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

Department of Education and Early Learning

Announcing Over $945K in Seattle Preschool Program Facilities Improvements

by

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.

[Read more…]

Fall 2021 DEEL Newsletter

by

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! 

[Read more…]

DEEL Invests In Youth Leaders To Address Bias, Hate, and Discrimination with new $100K Mini-Grant

by

NEWS RELEASE 

Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor 

Dwane Chappelle, Director 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

September 15, 2021 

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

DEEL Invests In Youth Leaders To Address Bias, Hate, and Discrimination with new $100K Mini-Grant

Funding available now to support social justice projects led by Seattle youth ages 12-24

SEATTLE (September 15) – This week, the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) opened the application for a new Youth-Led Social Justice Mini-Grant which will invest up to $100,000 toward youth-led social justice projects to address hate and bias toward Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI), Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC), and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities. Grants of $500-$8,000 per applicant will be awarded through a non-competitive process. 

[Read more…]

DEEL Announces $1.45 Million in Funding to Support Parents and Children Ages 0-3

by

NEWS RELEASE 

Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor 

Dwane Chappelle, Director 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

August 31, 2021  

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

Announcing $1.45 Million in Funding to Support Parents and Children Ages 0-3

DEEL’s new Prenatal-To-Three Community Grant Program is now accepting applications from community-based organizations 

SEATTLE (August 31) – This week, the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) announced a new Prenatal-to-Three Community Grant Program which will invest $1.45 million in equitable birth outcomes and increased early childhood development services for Black, indigenous, people of color, refugee and immigrant families. Programs eligible for funding can include, but are not limited to, maternal health services, pregnancy support and parent education for families who are expecting or are current parents of children ages 0-3. Funding will be awarded through a competitive request for investment process, with up to $150,000 available per awardee. 

The Prenatal-to-Three Community Grant Program is funded through the City of Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT). Approved by City Council in May 2017, SBT tax revenue funds programs that increase access to nutritious food and supports child health, development and learning. This grant will reduce race-based opportunity gaps by funding organizations that provide parents of color with supportive resources and services to support child development and kindergarten readiness. 

[Read more…]

Meet DEEL’s SYEP Interns: Kyra and Lul

by

Contributors: Kyra and Lul, Seattle Youth Employment Interns

Meet Kyra and Lul, two Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) interns who joined DEEL’s Communications Team for the summer! Work-based learning helps inspire and prepare students with the skills they need to achieve their post-secondary goals. We’re proud to have welcomed these two bright young people to our team to learn about social media management, communication strategy and what it’s like to work at a public agency.  

[Read more…]

Celebrating Over 8,049 Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines Administered at Seattle Public Schools

by

Seattle Fire Department Captain Berry administering a COVID-19 vaccine to a student at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in June.  

During May and June, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) hosted COVID-19 pop-up vaccination clinics for students ages 12 years and older with parental consent at school sites citywide. Parents, guardians and family members were also invited to receive vaccines at select school sites to provide accessible options to get vaccinated before school was dismissed for summer. Each participating school hosted at least two clinics to help families receive both their first and second doses of the vaccine. These school-based clinics resulted in a total of 8,049 doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered to students and families before the end of the 2020-2021 school year. 

[Read more…]

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

by

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.”  

[Read more…]

DEEL Partners with Community Organizations to Offer Expanded Learning and Enrichment Programs to Support K-12 Students This Summer

by

$1M in Investments Will Go to Expand and Enhance Community-Based Programs Supporting Student Success and Wellness in Response to COVID-19 

Community Organizations Offer Expanded Learning & Enrichment Programs for K12 Students This Summer

Earlier this month, the Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) announced $1 million in Community-Based Summer Enhancement and COVID-19 Response Funds to expand summer programs for more than 1,300 K-12 students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs, which run from late June through August 2021, will help students better prepare for academic success and social-emotional well-being this fall as students and schools return to full-time learning in the classroom.  

Seventeen community-based organizations received awards ranging from $5,720 to $100,000 to enhance or expand a diverse array of student enrichment opportunities, including reading, writing, STEM, social justice, college mentorship, career exploration, physical fitness, and arts. These programs, many of which are concentrated in South Seattle, provide K-12 students with greater access to academic supports and culturally responsive enrichment experiences promoting physical wellness and social-emotional learning. Of the 17 award recipients, eight are first-time funding recipients from DEEL.  

[Read more…]

Seeking Youth Input: Survey to Inform Future Youth-Led Social Justice Projects

by

DEEL is seeking is seeking feedback from Seattle youth to develop a mini-grant that will provide funding for youth-led projects – by youth, for youth – that speak out against racism and other forms of bias and hate. Help inform this process by filling out this quick and easy survey:

Youth Survey (ages 12-24): tinyurl.com/deelyouthsurvey 

Are you in need of funding to support a social justice project? Youth can fill out this survey to help inform the process.

Please help share this survey with youth and local organizations in your community! This survey will close on Friday Aug. 6, at 6:00pm. 

Seeking Youth & Community Input: Survey to Inform Future Programs Benefitting Black Girls, Young Women and Black Queer and Transgender Youth

by

DEEL is seeking feedback from Seattle youth and adults to develop a funding opportunity that will serve Black girls, young women, and Black queer and transgender youth. You can help inform how DEEL designs this process by completing the following surveys: 

Youth Survey (ages 10-21): tinyurl.com/2021yth

Adult Survey (ages 22+): tinyurl.com/2021csrad

Please help us spread the word about this survey to youth and local organizations in your community!

This survey will close on August 5th.