DEEL’s fall 2022 newsletter is available now! This issue features investments in Seattle Preschool Program Summer Extension, International Baccalaureate programming at Rainier Beach High School, and educator diversity. Also highlighted is DEEL’s proposed 2023 budget, a spotlight on our new Early Learning Division Director, Leilani Dela Cruz, and supportive student and family resources from preschool to postsecondary.
DEEL recently announced Leilani Dela Cruz as the new director of the department’s Early Learning Division, overseeing the City of Seattle’s investments in early learning and child care.
Last week, hundreds of Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) participants started kindergarten better prepared and with more confidence around the big transition to school. That’s because preschool classes were extended through the summer for the second consecutive year, with some programs having as many as 10 weeks of extended programming.
The Department of Education and Early Learning has announced $782,000 in facilities funding for six Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) providers, including first-time awards to three home-based Family Child Care (FCC) programs. The announcement also celebrates the start of the eighth year of SPP, which has expanded from serving 283 students in 2015 to having capacity for more than 2,100 students for the 2022-2023 school year.
The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) has announced open applications for the 2022 Prenatal-to-Three Community Grant Program, with $1.4 million in funding available from revenue generated by the City’s Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT). The grant program will support community-based organizations serving children aged birth to three, pregnant individuals, and guardians of children aged birth to three within the city of Seattle to support equitable birth outcomes and increased early childhood development services.
SEATTLE (August 31) – The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) announced today awards of $893K to six organizations to expand pathways into the education field and support worker retention for educators of color. Building on recommendations from the Equitable Communities Initiative, Educator Diversity funding will support up to 5,200 educators through recruitment, program completion and other professional development, and mentorship. Funds will also expand organizations’ capacity to help further their reach and impact.
Rainier Beach High School’s (RBHS) uniquely accessible IB-for-All program served 75 percent of 2022’s graduating class, representing 156 seniors, on their paths to universities and careers in 2021-22. International Baccalaureate (IB) has historically been perceived as an exclusive program, but RBHS is breaking the mold—students are taking IB courses in record numbers, representing one of the highest percentages of dual-credit scholars matriculating to postsecondary programs in Washington State.
This week, payments will begin going out to 631 Seattle providers who are receiving a flexible-spending stabilization grant from the City’s Department of Education and Early Learning to support ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, 4,589 Seattle child care workers will receive a one-time staff retention payment between $400-500, as part of $7.4 million in joint funding from the City of Seattle and King County to support the region’s child care workers.
This article spotlights DEEL’s staff unit of CCAP Education Specialists, who support child care providers partnering with the City of Seattle as part of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).
