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

Department of Education and Early Learning

DEEL Invests Over $440K in Community-Driven Programs Supporting Black Girls, Young Women, and Black Queer and Transgender Youth 

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NEWS RELEASE 

Bruce Harrell, Mayor 

Dwane Chappelle, Director 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

January 12, 2022 

Contact: Sage Leibenson, sage.leibenson@seattle.gov, 206.507.6701    

DEEL Invests Over $440K in Community-Driven Programs Supporting Black Girls, Young Women, and Black Queer and Transgender Youth 

Programs will provide culturally-responsive leadership development, mentorship and dedicated safe spaces 

SEATTLE (January 12) – Today, the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) announced more than $440,000 in grant awards for the Black Girls, Young Women, Black Queer and Transgender Youth Request for Investment to support positive identity development and social-emotional learning for middle- and high-school age youth in Seattle. Six community-based organizations will receive awards ranging from $69,000 to $75,000 to provide culturally-responsive programs designed to support Black girls and Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) youth with leadership skills, mentorship, dedicated safe spaces and mental wellness services. Three of six organizations are first-time grant recipients from DEEL, and the majority of programs will serve students in the Central District and South Seattle. Programming will occur during the 2021-2022 school year and will serve over 200 youth. 

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Seattle Developmental Bridge Program: A partnership between DEEL, King County Developmental Disabilities & Early Childhood Supports Division, Wonderland Child & Family Services, Northwest Center and Boyer Children’s Clinic

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A toddler smiles for the photo!

For children with disabilities and developmental delays, accessing services early can help them build a strong foundation for success in kindergarten and beyond. Early education and therapy services have been shown to help children build the important functional daily living skills they need to thrive in school and in life. DEEL is proud to partner with the Developmental Bridge Program to ensure families of young children in Seattle who are eligible for developmental support services have access to them at no cost.  

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DEEL Awards Nearly $1.5 Million to Community-Based Organizations to Support Equitable Birth Outcomes and Kindergarten Readiness for Families with Young Children

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NEWS RELEASE 

Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor 

Dwane Chappelle, Director 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

December 21, 2021  

Contact: Sage Leibenson, sage.leibenson@seattle.gov, 206.507.6701  

DEEL Awards Nearly $1.5 Million to Community-Based Organizations to Support Equitable Birth Outcomes and Kindergarten Readiness for Families with Young Children 

Funding will provide new parents and caregivers with culturally-responsive prenatal services and parent education 

SEATTLE (December 21) – Today, the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) announced nearly $1.5M in awards for the Prenatal-to-Three Community Grant Program to increase equitable birth and kindergarten readiness outcomes for young families. This grant program is designed to support community-based organizations to identify challenges families with young children are experiencing and implement their own community-driven solutions.  

Funding will result in programming ranging from culturally- and linguistically-responsive home visiting services, parent education, mentorship, pregnancy wellness and social support services. Ten community-based organizations have been approved for funding ranging from $114,632 to $150,000 per awardee. All grantee organizations are led by people of color with most programs located in southeast Seattle. 

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FEPP Levy Year 1 Shows Promising Results for Educational Equity

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DEEL is excited to share our Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy Year 1 Report for the 2019-2020 School Year!* In the first year of implementation, the FEPP Levy showed encouraging results in our efforts to advance educational equity, close opportunity gaps, and build a better future for Seattle students.

Racial equity results and highlights we saw in Year 1 of the FEPP Levy include:

  • Increased access to high quality affordable preschool through our Seattle Preschool Program
  • Improved high school graduation rates for Levy-supported high schools
  • Encouraging college retention rates for our Seattle Promise scholars
  • Narrowing of race-based opportunity gaps in kindergarten readiness and four-year high school graduation rates

A full copy of the report can be viewed here.

DEEL would like to thank all our FEPP Levy partners who have helped bring this work to life by providing direct services to Seattle children, youth and families and professional development and systems-building support to our providers. Together, we are creating greater opportunity for our students furthest from educational justice and a stronger economic future for our city.

For media inquiries and other questions about this report, please contact education@seattle.gov.

* A version of this report was shared in summer 2021 with City Council and our FEPP Levy Oversight Committee

DEEL Awards Nearly $3M to Child Care Workers in Appreciation of Their Service to Seattle Families Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic

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DEEL Awards Nearly $3M to Child Care Workers in Appreciation of Their Service to Seattle Families Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic  

City will provide over 3,500 Workers up to $835 By New Year’s Holiday 

SEATTLE (December 7) – Building on a series of investments to support child care providers throughout the pandemic, Dr. Dwane Chappelle, Director of the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL), joined members of the Seattle City Council, child care workers and education partners to announce $2.9 million in Child Care Recognition Payments as part of the Seattle Rescue Plan. Over 3,500 workers will receive a one-time payment in appreciation of their important service provided to Seattle children and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Workers at 537 programs serving approximately 20,000 children citywide will receive payments. Sixty-nine percent of payment recipients, which include both center-based and Family Child Care providers, identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. Fifty-nine percent of the programs are located in historically under-resourced neighborhoods in southeast and southwest Seattle.  

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Mayor Durkan Announces Municipal Match Partnership with Washington State Opportunity Scholarship to Strengthen STEM Pathways for Seattle Promise Scholars

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Scholarships of Up to $22,500 Available to Strengthen Financial Supports for Students Pursuing STEM and Healthcare Careers 

Speaker-Emeritus Frank Chopp, LD 23 Representative Drew Hansen, WSOS Executive Director Kimber Connors, Seattle Promise and WSOS Scholar Albany Garcia, Mayor Jenny Durkan, Microsoft President Brad Smith, South Seattle Colleges President Dr. Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, and DEEL Director Dwane Chappelle smile for the camera after announcing the new municipal partnership with WSOS.
From L-to-R: LD 43 Speaker-Emeritus Frank Chopp, LD 23 Representative Drew Hansen, WSOS Executive Director Kimber Connors, Seattle Promise and WSOS Scholar Albany Garcia, Mayor Jenny Durkan, Microsoft President Brad Smith, South Seattle Colleges President Dr. Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, and DEEL Director Dwane Chappelle.

SEATTLE (November 18) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, DEEL, and partners from education, philanthropy and STEM industries announced a new partnership with the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS) to strengthen pathways to college and career advancement for Seattle Promise scholars pursuing jobs in the trades, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and health care. Seattle is the first city in Washington State to become a municipal partner for this competitive scholarship, ensuring Seattle Promise scholars have access to continued financial aid and support as they successfully complete the Seattle Promise program and transition to furthering their education at another institution.  

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Announcing Over $945K in Seattle Preschool Program Facilities Improvements

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NEWS RELEASE

Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor

Dwane Chappelle, Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 28, 2021

Contact: Sage Leibenson, sage.leibenson@seattle.gov, 206-507-6701

Announcing Over $945K in Seattle Preschool Program Facilities Improvements

Funded projects will result in safe, high-quality learning environments for Seattle preschoolers

SEATTLE (October 27) – The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) has announced more than $945,000 in awards to improve five early learning facilities participating in the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP). Investments will create new outdoor learning spaces, fund critical plumbing upgrades and support architectural design and permitting fees for the construction of a new six-classroom early learning facility in the Othello neighborhood of South Seattle. Four of five preschool providers awarded funding are operated by women of color and serve linguistically and culturally diverse students in West Seattle, South Seattle, Central District and Downtown.

As part of the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) levy, DEEL’s SPP facilities funds are designed to build, upgrade and renovate preschool classrooms and increase enrollment capacity for Seattle’s nationally-recognized preschool program. Funding for preschool facilities projects is awarded annually to center, school and home-based SPP providers.

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Seattle Promise Scholars Exceed National Trends Despite Pandemic

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NEWS RELEASE 

Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor 

Dwane Chappelle, Director 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

October 27, 2021

Revised: November 3, 2021  

Contact: Sage Leibenson, Sage.Leibenson@seattle.gov, 206-507-6701

Seattle Promise Scholars Exceed National Trends Despite Pandemic

Applications Currently Open for Class of 2022 Graduating Seniors

SEATTLE (November 3, 2021) – Following record enrollment in the Seattle Promise program in Fall of 2020, the program is now celebrating record setting degree completion rates. In 2021, more than 80 Promise scholars completed their post-secondary degrees exceeding national two-year and three-year college completion trends.  

Among students who began college in Fall 2018, more than 20 additional Promise scholars, 75% of whom are students of color, completed their degrees within three years. In total, the 2018 cohort achieved a 37% three-year graduation rate, which exceeds the average national three-year completion rate of 28% reported by the National Center for Education Statistics. The Seattle Promise program also celebrates 2-year completion rates of 24% for the 2018 cohort and 20% for the 2019 cohort.  

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Fall 2021 DEEL Newsletter

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DEEL and ReWa partners pose for a photo! Depicted in the image is Monica-Liang Aguirre, Early Learning Director of DEEL; Susan Lee, ELC Director of Operations of Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWa); Mahnaz Eshetu, Executive Director of ReWa; Dr. Dwane Chapelle, Director of DEEL. 
Image Above: (L-to-R): Monica-Liang Aguirre, Early Learning Director of DEEL; Susan Lee, ELC Director of Operations of Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWa); Mahnaz Eshetu, Executive Director of ReWa; Dr. Dwane Chapelle, Director of DEEL. 

DEEL’s fall 2021 newsletter is here! DEEL is proud to welcome our City’s brilliant scholars back to classrooms for in-person learning. In this issue, we share stories about how the education community continues to support students throughout the pandemic from early learning to postsecondary. We also kick off the new school year by sharing information about resources that support student success and wellness including the Child Care Assistance Program, Seattle Preschool Program enrollment, School-Based Health Center services, and more! 

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DEEL Provides Take-Home Activity Kits to Support Early Learning and Healthy Child Development Throughout Pandemic

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Contributors: Gabriella Caferro, QPPD Administrative Specialist and Early Learning Coaches Emily Zartman, Fanny Yang, Aaron Jeffers, Shawn Harris, Katie Culler, Amina Sudduth

Preschoolers at First Place School pose for a photo with their DEEL home learning kits in September 2020! Pictured on the left is Sumaya with her parent Semera Hussein; on the right is Zainab. 
Preschoolers at First Place School pose for a photo with their DEEL home learning kits in September 2020! Pictured on the left is Sumaya with her parent Semera Hussein; on the right is Zainab. 

As the summer comes to an end, DEEL is shining a light on how schools and community-based organizations prepared students for in-person learning for their return to classrooms this fall. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting several programs that provided increased academic, social and emotional learning opportunities that support student wellness and success. In this article, we feature Seattle Preschool Program’s home learning kits which provided families with materials to support their child’s learning and development from home throughout the pandemic.  

When the pandemic began, keeping 3- and 4-year-olds engaged through remote learning proved to be a challenge for parents and teachers. Early learning research shows us that at this age, children rely heavily on sensory exploration to build an understanding of the world around them. Interacting with tangible objects makes important sensory connections in children’s brains and builds important foundations for learning and development. As the rich learning environment of preschool classrooms was altered to a virtual format, families’ access to the wide assortment of materials typically found in a preschool classroom was limited. Families and educators found themselves in new, uncharted territory.  

To address this need for Seattle’s youngest learners, the Department of Education and Early Learning’s (DEEL) Quality Practice and Professional Development (QPPD) team developed home-learning kits for children enrolled in DEEL-sponsored early learning programs such as birth-to-three services, Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), and SPP Pathway programs to increase parent engagement in their child’s learning and support healthy childhood development from home.  

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