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

Department of Education and Early Learning

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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DEEL Provides Take-Home Activity Kits to Support Early Learning and Healthy Child Development Throughout Pandemic

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Contributors: Gabriella Caferro, QPPD Administrative Specialist and Early Learning Coaches Emily Zartman, Fanny Yang, Aaron Jeffers, Shawn Harris, Katie Culler, Amina Sudduth

Preschoolers at First Place School pose for a photo with their DEEL home learning kits in September 2020! Pictured on the left is Sumaya with her parent Semera Hussein; on the right is Zainab. 
Preschoolers at First Place School pose for a photo with their DEEL home learning kits in September 2020! Pictured on the left is Sumaya with her parent Semera Hussein; on the right is Zainab. 

As the summer comes to an end, DEEL is shining a light on how schools and community-based organizations prepared students for in-person learning for their return to classrooms this fall. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting several programs that provided increased academic, social and emotional learning opportunities that support student wellness and success. In this article, we feature Seattle Preschool Program’s home learning kits which provided families with materials to support their child’s learning and development from home throughout the pandemic.  

When the pandemic began, keeping 3- and 4-year-olds engaged through remote learning proved to be a challenge for parents and teachers. Early learning research shows us that at this age, children rely heavily on sensory exploration to build an understanding of the world around them. Interacting with tangible objects makes important sensory connections in children’s brains and builds important foundations for learning and development. As the rich learning environment of preschool classrooms was altered to a virtual format, families’ access to the wide assortment of materials typically found in a preschool classroom was limited. Families and educators found themselves in new, uncharted territory.  

To address this need for Seattle’s youngest learners, the Department of Education and Early Learning’s (DEEL) Quality Practice and Professional Development (QPPD) team developed home-learning kits for children enrolled in DEEL-sponsored early learning programs such as birth-to-three services, Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), and SPP Pathway programs to increase parent engagement in their child’s learning and support healthy childhood development from home.  

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Seeking Youth & Community Input: Survey to Inform How Funding Can Support Youth and Families Experiencing Homelessness

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The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is seeking feedback from Seattle youth and adults who have experienced homelessness or housing instability. You can help inform how funding can better support people experiencing homelessness by completing the following surveys: 

Youth Survey (ages 10-21): tinyurl.com/hhsyouth2021 

Youth Survey Flyer

Adult Survey (ages 22+): tinyurl.com/hhsadult2021

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

This survey will close on September 9th at 5:00 p.m. 

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

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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. 

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

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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.”  

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

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$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.  

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Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) Provider Facilities Fund Request for Investment (RFI) is now OPEN!

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Funding Announcement: SPP Provider Facilities Fund. Visit "Funding Opportunities" at seattle.gov/education to learn more!

The Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) Provider Facilities Fund Request for Investment (RFI) is now OPEN!

The Department of Education and Early Learning is excited to announce the opening of the SPP Providers Facilities Fund Request for Investment (RFI) funding opportunity as part of the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy, passed by voters in 2018. 

To be considered for funding, applicants are invited to apply by 11:59 p.m. on Monday August 9, 2021. 

  • The 2021-22 SPP Provider Facilities Fund RFI has approximately $1,200,000 available to support child care facility expansion and renovation projects for use in Seattle Preschool Program.
  • Home-, center-, and school-based providers who contract with DEEL as providers of SPP or SPP Pathway are eligible to apply.
  • Funds are awarded through a competitive application process.

DEEL will host an informational webinar on Wednesday, July 7, 2021 on the Webex platform. Webex meeting links are provided below:

SPP Facilities Fund RFI Information Session

Wednesday July 7, 2021

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Join Meeting Here

Meeting password: PQiiWs5Zq29

Or, join by phone at:

+1-206-207-1700 United States Toll (Seattle)

+1-408-418-9388 United States Toll

Access code: 146 800 0353

Click HERE to learn more about this funding opportunity and access RFI documents. 

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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DEEL Partner Schools Adapt During a Challenging Year

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As the 2020-2021 school year nears its end, DEEL is reflecting on the innovative ways our partners pivoted during the pandemic to continue serving Seattle children, youth, and families. This article highlights the work of many of our Levy partner schools who receive School-Based Investment (SBI) awards.  

A usually bustling entrance to Grover Cleveland STEM High School stood quiet while classes were hosted virtually during  COVID-19 pandemic. 

When the pandemic forced school buildings to close and shifted learning online, the risks of missed instructional time, limited social connection, and disruptions in access to vital resources and services disproportionately affected Seattle’s most vulnerable students. Increased academic support, social-emotional services and culturally-responsive teaching practices became more important than ever for student wellness and continued academic success. In response, DEEL’s K-12 partner schools developed innovative strategies that centered educational equity, increased positive family engagement, and supported student learning throughout the COVID-19 crisis. 

DEEL’s School-Based Investments (SBI) are part of the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy passed by voters in 2018. SBI investments provide intensive, supplemental support for a limited number of schools with high concentrations of historically underserved populations and students not yet meeting grade level learning standards. Investments are focused on expanded learning, academic support, social-emotional skill development, college readiness programming, and career exploration experiences. 

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Sixth-Annual Institute on Children, Race, and Racism Convenes 600+ Educators and Allies to Elevate Black Boy Brilliance and Joy

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Contributors: Early Learning Training Coordinator, Michelle Winters and Early Learning Coaches Fanny Yang and Aaron Jeffers

Main event image for DEEL's Spring Institute on Children, Race and Racism: Elevating the Brilliance of Black Boys on June 2-4, 2021. The images includes happy images of Black children learning and smiling together.

On June 2– 4, 2021, DEEL hosted the sixth annual Children, Race, and Racism Institute: Elevating the Brilliance of Black Boys. Too often, the work of racial equity is framed within a deficit-based context; narratives that define Black boys and whole communities and populations by their struggles and not their assets, achievements, and abilities.  This conference sought to shift that narrative and center Black boy brilliance and joy, through research, policy and practice to provide educators with knowledge and strategies to support the genius of Black boys.   

This three-day event was co-hosted by DEEL Director Dr. Dwane Chappelle and Dr. William White, Director of My Brother’s Teacher at the University of Washington, using an interactive virtual platform, Hopin. 

Over three days, a total of 639 attendees tuned in live to hear three different keynotes from national and local leaders, as well as nine workshops led by educators working in the field. Participants also heard from a youth panel from the Seattle Public Schools Student Leadership Council and visited a virtual expo/vendor hall. Audience members included educators, administrators, and directors working with children across the birth to secondary educational spectrum.  

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