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

Department of Education and Early Learning

Classroom Expansion and New Dual-Language Programs Mark New Year of Seattle Preschool Program

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This week, at the Denise Louie Education Center in the Chinatown/International District, Mayor Bruce Harrell and Seattle DEEL Director Dwane Chappelle joined Denise Louie Director Susan Yang to announce the opening of Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) applications for the 2022-2023 school year and the expansion of seven new classrooms for the program’s eighth year.

Tuesday’s event also celebrated the delivery of more than 8,700 home learning kits that have been provided to SPP families throughout the pandemic to encourage parent engagement and support sensory exploration and important foundations for learning and development. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the teachers and faculty at Denise Louie,” said SPP parent Liling Kong, who also spoke at today’s press conference. “I’m so grateful for the way they provide motivating lessons, help [my daughter] set realistic goals, and encourage learning and improving skills. They have such wonderful teachers at this school, and I can’t thank you all enough.”

This year, SPP will add seven new classrooms and 144 additional seats, allowing the City to serve up to 2,144 preschoolers this upcoming school year with its award-winning, high-quality programming. Two of the new classrooms will offer dual-language programming, including SPP’s first Somali-English classroom at Voices of Tomorrow Family and Child Center in South Seattle. Two new SPP Plus classrooms that provide inclusive programming for children with disabilities will open at Seattle Public Schools sites.

Denise Louie Education Center serves more than 500 children, ages birth to five, across multiple sites. Executive Director Susan Yang said, “The Seattle Preschool Program has grown into a national model for other cities and Denise Louie proudly hosts four classrooms across the city. We thank the City for their leadership and support through the pandemic, and the Mayor for his long-term commitment to early learning.”

Families can apply for Seattle Preschool Program at seattle.gov/applySPP. Translated applications are available and additional language assistance is provided for those who need help completing the application process by calling DEEL at 206-386-1050 or emailing preschool@seattle.gov.

Read the full press announcement here.

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

Kingmakers of Seattle Expands to Franklin and Cleveland STEM High Schools for 2021-2022 School Year

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This summer, the Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) announced that the Kingmakers of Seattle (KoS) program, part of the Culturally Specific and Responsive investments area under the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy, will expand to two additional schools beginning in the 2021-2022 school year. Franklin High School and Cleveland STEM High School will join the program’s four pilot schools—Interagency High School and Aki Kurose, Asa Mercer, and Denny International Middle Schools—bringing the total number of schools offering Kingmakers to six. Kingmakers of Seattle offers positive identity development, academic knowledge, and social-emotional skills for Black male students by expanding access to culturally responsive programming.

“We are excited to offer the Kingmakers program to more of our Seattle students starting this fall,” said DEEL Director Dwane Chappelle, “especially at a time when students need greater connection and the support of positive role models who understand the challenges they are facing. This expansion to Franklin and Cleveland High Schools also creates new connections from middle school to high school for students of color who’ve already engaged in the Kingmakers program, strengthening the pathway to graduation and students’ college and career readiness.”  

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Thank You, Seattle Child Care Providers and Educators!

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Child care providers, early learning educators, youth development workers, and K-12 teachers play an essential role in the development of our children and a strong social infrastructure. Their value has never been more apparent than during the last year, when life and learning for Seattle’s children and youth took on a drastically different format.

DEEL is deeply grateful for all of our city’s child care providers and educators for their support and nurturing care of Seattle students and families over the last year. They have supported children and families in countless ways, adapted to the challenges of remote learning, and kept students engaged and connected to their school community – and we appreciate all that they do!

In recognition of their service to families and students, Mayor Jenny Durkan has proclaimed today, May 7th, as Child Care Provider and Educator Appreciation Day.

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City Announces New Seattle Preschool Program Classrooms and Opening of 2021-2022 Applications

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This week, the City of Seattle announced that applications for the 2021-2022 school year for the Seattle Preschool Program are now open. The program also welcomed three new partner agencies and 14 new classrooms to be added in the fall, bringing the total number of SPP classrooms to 129 and total number of preschool slots to more than 2,000.  

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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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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. 

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.

Child Care Copay Relief for Families Announced through the End of 2020

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The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) recently announced all remaining costs for families participating in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) will be covered through the end of 2020. Families not yet participating in CCAP are encouraged to apply by emailing DEEL at ccap@seattle.gov or calling (206) 386-1050.

“CCAP has a long history helping families alleviate the costs of child care,” said DEEL Director Dwane Chappelle. “This fall, we’ve heard from both providers and families about the difficulties families are facing in covering the cost of care due to school closures and other economic impacts. Our team at DEEL is thrilled about this opportunity to put more money back into families’ pockets as we enter the holiday season.”

The CCAP Copay Relief announcement was also made in conjunction with news from Seattle Parks and Recreation that SPR’s childcare programs will also cover family costs through December 2020. Read the full press release from the Mayor’s office last Friday announcing the news for both of these City childcare programs serving families during this school year that has brought so many challenges for both parents and young learners.

The immediate response from CCAP families has been extremely positive as they learned about the financial relief they’d be receiving just ahead of the holiday season. “What this program does for struggling families never ceases to amaze me,” one parent wrote to the DEEL team. “I’d like to thank the entire organization for checking in and doing the best they can to support community members.”

For more information on the Child Care Assistance Program, visit seattle.gov/ccap.