The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) has selected three organizations to provide individualized behavioral support and child development services to early learning providers participating in the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) and SPP Pathway.
Funded by the voter-approved Families, Education, Preschool and Promise Levy, DEEL has approximately $400,000 available to contract with qualified organizations in 2020. The goal of this new investment is to ensure that all children can fully participate in their high-quality, early learning classroom.
The three organizations
approved for the Comprehensive Support Services roster include:
- Childhaven: Childhaven offers a continuum of services to young children and their families, including early learning (ECEAP and Head Start), early intervention, and counseling for children ages birth through thirteen. Childhaven also pioneers the Flourish program, which combines classroom-based therapeutic early learning services for children ages birth to six with the Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe) model.
- Sound Child Care Solutions: Sound Child Care Solutions (SCCS) creates high-quality, culturally relevant education for all children and offers unique and personalized services to families, especially families of color and those living in poverty.
- University of Washington Haring Center: The University of Washington Haring Center for Inclusive Education provides early childhood education to children with and without disabilities, conducts leading-edge research to advance inclusive learning, and trains education professionals in proven practices to develop every child’s potential.
Currently, SPP and SPP Pathway providers receive coaching from DEEL staff and consultation from Public Health-Seattle and King County (PHSKC) on a regular basis. With the creation of this roster, identified organizations are eligible to work with preschool teachers who need additional and intensive coaching beyond what their agency’s resources, DEEL’s coaches, and PHSKC mental health consultants can provide.
As a child’s needs are identified, preschool providers will work with DEEL staff to choose an organization from the Comprehensive Support Services RFQ roster to best meet the child’s identified need. The selected organization will then develop a proposed scope of work, schedule, and fee based on the preschool agency’s approved needs. This may include daily support over a period of several weeks to help the teacher improve their instructional strategies and effectiveness in supporting all children.
Specific services provided
for preschool teachers may include:
- Behavioral supports
- Developmental supports
- Trauma-informed practice
- Social-emotional instruction
Applications to this competitive Request for Qualifications (RFQ) were reviewed by a three-member panel which included a community representative and staff from PHSKC and DEEL. Inclusion on the roster does not guarantee work or funding to the agency but will permit DEEL to directly contract with the agency to provide prescribed classroom-based supports to SPP agencies.
NOTE: The roster is not a comprehensive list of individuals or organizations providing early learning behavioral and/or developmental support services in Seattle.
DEEL will continue to recruit and promote the Comprehensive Supports RFQ to grow this roster. A second call for applicants is anticipated later in 2020. Organizations interested in learning more about the roster process can visit DEEL’s funding opportunities website.
Approved by Seattle voters on November 6, 2018, the seven-year, $619 million Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy will partner with families and communities to advance educational equity, close opportunity gaps, and build a better economic future for Seattle students.