DEEL Spring 2023 Newsletter
April 5, 2023
DEEL’s spring newsletter is available now! This issue highlights Seattle Preschool Program applications now open for the 2023-24 school year, and levy-supported classroom strategies supporting success.
New Strategies for Student Success Top of Mind for Levy Partners
April 4, 2023
DEEL staff and members of the FEPP Levy Oversight Committee (LOC) visit preschool through 12th grade classrooms throughout the school year to learn more about how levy supports and interventions are promoting student success
Seattle Preschool Program Adds 7 New Classrooms; Applications for 2023-24 School Year Now Open
March 15, 2023
Seattle’s award-winning preschool program is expanding to 89 sites citywide, including 28 dual-language classrooms supporting instruction in eight languages.
Join Our Upcoming Info Session for the SPP Expansion Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
December 14, 2022
Applications to join the Seattle Preschool Program for the 2023-24 school year are due January 18. Last week, DEEL announced the opening of a new Request for Qualifications (RFQ) opportunity to solicit applications from qualified early learning providers in Seattle for the opportunity to join the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP),… [ Keep reading ]
11 Organizations Awarded $1.6M in Community Grants to Support Equitable Birth Outcomes and Early Childhood Development
October 27, 2022
The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) has announced $1.6 million in grants for 11 community organizations as part of the Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) 2022 Prenatal-to-Three Community Grant Program, which aims to improve kindergarten readiness and reduce outcome disparities for young children and families based on race, gender, or other socioeconomic factors.
DEEL Fall 2022 Newsletter
October 12, 2022
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.
FEPP LOC Field Trips Highlight Learning in Action
October 11, 2022
From July through early October, DEEL’s school and community partners welcomed the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy Oversight Committee (LOC) to observe programs in action and learn more about each investment area. Field trips were organized for nine DEEL-funded programs ranging from preschool through postsecondary.
Leilani Dela Cruz Announced as DEEL Early Learning Division Director
October 5, 2022
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.
Kindergarten Readiness Gets a Boost from Summer-Extension Programming, a Pandemic-Era Adaptation to the Seattle Preschool Program with Lasting Benefits
September 22, 2022
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.
DEEL Awards $782K for Seattle Preschool Program Facilities Improvements and Celebrates Start of SPP’s 8th School Year
September 13, 2022
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.