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OUR PURPOSE

To strengthen the community through advocacy with families and individuals

OUR FOCUS

To reduce the effects of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Lower Yakima County

FEATURED STORIES

Our programs are designed to further our mission and provide much needed services for our constituents.
Take a look.

Fundraisers and events help us raise awareness and generate crucial resources to serve our community. Join us at our next event and see how you can get involved.
Find out more.

Improve your community by joining our cause. You'd be surprised at what a huge difference a little bit of your time can make.
Read more.

Our Mission

We exist to to advocate for, educate, and support those affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. Learn more and get involved.

News & Notes

This month aims to increase awareness about stress, its negative effects and how to relieve it. If you're experiencing stress, keep these ideas in mind for how to relax.

Even a small gesture can have a huge influence on the people around you. To give a few ideas, here are easy things you can do to brighten someone's day.

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Home : The Lighthouse - Advocacy, Prevention, and Education Center

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Skip to main content OUR PURPOSE To strengthen the community through advocacy with families and individuals OUR FOCUS To reduce the effects of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Lower Yakima County FEATURED STORIES Our programs are designed to further our mission and provide much needed services for our constituents.

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Shared Understanding - Equity - Google Jamboard

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In-Progress Knowledge Bank: Investing in Children Coalition, Help Me Grow, +

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In-Progress Knowledge Bank: Investing in Children Coalition, Help Me Grow, +

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Questions, comments, concerns? Write away! 

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Questions, comments, concerns? Write away! 

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We encourage you to use the comment section below to write any questions, comments, or concerns that you have about the meeting. Feel free to also leave questions for the speaker or meeting facilitators.

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Important information shared in the chat:

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Important information shared in the chat:

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All of the HV programs funded by the HVSA are going to receive and influx of money for the coming year, which comes from the American Rescue Act, but we don't know how much yet. It will be money that needs to go straight through to the families. The programs that will receive it locally are the PAT program at Catholic Charities, the PAT program at YVFWC, NFP @ Children's Village and the Parent/Child Plus in West Valley.

West Valley will be using Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds for their summer school which will include sections of early learning for children who have not attended preschool during the past year but will be attending Kindergarten in the fall.

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On May 19, there will be a vaccine clinic at Wapato High School. Follow up on June 11.

Toppenish did a vaccine clinic for their high school (16+).

Selah also had a vaccine clinic for students and staff.

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Seeking Executive Committee Nominations! 

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Seeking Executive Committee Nominations! 

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Some key notes from the DCYF 2021 Legislative Session Wrap-up Webinar:

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Some key notes from the DCYF 2021 Legislative Session Wrap-up Webinar:

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Great year for children, youth, and families

Expanded access to services for children, youth, and families

Very significant increase of federal funding in early care

SB 5237: Fair Start for Kids Act - concerning early care and education. "Expansion of services and increase to rates in WCCC and ECAP; increases to other EL services like HV, Eclipse, and play and learn groups; expansion of scope of ELAC; increase in licensing technical assistance, and MORE...

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DCYF 2021 Legislative Session Wrap-up Webinar

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DCYF 2021 Legislative Session Wrap-up Webinar

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Slides from the webinar will be posted to the page below in the next few days. Marina will share with members of the Coalition as soon as the slides are published.

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Department of Children, Youth & Families

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DCYF is a cabinet-level agency focused on the well-being of children. Our vision is to ensure that Washington state’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy—thriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community.

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Child Care Aware of Washington Statement On President Biden’s Universal Pre-school Plan

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Child Care Aware of Washington Statement On President Biden’s Universal Pre-school Plan

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The early childhood investments included in President Biden's American Families Plan have the potential to be transformative for America's children, families and child care providers. The United States has long lagged other developed countries in our investments in families and children, particularly our youngest children. The American Families Plan has the potential to move us forward, at last.

In Washington State, our child care and early learning system has invested for years in a robust quality improvement program so that licensed child care programs deliver what many used to consider separate "preschool" services. In quality child care programs, play-based early learning happens every day, all day, so that parents and guardians can work while their youngest children are safe and learning in nurturing environments.

Child Care Aware of Washington urges the Biden administration to consider that traditional preschool that operates only a few hours per day will not meet the needs of a majority of American families, most of whom have all adults working. Working families need quality, reliable, full-day, year-round child care in their communities that emphasizes early childhood education and social-emotional learning.

We highly recommend that full-day, full year universal preschool options should be offered through the existing licensed child care system. In cases where programs also serve children ages 0 - 3 there should be additional investment so that families can find care for all children under the age of 5 in the same program. A free, universal system of care for preschool age children should not pull those children from existing child care programs to be cared for in a single preschool-focused system making it difficult for families with multiple children to get their care needs met in one place. Child care for infants and toddlers is more expensive to provide and is already the most difficult to find. Removing "preschool" to another system of delivery will further erode access to 0 - 3 care because preschool income frequently subsidizes 0 - 3 financial losses.

Additionally, many child care small businesses are owned and directed by women of color. These small businesses are often sources of essential support to working parents in their communities. Pulling preschool-aged children from these licensed programs to a new, free system would devastate these small businesses, causing unintended harm to a BiPOC economic sector that has already experienced a disproportionate share of economic losses due to the pandemic.

A majority of Washington's child care programs have stayed open to provide care to frontline workers during the pandemic; we cannot leave them behind if a free universal preschool option results in moving the children they care for to another program. We welcome investments and actions that will allow America to increasingly become a country where all children and families are valued and provided with the opportunities that meet their real-life challenges of balancing work and family life.

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Child Care Aware of Washington Statement On President Biden's Universal Preschool Plan - Child Care Aware WA

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The early childhood investments included in President Biden's American Families Plan have the potential to be transformative for America's children, families and child care providers. The United States has long [...]

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Fair Starts for Kids (side by side comparison, House and Senate versions)

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Fair Starts for Kids (side by side comparison, House and Senate versions)

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Families received increased financial support to buy fresh produce and other groceries.

Connect with WIC: https://www.yvfwc.com/wic/interest-form/

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Feedback on Yakima Herald live town hall on child care in Central Washington:

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Feedback on Yakima Herald live town hall on child care in Central Washington:

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Feel free to share comments and questions. You can also add them to the comment section below!

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The main goal with this project is to create a work group with child care providers (primarily Spanish-speaking ones) from Buena, Toppenish, Wapato, and Zillah in order to strengthen relationships and to support their work.

We are in the process of evaluating whether a Resource Center would be of use to providers in this area or not.

At this point in the project, we have reached out to 30+ providers, and have received feedback from 14 about the resources they have or may need to participate in our work group.

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Like and follow us on Facebook!

Click on "Investing in Children WA" after clicking on the link.

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Give us a follow!

After clicking the picture, click on the Twitter handle to access our page directly from Twitter.

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Tweets by forthekidswa

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Will be hosting a Community Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic May 11th from 2:30pm-7:00pm at East Valley High School Free.

Ages 16+. Parental consent required for those 16&17.

https://eastvalleyelementary.evsd90.org/apps/news/article/1434625

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DYCF's Child Care and Development Fund (DRAFT)

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DYCF's Child Care and Development Fund (DRAFT)

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American Rescue Plan: Human Services and Community Supports

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American Rescue Plan: Human Services and Community Supports

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Text for H.R.1319 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

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Email Name, Date of Birth, & phone number to:
Yakima: yakvax@yvfwc.org  Toppenish: Toppcovidvaccines@yvfwc.org  Grandview: GrandviewYVFWC@yvfwc.org Prosser: ValleyVistaMedicalGroup@yvfwc.org

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The current public health crisis and resulting economic crisis have devastated the health and economic wellbeing of millions of Americans. From big cities to small towns, Americans - particularly people of color, immigrants, and low-wage workers - are facing a deep economic crisis. More than 9.5 million workers have lost their jobs in the wake of the pandemic, with 4 million out of work for half a year or longer.

The American Rescue Plan will change the course of the pandemic and deliver immediate and direct relief to families and workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis through no fault of their own. This law is one of the most progressive pieces of legislation in history, and will build a bridge to an equitable economic recovery.

Economic Impact Payments

Through this third round of Economic Impact Payments, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury Department) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are ensuring that Americans will receive fast and direct relief during the final phase of the COVID-19 crisis. As of yesterday, approximately 90 million Economic Impact Payments had been disbursed, thereby ensuring that more than $242 billion of much-needed relief will be received by millions of Americans and their families within days of enactment of the American Rescue Plan. Unlike the prior rounds of Economic Impact Payments, the American Rescue Plan requires a 2021 "true-up" additional payment, when applicable, based on information (such as a recently filed 2020 tax return) that the IRS receives mid-year during 2021. This additional Economic Impact Payment will ensure that Americans and their families receive greater amounts of financial assistance during 2021, rather than waiting to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on a tax return in 2022.

Those eligible will automatically receive an Economic Impact Payment of up to $1,400 for individuals or

$2,800 for married couples, plus $1,400 for each dependent. Unlike the prior rounds of Economic Impact Payments, families will get a payment for all their dependents claimed on a tax return, not just their qualifying children under 17.

Normally, a taxpayer will qualify for the full amount if they have an adjusted gross income of up to

$75,000 for singles and married persons filing a separate return, up to $112,500 for heads of household, and up to $150,000 for married couples filing joint returns and surviving spouses. Payment amounts are reduced for filers with incomes above those levels.

The Treasury Department and the IRS continue to expand outreach to the millions of homeless, rural poor, and other disadvantaged Americans to ensure that they receive Economic Impact Payments. This includes new and continued relationships with homeless shelters, legal aid clinics, and providing Economic Impact Payment information in more than 35 languages.

Child Tax Credit

The American Rescue Plan's expansion of the Child Tax Credit will substantially reduce child poverty by supplementing the earnings of families receiving the tax credit. Specifically, the Child Tax Credit has been revised in the following ways:

1. The credit amount has been increased. The American Rescue Plan increased the amount of the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $3,600 for children under age 6, and $3,000 for other children under age 18.

2. The credit's scope has been expanded. Children 17 years old and younger, as opposed to 16 years old and younger, will now be covered by the Child Tax Credit.

3. Credit amounts will be made through advance payments during 2021. Individuals eligible for a 2021 Child Tax Credit will receive advance payments of the individual's credit, which the IRS and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service will make through periodic payments from July 1, to December 31, 2021. This change will allow struggling families to receive financial assistance now, rather than waiting until the 2022 tax filing season to receive the Child Tax Credit benefit.

4. The credit is now fully refundable. By making the Child Tax Credit fully refundable, low- income households will be entitled to receive the full credit benefit, as significantly expanded and increased by the American Rescue Plan.

5. The credit is now extended to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Territories. For the first time, low- income families residing in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Territories will receive this vital financial assistance to better support their children's development and health and educational attainment.

To facilitate the disbursement of Child Tax Credit advance payments during 2021, the American Rescue Plan requires the IRS to establish an online portal for taxpayers to update relevant data for mid-year payment adjustments (for example, the birth of a child during 2021). In addition to this online tool, the Treasury Department and the IRS will carry out a sweeping public awareness campaign parallel to its Economic Impact Payment campaign to reach all Americans who may be eligible for this financial assistance.

State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund

State, local and tribal governments across America have been under an unprecedented strain in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. While the need for services has increased -including setting up emergency medical facilities, standing up vaccination sites, and supporting struggling small businesses-state and local revenues have plummeted as a result of the economic fallout from the crisis. At the height of the fallout, public sector employment fell by around 1.4 million jobs, including layoffs of 1 million educators, compared to around 750,000 job losses during the Great Recession. As a result, communities have faced

untenable choices, between laying off educators, firefighters and other frontline workers or failing to provide services that communities rely on.

The American Rescue Plan provides $350 billion dollars in emergency funding for state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to remedy this mismatch between rising costs and falling revenues. This includes:

$195 billion for states, (a minimum of $500 million for each State);

$130 billion for local governments (a minimum of $1.25 billion per state is provided by the statute inclusive of the amounts allocated to local governments within the state);

$20 billion for tribal governments; and

$4.5 billion for territories

The Rescue Plan will provide needed relief to state, local, and Tribal governments to enable them to continue to support the public health response and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable economic recovery. In addition to helping these governments address the revenue losses they have experienced as a result of the crisis, it will help them cover the costs incurred due responding to the public health emergency and provide support for a recovery - including through assistance to households, small businesses and nonprofits, aid to impacted industries, and support for essential workers. It will also provide resources for state, local, and Tribal governments to invest in infrastructure, including water, sewer, and broadband services.

Capital Projects Fund

The COVID-19 crisis starkly illuminated key shortcomings - and inequalities - in U.S. infrastructure. While some communities were able to adapt to the pandemic with remote or socially-distanced options for work, education, and health care, others lacked the infrastructure needed to do so, compounding the disruptions of the pandemic and exacerbating existing inequalities, with long-term consequences for American families. One particularly salient infrastructure challenge has been the digital divide and the absence of foundational conditions that enable network connectivity and access. As more and more areas of work and education move online, this divide risks leaving many American families behind.

Recognizing these challenges, the American Rescue Plan provides $10 billion for states, territories, and Tribes to cover the costs of capital projects like broadband infrastructure.

The Capital Projects Fund takes critical steps to addressing these challenges laid bare by the pandemic, especially in rural America and low- and moderate-income communities, helping to ensure that all communities have access to the high-quality, modern infrastructure needed to thrive, including internet access.

Homeowner Assistance Fund

As the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis took form, millions of Americans were faced with the pressures of having to decide between making mortgage payments and other essential obligations. This was especially true for the low-income communities and communities of color who bore the brunt of this crisis. Across the country, one in 10 homeowners with a mortgage are behind on payments. The law takes immediate steps to help Americans stay in their homes and keep a roof over their heads.

The American Rescue Plan provides nearly $10 billion for states, territories, and Tribes to provide relief for our country's most vulnerable homeowners. This includes:

A minimum of $50 million for each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico;

$30 million for the territories of Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;

An explicit mandate to prioritize socially disadvantaged households;

The law prioritizes those homeowners that have experienced the greatest hardships, leveraging local and national income indicators to maximize intended impact. Applicable funding uses include delinquent mortgage payments, allowing Americans across the country to take a step in the right direction toward household stabilization. These necessary actions will minimize foreclosures in the coming months, alleviate emergency shelter capacity, and mitigate potential COVID-19 infections.

Emergency Rental Assistance

An underlying consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is that household stability is not just a financial security issue, but also a health concern. As the country entered the throes of the crisis, many cities and states began creating or expanding rental assistance programs to support at-risk households. The December appropriations bill provided $25 billion of federal relief to be administered by the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program for disbursement to existing state and local government programs. The American Rescue Plan nearly doubles the initial funding to expand the reach and impact of the existing ERA program, taking additional steps to mitigate the financial harm caused by the pandemic and keeping Americans safe as the country addresses the virus.

The American Rescue Plan provides $21.6 billion for states, territories, and local governments to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 crisis. This includes:

A minimum of $152 million for each state and the District of Columbia;

$305 million for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa;

$2.5 billion for payments to "high-need grantees," locations with an urgent need for assistance when factoring conditions such as change in employment, concentration of very low-income renters, and rental market costs

As a result of the American Rescue Plan, states and localities across the country will be better armed to provide relief and assistance to those vulnerable households. The new funding will leverage existing program structures, allowing for money to be disbursed quickly and efficiently to on the ground emergency programs, and ensuring this country's hardest-hit families to receive their equitable share of relief.

State Small Business Credit Initiative

It is no secret that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted small businesses across the country, particularly those owned and operated by women and minorities. Every community has had to face the unfortunate reality of local storefronts that are closing or have closed, resulting in friends and family members being furloughed or laid off. Nationally, small business revenue is down 32 percent, and at least 400,000 firms have permanently closed. After a year of the public health crisis, many businesses are hanging on by a thread. Within this law are plans to provide critical assistance to small businesses across the country, facilitating the urgent deployment of capital and support to help these organizations not just persevere, but recover on solid footing.

The American Rescue Plan provides $10 billion to state and Tribal governments to fund small business credit expansion initiatives. This program will build off the inaugural model developed in 2011 during the Obama-Biden Administration, in which nearly $1.5 billion in capital supported over $8 billion in new lending and investing activity across 142 different programs in its first 5 years. The new iteration will expand in scale and include:

$1.5 billion for states to support businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people;

$1 billion for an incentive program to boost funding tranches for states that show robust support for such businesses; and

$500 million to support very small businesses with fewer than 10 employees;

This law will inject capital into state small business support and capital access programs, provide collateral support, facilitate loan participation, and enable credit guarantee programs. It will boost state venture capital programs and provide funding for technical support and assistance. This Administration recognizes that small businesses-enterprises that are responsible for two-thirds of net new jobs in this country-are the backbone of the American economy, and a bellwether of economic progress.

Employee Retention Credit and Paid Leave Credit Programs

In addition to the SSBCI, the American Rescue Plan extends a number of critical tax benefits to small businesses that are intended to help businesses through to the recovery while keeping up their payrolls and still taking steps to protect health outcomes for employees.

The American Rescue Plan extends the availability of the Employee Retention Credit for small businesses through December 2021 and allows businesses to offset their current payroll tax liabilities by up to

$7,000 per employee per quarter. This credit of up to $28,000 per employee for 2021 is available to small businesses who have seen their revenues decline, or even been temporarily shuttered, due to COVID.

The American Rescue Plan also extends through September 2021 the availability of Paid Leave Credits for small and midsize businesses that offer paid leave to employees who may take leave due to illness, quarantine, or caregiving. Businesses can take dollar-for-dollar tax credits equal to wages of up to

$5,000 if they offer paid leave to employees who are sick or quarantining. Paid Leave Credits are a powerful incentive to encourage the offer of paid sick and family leave, which will help keep the virus under control by ensuring sick employees can stay home.

Unemployment Compensation

Across the nation, millions of Americans lost their jobs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and, as a result, claimed unemployment benefits. The American Rescue Plan waives federal income taxes on the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits received in 2020 by middle- and lower-income taxpayers. The tax relief extends to both workers who received benefits through federal unemployment programs as well as those who received traditional benefits through their state unemployment insurance fund. This law will provide tax relief for Americans who lost their jobs and utilized unemployment benefits last year - allowing millions of workers to focus their benefits on covering essentials during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FACT SHEET: The American Rescue Plan Will Deliver Immediate Economic Relief to Families (3/18/21)

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FACT SHEET: The American Rescue Plan Will Deliver Immediate Economic Relief to Families

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The current public health crisis and resulting economic crisis have devastated the health and economic wellbeing of millions of Americans. From big cities to small towns, Americans - particularly people of color, immigrants, and low-wage workers - are facing a deep economic crisis.

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American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: Knowledge Bank

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American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: Knowledge Bank

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YWCA Yakima Outreach Investing in Children

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YWCA Yakima Outreach Investing in Children

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YWCA Yakima. YWCA Yakima is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen our community.

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Daniela Aguilar, Community Outreach Coordinator/Prevention Advocate with YWCA Yakima

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Daniela Aguilar, Community Outreach Coordinator/Prevention Advocate with YWCA Yakima

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Start Early - Our Work in Washington State

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Start Early works together with partners to promote comprehensive birth-to-five learning experiences for all children in Washington state.

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Erica Hallock, Director of Policy and Advocacy with  Start Early WA

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Erica Hallock, Director of Policy and Advocacy with  Start Early WA

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Erica Hallock

Director, Policy & Advocacy, Start Early Washington

Erica Hallock serves as the Director of Policy and Advocacy for Start Early Washington. She has worked in early childhood, health and human services policy in both California and Washington state.

She has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Riverside and a Master of Public Policy and Administration from California State University Sacramento.

She is a proud mom of two young adults (one of whom teaches in Washington's state preschool program) and lives in Spokane when she is not in Olympia.

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Erica Hallock, Director, Policy & Advocacy , Start Early Washington

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Director, Policy & Advocacy, Start Early Washington Erica Hallock serves as the Director of Policy and Advocacy for Start Early Washington. She has worked in early childhood, health and human services policy in both California and Washington state. She has a B.A.

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King County Early Learning Coalition: Updates and outreach for COVID vaccine distribution

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King County Early Learning Coalition: Updates and outreach for COVID vaccine distribution

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Along with other vaccines that are also important and have fallen off during COVID.

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National Equity Project: Liberatory Design Training

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National Equity Project: Liberatory Design Training

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Hand signal for Zoom calls if help is needed

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Hand signal for Zoom calls if help is needed

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Become a Signal For Help Responder When you know how to respond to the signs of abuse, you can change the story If someone in your life told you they were experiencing abuse, would you know how to help?

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Please follow this link to sign in for today's meeting!

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Please follow this link to sign in for today's meeting!

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Agenda Planning Tool

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Based on existing research and best practices, the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (Version 2) is designed to support the development of family engagement strategies, policies, and programs. It is not a blueprint for engagement initiatives, which must be designed to fit the particular contexts in which they are carried out. Instead, the Framework should be seen as a compass, laying out the goals and conditions necessary to chart a path toward effective family engagement efforts that are linked to student achievement and school improvement.
Suggested citation:
Mapp, K. L. & Bergman, E. (2019). Dual capacity-building framework for family-school partnerships (Version 2). Retrieved from: www.dualcapacity.org

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Based on existing research and best practices, the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (Version 2) is designed to support the development of family engagement strategies, policies, and programs. It is not a blueprint for engagement initiatives, which must be designed to fit the particular contexts in which they are carried out.

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American Rescue Plan: Child care and Early Learning funding

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American Rescue Plan: Child care and Early Learning funding

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March 30th Joint ELAC and PAG Meeting Material

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March 30th Joint ELAC and PAG Meeting Material

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Fair Starts for Kids (side by side comparison, House and Senate versions)

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Fair Starts for Kids (side by side comparison, House and Senate versions)

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Strengthening Transitions in Washington

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Find your focus

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Find Your Focus with this Mini Meditation

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Joint ELAC and PAG Meeting Material Continued...

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Joint ELAC and PAG Meeting Material Continued...

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Help Me Grow State wide Action Team Meeting-11/17

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Help Me Grow State wide Action Team Meeting-11/17

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Why Liberatory Design?
We are all living in challenging times that our past experience and training has not sufficiently prepared us for. Too often, well intentioned equity efforts do not succeed-and even produce unintended consequences. This can lead to frustration, hopelessness and cynicism.
It's important to consider why so many equity efforts stall or fail to achieve intended outcomes:

They do not employ a deep enough equity lens-for example, a diversity and inclusion focus as opposed to interrogating deeper causes produced by systemic oppression.

They take the form of traditional linear, hierarchical plans that focus on strategies, goals, timelines, metrics and accountability. These efforts don't recognize the messiness and complexity of the challenge, so they often are ineffective and, sometimes, even backfire.

They are created in the context of dominant white culture, in traditional structures (e.g. committees, task forces), or in teams that don't have an effective approach to the work. Common problems include:

group members unable to engage in authentic critical dialogue;

lack of trust, especially across role/power and identity difference, that undermines team efficacy;

the process doesn't bring forward sufficiently creative thinking;

urgency leads to hasty, misguided decisions;

creative and potentially powerful solutions are not accepted by leadership.

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Liberatory Design - National Equity Project

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Addressing equity challenges and change efforts in complex systems with liberatory design. Learn more about this process or register for an upcoming course.

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The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) are pleased to announce the 13 organizations selected to receive a 100 Schools Initiative grant award.

Washington State was awarded the federal Preschool Development Renewal Grant (PDG) to support innovations in early learning systems from 2020 to 2022. This grant includes a focus on strengthening transitions in early childhood special education (Part C to Part B) and from early learning to K-12. At the same time, the Office of Head Start has asked Washington State to participate in an extension of the very successful Head Start Demonstration Project - the 100 Schools Initiative.

Beginning Sept. 1, 2020, 13 selected teams will identify a high-priority goal to improve transitions for children ages birth through 5 years old. With a focus on equity, teams will implement specific approaches and strategies to reduce the effects of systemic injustice and disproportionality and strengthen effective transitions for children furthest from opportunity, especially:

Children of American Indian/Alaska Native tribal communities

Black and African American children

Children from immigrant families, emphasizing support in the home language of English-learning families and an increase in dual-language learning environments

Children in families experiencing homelessness

Children with disabilities ages 0-3 (IDEA Part C) to inclusive preschool settings

Children and families in the child welfare system using healing-centered and trauma-informed practices

Children of migrant families

The following are the 13 teams, in alphabetical order:

Bethel School District

Bremerton School District

Chief Leschi Schools

Educational Opportunities for Children and Families

Granite Falls School District

Lower Columbia College Head Start/EHS/ECEAP

Mount Vernon School District

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe

Quileute Tribal School

Sedro-Woolley School District

Selah School District

Suquamish Tribe, Marion Forsman-Boushie Early Learning Center

West Valley School District #208

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Department of Children, Youth & Families

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DCYF is a cabinet-level agency focused on the well-being of children. Our vision is to ensure that Washington state's children and youth grow up safe and healthy-thriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community.

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81586444596

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The Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) was created by the Legislature in 2007.

ELAC representatives from around the state meet regularly to provide input and recommendations to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) so our strategies and actions are well informed and broadly supported by parents, child care providers, health and safety experts and interested members of the public.

Governor Jay Inslee holds final authority for policy decisions.

The council has adopted a Racial Equity Framework through which it conducts its business as an advisory board to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

Members

The Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) members are a diverse group of people whose role is to provide DCYF with input and recommendations to inform DCYF's work.

ELAC includes parents, child care providers, health and safety experts, legislators, representatives of Tribal Nations, independent schools, K-12 and higher education, and others who are interested in creating a statewide early learning system that helps all children realize their full potential.

Some ELAC members are appointed by the Governor. Others are appointed by various entities as required in the legislation that created ELAC.

Meetings

The Early Learning Advisory Council has six regular meetings each year, held on the first Tuesday of odd months. At each meeting, ELAC members get updates on DCYF's work and provide input and recommendations to DCYF.

Members of the public are welcome to attend ELAC meetings. Public comment periods are offered throughout each meeting. The locations and times vary for each meeting.

2022
December 6, 2022 August 2, 2022 October 4, 2022 June 7, 2022 April 12, 2022 February 1, 2022
At the time of the meeting, please join the Zoom meeting via the link below.

9:00am-3:00pm

Meeting number (access code): 824 9183 1069
Meeting password: 904723

Join by phone: 1 253 215 8782 US Toll
Passcode: 904723

2021
December 7, 2021 October 5, 2021 - Joint Early Learning Advisory Council, Provider Supports Subcommittee, and Parent Advisory Group Meeting August 3, 2021 June 1, 2021 - Joint Provider Supports Subcommittee Meeting March 30, 2021 - Joint PAG Meeting February 2, 2021

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Department of Children, Youth & Families

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The Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) was created by the Legislature in 2007. Read the statutory language ELAC representatives from around the state meet regularly to provide input and recommendations to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) so our strategies and actions are well informed and broadly supported by parents, child care providers, health and safety experts and interested members of the public.