NEWS RELEASE
Bruce Harrell, Mayor
Dr. Dwane Chappelle, Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 2022
Contact: Lori Baxter, lori.baxter@seattle.gov, 206-402-8795
DEEL Announces $1.4M in Community Grants to Provide Prenatal-to-Three Supports for BIPOC, Immigrant and Refugee Communities
Apply by September 21 for individual grants up to $150,000 to support kindergarten readiness and reduce race- and income-based disparities
SEATTLE (September 1) – The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) has announced applications are open 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. Applicants can apply for awards up to $150,000, with grants determined through a competitive process managed by DEEL.
The Prenatal-to-Three Community Grant program seeks to increase kindergarten readiness and reduce outcome disparities for young children and families based on race, gender, or other socioeconomic factors. Grants will support community-informed proposals that address obstacles contributing to these disparities, including providing families with access to critical resources and services, supporting healthy and equitable births, increasing parental health and wellbeing, strengthening nurturing and responsive caregiver-child relationships, and supporting optimal child health and development.
“We’re proud of Seattle’s leadership in the prenatal-to-three space and the investments our city is making in children’s earliest developmental years,” said DEEL Director, Dr. Dwane Chappelle. “Research supports the far-reaching impact these early investments can have on a child’s academic success from kindergarten through postsecondary, and the community partners these grants will support play an integral role in identifying the culturally and linguistically responsive supports children and families need most.”
This is the second year of the Prenatal-to-Three Community Grant program, funded by the Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT). SBT revenue funds programs that increase access to nutritious food and supports child health, development and learning and funding is allocated through recommendations made by the SBT Community Advisory Board.
“We’re excited to see continued support for organizations that are both responsive to and representative of the communities they serve. This is an innovative approach to public funding that will support families and can inform other areas of need in our community,” said Dan Torres, early learning representative on the Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board.
Last year, funding went to ten community-based organizations ranging from $114,632 to $150,000 per awardee. Ongoing programming from those awards includes culturally and linguistically responsive home visiting services, parent education, mentorship, pregnancy wellness and social support services.
Communities of Rooted Brilliance (CRB), who was awarded funding during last year’s program, was able to extend their home visiting program, previously serving other parts of King County, into Seattle, with expanded capacity to serve up to 45 immigrant and refugee families in the city’s southeast communities.
Kirsten Gabele, Early Learning Program Manager at CRB said, “Being part of the Prenatal-to-Three Community Grant program has enabled us to expand our home-based early learning program, LEAP, to serve newcomer communities in South Seattle by pairing them with a trusted member from their own community who can provide early learning resources and culturally and linguistically relevant supports focused on school readiness. We’re seeing encouraging results from the home visiting relationships built within the program, with parents reporting how much more confident they feel in their role as their child’s first educator and in their ability to navigate previously unknown systems to help their children thrive and succeed in this country.”
This year’s Prenatal-to-Three Community Grant Program is available to both new applicants as well as first-year recipients looking to strengthen and expand their programs. DEEL will provide one pre-recorded information session as well as two live sessions, on September 6 and 7, to answer community questions about the grant program and application process. To further support an accessible application process, DEEL is also providing free technical assistance supports from three community-based consultants to help applicants develop their proposals. More information about information sessions and technical assistance can be found on DEEL’s website.
To be considered for funding, eligible applicants must submit an application by 5:00pm on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, and award notifications will go out DEEL will notify successful applicants by October 7, 2022. To learn more and apply, please visit the DEEL Funding Opportunities web page.
The City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning’s mission is to transform the lives of Seattle children, youth, and families through strategic investments in education. www.seattle.gov/education
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