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

Department of Education and Early Learning

Fabrics of Our Lives: Atlantic Street Center Youth Celebrate Black History   

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At the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, Seattle youth took to the stage to deliver a stellar performance celebrating Black History Month titled, Fabrics of Our Lives.  The play highlighted art, culture, and important moments in American history through tributes to Black civil rights activists, the Harlem Renaissance, Harriet Tubman, the Black Panthers and boy bands of the 1980’s to name only a few. Performers included youth representing Atlantic Street Center (ASC), D&G Dance Company and individual youth performers Tazz Enrico, Skye Dior, and Ashley McCarver.   

The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is proud to partner with ASC to increase access to enrichment and academic experiences for students furthest from educational justice. Research shows that youth are more likely to graduate high school on time and pursue higher education when learning in environments that reflect their cultural identities and building relationships with adults they trust. The Fabrics of Our Lives theater production is one of many ASC youth programs that foster leadership skills, positive identity development, and cultural pride.  

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DEEL Awards $1M to Community-Based Organizations for K-12 Student Learning and Enrichment Programs in Summer 2021

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NEWS RELEASE 

Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor  

Dwane Chappelle, Director 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

July 1, 2021

Contact: Marissa Rousselle, marissa.rouselle@seattle.gov, 206-773-7307 

DEEL Awards $1M to Community-Based Organizations for K-12 Student Learning and Enrichment Programs in Summer 2021

Funding Will Expand and Enhance Community-Based Programs to Support Student Success and Wellness in Response to COVID-19 

SEATTLE (July 1) – This week, the Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) announced $1 million in community investments to enhance summer programs for more than 1,300 K-12 students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funded programs are designed to 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. Programming will occur late June through August 2021. 

“We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on all students – especially low-income students and students in our Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities (BIPoC). This $1 million funding, part of the voter-approved Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy, is much needed as K-12 students prepare to return to in-person learning.” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “DEEL and their partners have worked hard to ensure that students are coming back from a year of remote learning on an even playing field. Quality education and supportive programs are critical to supporting students both in and outside of the classroom. COVID-19 may have changed our city in many ways, but it has not changed the City’s commitment to ensuring all Seattle youth have access to education, and the support they need to be successful.”  

Community-Based Summer Enhancement and COVID-19 Response Funds were awarded to 17 community-based organizations 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. Funded programs will 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 with award sizes ranging from $5,720 to $99,940. Funded organizations are largely concentrated in the South Seattle area.  

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Mentoring Urban Students and Teens (MUST) Provides Continuity of Connection and Near-Peer Mentorship Throughout COVID-19

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MUST mentors and mentees posing for a photo after a basketball game before the COVID-19 pandemic.  

As the 2020-2021 school year nears its end, DEEL is reflecting on the innovative ways our partners and providers pivoted during the pandemic to continue serving Seattle children, youth, and families. Here is an example highlighting how one of our Opportunity and Access partners, Mentoring Urban Students and Teens (MUST), provided continuity of near-peer mentorship services. 

Social connection and mentorship became more important than ever for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cancelled academic and social activities put many students at risk of social isolation and disconnection from school, creating new social-emotional hardships for families. Simultaneously, the movements for racial justice that swept across our nation alongside the novel coronavirus unearthed historical trauma that compounded the urgent need for social connection and culturally responsive avenues for emotional wellness. One of DEEL’s Opportunity & Access partners doubled down on their commitment to provide safe, in-person mentorship services to keep Black high school boys in the Rainier Valley socially connected and engaged in school.  

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$4.9M in Opportunity and Access Investments Announced

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Community-Based Programs Will Help Close Opportunity Gaps Through Expanded Learning and College and Career Readiness

This week, Mayor Jenny Durkan and DEEL announced $4.9 million in Opportunity and Access awards that will be distributed over the next three years to community-based organizations (CBOs) focused on closing opportunity gaps through expanded learning and college and career readiness. The announcement came as part of a larger press release announcing both School-Based Investments and Opportunity and Access investments that will begin this school year.

Part of the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise levy passed by voters in 2018, Opportunity and Access funding is a new investment area that allows for multiple service delivery methods to help students develop academic and nonacademic skills that will help them graduate on time and enter postsecondary programs.

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Key Investments in Learning Continue Despite Challenges to City Revenue

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When the first COVID-19 cases were discovered in early March, the City of Seattle mobilized for quick and comprehensive response across all its departments, from opening up additional shelters for people experiencing homelessness, to protecting residents from evictions and utility shut-offs, to standing up emergency child care for Seattle’s essential workers and first responders. These efforts, along with countless others in partnership with state, public health, and community organizations—as well as the critical role played by residents in stopping the spread—helped Seattle became a model for the rest of the country in how to save lives and protect our health care system from becoming overwhelmed.

But the financial impact of COVID-19 is significant. Dramatically reduced City revenues due to business closures and reduced economic activity in Seattle, combined with increased spending on a variety of fronts to fight the disease and mitigate its effect, have resulted in a shortfall of over $200 million. As the City Budget Office (CBO) and City departments have evaluated the financial impact of the pandemic, departments have been asked to reevaluate discretionary spending and identify budget reductions for 2020.

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