tuition-free postsecondary education and student support services offered by the Seattle Promise program. Read the full press release from the Office of Mayor Durkan here.

“Seattle Promise reflects the collective commitment of our city to eliminate opportunity gaps and help make the dream of higher education a reality for all Seattle students,” said DEEL Director Dwane Chappelle. “We are thrilled at our enrollment numbers for this fall, especially the representation of students of color and first-generation college students.”

This fall, 699 first-year students and 147 second-year students enrolled in Seattle Promise. Sixty-two percent of participants identify as students of color (21% Asian, 18% African American, 18% Hispanic, and 5% multiracial or other race), 26 percent as white, and 12 percent are unknown or unreported. More than one-third of Promise students are the first in their families to attend college.

The Seattle Promise application for Fall 2021 is open until February 1. Graduating seniors in Seattle Public Schools are invited to apply. Visit seattlecolleges.edu/promise for more information and application assistance, including one-on-one support from Seattle Promise outreach specialists.

Interested in Becoming a Seattle Preschool Program Provider?

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The Seattle Preschool Program Request for Qualifications is now OPEN!

The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is excited to announce the opening of the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) Request for Qualifications (RFQ) as part of the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy, passed by voters in 2018. 

The FEPP Levy aims to achieve educational equity, close opportunity gaps, and build a better economic future for Seattle students. FEPP preschool and early learning investments provide access to high-quality early learning services that promote success in kindergarten.

The purpose of this RFQ is to identify qualified early learning providers in Seattle to join the Seattle Preschool Program. DEEL will host two informational webinars to answer questions about this opportunity. Information sessions will be held on Friday, December 11, 2020 and Wednesday, December 16, 2020. Session times and access information will be updated here when available.

Click HERE to learn more about this funding opportunity and access RFQ documents. Submissions will be accepted through January 7, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.

SPP launched in the 2015-16 school year with the goal of providing accessible, high-quality preschool services for Seattle children designed to improve their readiness for school and to support their subsequent academic achievement. DEEL will expand SPP annually with a goal to serve 2,500 children by the 2025-26 school year.

Learn more about SPP and its results here.

Families can apply for SPP participation here.