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

Department of Education and Early Learning

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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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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Child Care Recognition Payment Applications Are Open Now!

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Are you an administrator or child care provider at a DCYF-licensed family child care or center based program located within the boundaries of the City of Seattle?  If so, you may be eligible to apply for a child care recognition payment!

In appreciation of the valuable work Seattle home-based and center-based child care workers have been performing during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the City of Seattle allocated over $2.9M from the Seattle Rescue Plan to offer child care workers a recognition payment. The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is proud to partner with Child Care Resources (CCR) to distribute these funds. The Seattle Childcare Business Coalition (SCBC), in collaboration with the Economic Opportunity Institute, was instrumental in the development of this opportunity and passionately advocated on behalf of childcare workers.

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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 Extends Childcare Copay Relief for Families through June

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Child Care Assistance Program and Seattle Parks & Recreation school-age programs accepting new enrollments with 50% off family copays in Rainier Beach, West Seattle, Magnolia, and citywide.

SEATTLE (March 11, 2021) – The City of Seattle is extending childcare copay relief for income-eligible families through June 2021 in the Department of Education and Early Learning’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and Seattle Parks and Recreation’s child care programs. Both programs are accepting new enrollments at providers and locations across the city, as more businesses prepare to open and more parents return to work.

“It has been a year since school buildings first closed and parents began navigating how to provide safe and affordable care for their children during the pandemic. Extending our childcare copay relief recognizes the long impact COVID-19 has had—and continues to have—on our families and communities, and we hope it will help relieve some of the strain parents are feeling as they continue dealing with the effects of COVID-19 on their families,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan.

“Accessible and safe childcare is integral to our economic recovery. Vaccination and childcare access, together, will help speed our efforts to safely re-open and work to recover from the COVID-19 recession and impacts. I am delighted to see the city’s childcare investments making an immediate impact for families to continue to receive this vital service, providing stability and safety for both children and their parents,” said Seattle City Council President M. Lorena González (Position 9, Citywide).

The City first announced copay relief in November, with family copays (the amount families owe after their subsidy or scholarship is applied) being waived 100 percent for the final two months of 2020. In late December, Mayor Durkan announced families would receive 50 percent off childcare copays for CCAP and SPR childcare programs from January to March, and this latest announcement extends the 50 percent copay benefit through the end of June. Income-eligible families who sign up for CCAP or who qualify for a scholarship for SPR programs will immediately receive the added assistance.

Monica, a parent whose son is enrolled in the full-day SPR school-age childcare program in Queen Anne, said, “This has been an extraordinarily stressful year financially for me, not to mention the stress of online school. The financial assistance the City has provided allows us to afford other necessities and, more importantly, to keep my son enrolled at the community center for support with his remote schooling.” 

“We’ve long known how vital high-quality, affordable childcare is for families, and this has been especially true during a challenging year when many families are facing loss of income while also needing full-day care for their school-age children,” said DEEL Director Dwane Chappelle. “We’re glad to continue making quality, affordable care more accessible as we move closer to recovery, and we want more families know about these opportunities as many begin going go back to work.”

DEEL’s Child Care Assistance Program helps low- and moderate-income working families or families with a parent attending school or a qualified job-training program to pay for child care for children ages one month through 12 years. CCAP subsidies can be used at any one of the City’s 205 participating CCAP providers.

Seattle Parks and Recreation currently offers full-day care at 17 sites for children ages 5 to 12 and provides children with remote learning supports, enrichment activities, and nutritious meals and snacks. Income-eligible families can receive a scholarship for the program, as well as the additional 50% copay assistance through June 2021. All locations currently have openings for full or partial-week care, with the highest capacity at sites in Queen Anne, Magnolia, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle.

For more information or to enroll at one of Seattle Parks & Recreation’s school-age childcare programs, call 206-615-1276 or visit the SPR website. To apply for the Child Care Assistance Program, which includes care for infants and toddlers, call 206-386-1050 or visit seattle.gov/ccap.

Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning’s mission is to transform the lives of Seattle children, youth, and families through strategic investments in education. www.seattle.gov/education

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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. 

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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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.