SEATTLE (March 6, 2018) – Today, the City of Seattle announced the opening of a new preschool space adjacent to Miller Community Center. The Miller Annex is the result of a $3M partnership between Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Seattle Preschool Program to increase the quantity and accessibility of licensable preschool space in Seattle.

The Miller Annex center will be a part of the Seattle Preschool Program and serve 80 three and four-year-old children in this new location. Two classrooms will open in March 2018 and stay open throughout the summer. All four classrooms will be open for operation for the 2018-19 school year. Applications for the ’18-’19 school year will open on March 15 at www.seattle.gov/applyspp.

As part of the Seattle Preschool Program, Seattle voters set aside $8.5 million to support the expansion, renovation, or improvement of early education facilities to help ease the pressure on early learning providers to find usable space for preschool classrooms. The Department of Education and Early Learning invested $1.7 million of Seattle Preschool Program Levy funds for the Miller Annex tenant improvements.

The Miller Annex of Miller Community Center is owned by Seattle Parks and Recreation who contributed approximately $1.3 million in funding to significantly upgrade the facility. The construction process consisted of substantial alterations to the core of the building, including seismic, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and energy-related improvements.

All four of the preschool classrooms will be operated by Launch, a provider who has been with Seattle Preschool Program since its first year. Launch (formerly named Community Day School Association) offers high quality preschool, before & after school, and summer programs for children ages 3-12.

Approved by voters in 2014, Seattle Preschool Program providers receive funding from the City, intensive coaching and training for their teachers, and access to teacher education and facility improvement funds to offer high-quality early learning opportunities for Seattle’s four-year-olds and income eligible three-year-olds.

The Seattle Preschool Program helps prepare children to enter school with the skills they need to succeed. Research shows that children who attend high quality preschool programs have better academic and life outcomes: they’re more likely to have better grades, graduate, attend college, get a job, have higher lifetime wages and better mental and physical health.

 

Mayor Jenny Durkan and the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning will host a community event to discuss and learn about the Seattle Promise – Mayor Durkan’s initiative to provide two years of free college tuition to Seattle Public Schools graduates and help build economic opportunity for everyone in Seattle. The program, which is still in development, will provide the support necessary for all eligible graduates of Seattle Public Schools to attend up to two years (90 credits) of courses at partner public colleges. Program implementation will begin in the 2018-19 school year, beginning with current 13th Year Promise Scholarship Program students, who will be eligible for an additional 45 credits of support next school year. The Seattle Promise will be modeled on the 13th Year Promise Scholarship Program currently offered to 12th grade students at Cleveland, Chief Sealth, and Rainier Beach High Schools.

 

We invite all those interested to come learn about the preliminary work that has been done to bring the Seattle Promise to Seattle Public Schools graduates. Participants will have an opportunity to hear from the Mayor on her vision for Seattle Promise, listen to a short presentation on the work that has been done so far, ask questions about the direction of the Seattle Promise program, and give feedback on its future development.

 

Monday, February 26^th 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM

Location: Garfield High School Commons– 400 23rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

RSVP: HERE

 

If you have any questions please contact Austin Miller; austin.miller@seattle.gov

 

The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning would like to invite you to attend a community forum to discuss the principles and priorities of the upcoming Families and Education Levy. This 2018 Levy will focus on funding the educational needs of youth and families. It will do so by combining two existing levies – the Families and Education Levy and the Seattle Preschool Program Levy – into a single levy.

 

We would like to make sure constituents affected by the levy have the opportunity to shape and/or influence its content. To this end we are hosting two  input forums on Saturday January 20^th, to identify priorities and receive feedback on our programs to date from parents, families and community members.

 

We’d love for you to attend one of the meetings below and share your insights and offer input regarding the Families and Education Levy.

 

Saturday, January 20^th 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Location: Asian Counseling and Referral Service – 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S, Seattle WA 98144

RSVP: HERE

 

Or

 

Saturday, January 20^th 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Location: Meadowbrook Community Center – 10517 35^th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125 – Room 10

RSVP: HERE

 

In addition, the below events are available for drop in, if you’d like to stop by and add your voice.

 

Saturday January 13^th

Parks MLK Event Workshops

Rainier Community Center 4600 38th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118

12:30PM-2:30PM

 

Monday January 15^th

Garfield MLK Day Workshops

Garfield High School, 23rd Avenue at E. Jefferson, Seattle

9:30AM-10:45AM

 

Thanks in advance for your commitment to this work and willingness to inform the Families and Education Levy. We look forward to hearing from and serving alongside you moving forward. If you have any questions please contact Austin Miller; austin.miller@seattle.gov

Today the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning announcing the release of the Summer Learning Request for Investment. In Summer 2018, DEEL will invest up to $1 million in school and community-based programs to prevent summer learning loss and improve academic outcomes for Seattle students. 

Funding will be broken out into the following award categories: 

• Elementary School – $260,932 
• Middle School – $286,373 
• High School – $461,250 

The Families and Education Levy, approved by voters in 2011, will fund these investments in summer educational opportunities. Funding was also provided by the 2018 General Fund to incorporate culturally responsive practices into Levy summer programming. Culturally responsive summer learning funding, first implemented Summer 2017 is intended to utilize culturally responsive programming to prevent summer learning loss and improve academic outcomes for African-American/Black students and other students of color.  

Schools and community-based organizations are encouraged to apply for funding. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis. DEEL will host three information sessions through January and February with proposals due Wednesday, February 28, 2018 by 4:30pm. More information can be found on the DEEL website.

 

Today the Department of Education and Early Learning is pleased to announce the selection of committee members for the City of Seattle Family Child Care Advisory Committee. The Committee will be an instrumental body as the Department shapes its family child care investments.

The purpose of the Committee is to support the development of the City of Seattle family child care strategy. With a lens on equity, access and where/how to provide supports, the committee will make recommendations for city investments, research initiatives and activities that impact the family child care community.

Members of the Family Child Care Advisory Committee have a broad range of expertise and represent  many facets of the family child care community.  Of the 20 selected committee members, 70% are active, current family child care owners with their business in both the north, central and south sections of the city. The Committee also consists of parents, public health, and community-based organizations that work with the FCC community.

The Committee and the Department will mutually develop a specific workplan, but the group will review several existing City initiatives that impact FCCs, such as the Family Child Care SPP Pilot, a Parent Child Home Program (PCHP) Family Child Care Pilot and a family child care study.

The ongoing advisory group will begin regular meetings in early December of 2017.

Today Mayor Tim Burgess issued a proposed 2018 budget to City Council. The budget, which is subject to approval by City Council, includes a number of investments directed towards reducing disparities in social, development and education readiness and learning for children.

Funding is proposed for assisting high school graduates to matriculate to college in an effort to reduce what is called the “Summer Melt.” Additionally, $1.38M is dedicated toward the 13th year program which provides one year of free tuition to Seattle Public Schools high school graduates.

Finally, funding is proposed to expand services for the birth-to-five population and their families. Funding would expand support for birth-to-3 child care providers, including coaching and professional development, developmental screenings, and nursing support for infants and toddlers in childcare.  The funding would also provide ongoing support for families of children 0-3 with developmental delays and support the continuation of the Parent-Child Home Program and support for Family Child Care providers.

These resources come from the new tax that City has imposed on the distribution of sweetened beverages. The tax, which goes into effect January 1, 2018, is expected to generate $14.8 million during its first year and all funding is subject to review by the Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board.

The City Council will hold public hearings in Council Chambers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 5 and on Wednesday, November 1 regarding the proposed 2018 budget.

Today the Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) announced that over $450k will be awarded to Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to implement culturally responsive summer programming this summer.

Only Community Based Organizations were eligible to apply for this Summer funding and preference was given to CBOs centered in communities of color with deep cultural and language knowledge. The goal of these programs will be to utilize culturally responsive programming to prevent summer learning loss and improve academic outcomes for African-American/Black students and other students of color.

Community Passageways will implement a program this summer to serve the most at-risk young black men at South Lake High School. The goal will be to maintain or improve reading and writing levels by a half -grade level over the summer.

WA-BLOC will be funded to implement a nationally recognized “Freedom Schools” curriculum focused on civil rights and literacy for students at Rainier Beach High School and Washington Middle School, in partnership with Seattle University

Voices of Tomorrow will serve East African students with a place-based arts and literacy program at New Holly.  The program will also focus on English language acquisition, provide interpretation/translation in the students’ heritage languages, and cover topics that students, their families, and communities care deeply about.

The Urban League will partner with Seattle Central College and Garfield High School to provide math instruction, college-level courses, and seminars on African-American history and life skills. Students will receive college credit and service hours for participating in this summer program.

The YWCA’s  GirlsFirst program will serve female-identified youth of color using a racial equity lens.  Programming will focus on the interests, ideas and lived experiences of the youth they serve, and provide paid summer internships for 10^th-12^th grade girls.

This is the first time DEEL has offered funding for Culturally Responsive Summer Programs. Over the summer, students lose academic skills and knowledge if not engaged in high-quality and enriching experiences–a phenomenon known as summer learning loss or summer slide. The summer slide disproportionately impacts low-income students and students of color. DEEL, in partnership with Mayor’s Education Summit Advisory Group, has identified the summer slide as a major driver of the achievement and opportunity gaps. As result, students may not return to school prepared to succeed and are at greater risk of falling behind or even dropping out.

This investment was the result of recommendations from the year-long Mayor’s Education Summit, which included recommendations on ways that the City of Seattle and partners can ensure that all of Seattle’s children are given the opportunity to succeed in school and in life.