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leg session in January
plan to present to group to get started

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Carina Gonzalez, Chris Grey from Within Reach

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Carina Gonzalez, Chris Grey from Within Reach

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Carina is new Family Resource Navigator

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families who are newly in recovery; how do we reach out to and support that specific population group?
what services offered in Yakima?
relapse often happens in 7-12 months
possible connection: Kim Hitchcock, PCAP program in Yakima

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Please Share!

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Annual Christmas Dinner
500 families (2,500-3,000 people in attendance) no cost to families
pre-registration basis opens on December 1st for drive thru appointments lots
-includes dinner (food box) presents from Santa for kids 0-12
Event on December 18th
Senior Citizens from 9-10
Families from 10-6

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Dr. Ginny Shelton has started a Teens and Tots program to provide combination/dyad medical care to newborns and their teenage mothers. She can be reached at ginny.shelton@chcw.org for more information.

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National Research on Early Childhood, Nov 30-Dec 2

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National Research on Early Childhood, Nov 30-Dec 2

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Peter will be presenting on Mon, Nov. 30 with the following people:  Dr. Kyle Cook, St. John’s University
https://www.stjohns.edu/academics/faculty/kyle-d-cook

Dr. Kristie Kauerz, National P-3 Center, University of Colorado at Denver
https://nationalp-3center.org/who-we-are/#team

Dr. Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch, University of Virginia
https://curry.virginia.edu/jennifer-locasale-crouch

Minerva Pardo, West Valley, and Donald Bender, ESD105 will be presenting on Mon, Nov. 23 on EduTalk Radio (podcast).  The interview will be available online to access at anytime.

Minerva Pardo, West Valley, and Donald Bender, ESD105 will be presenting on Mon, Nov. 23 on EduTalk Radio (podcast).  The interview will be available online to access at anytime.
Minerva Pardo and Jesenia Larios, West Valley, will present on Wed, Dec. 16 on EduTalk Radio regarding the Strengthening Families Five Protective Factors Framework.  The podcast will be available online to access at anytime.

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ACF National Research Conference on Early Childhood, June 27-29, 2022 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA.

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Get connected and find resources with WAISN

If you want to stay updated on more resources for immigrants in Washington, immigration enforcement in your area, and immigrant advocacy, get connected to the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN):

Call the WAISN Hotline: (844) 724-3737, Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm. All operators speak English and Spanish, and you can request an interpreter if you would prefer to use another language

Follow WAISN on Facebook

Follow WAISN on Instagram

Text the word WAISN to (509) 300-4959 to receive alerts about immigration activity and future WAISN programming.

You can search the WAISN Resource Finder ( click here for Spanish) for organizations in your area that serve immigrant communities-such as food banks, community events, referral services, and informative events that promote our safety. These resources have been vetted to ensure their safety and queer-trans friendliness.

Low-cost health care

Some low-cost health care programs are available through the Health Care Authority. to find out what health care coverage your kids or you are eligible for, depending on your immigration status.

Cash, food, and medical assistance programs

You or someone in your family may be eligible for some programs offered by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) that provide cash, food, or medical assistance. Many of these programs are available only if you, or a member of your family, is a US citizen, green card holder, or other special category of refugee or immigrant, or certain victims of crimes. Here are the ways you can find out if you're eligible for these programs and apply:

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Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund. Apply by November 14, 2022 and you could get at least $1,000

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Planning to return to in person learning in January
offering some services for students in special education services
Supt. Greene has been hosting listening sessions with various groups

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Sharing information about the WA Immigration Relief Funds
Strenghtening Families: Barge, Washington Middle School, MLK
Please drive by to see the mutual at La Escuelita! Mural commissioned by families, painted by Christie Tirado (art teacher at Union Gap and board member at YVCF!)
Continued

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starts tomorrow with hybrid for elementary, have had some small groups for students with special needs, and seniors who needed extra help to graduate
mid: November, middle school
Dec: high school
About 1/3 of families that have wanted to stay in remote learning
working to accommodate both in person and remote learning

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preschool through fourth grade
all students coming every day due to low class size, some families have selected to keep students home
hired long term subs to run remote learning sessions, lowered in person class size
have had unannounced visits from the Yakima Health District, all five elementary sites have passed all requirements
November 16th: every other day for the grades 5-8 (middle level)
High school coming back in hybrid model in January

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radio novella - campaign against OPIOID misuse

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beginning to safely increase on site visits across site
dental program is approaching pre-COVID numbers
medical appointments are still working via virtual whenever possible
Parent to Parent: family trunk or treat decoration viewing event, 250 folks drive through
Home Visiting: still doing virtual visits
slowly working for additional in person visits (like pediatric therapy)

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limited number opening on 11/16
press release coming out on Friday
limits on number of people and amount of time
still doing curbside pick up of materials at all libraries
storytime by ZOOM, listed on the website
trivia contest on Thursdays

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Yakima Valley Libraries appreciates the value of stories, as stories remember, preserve, educate, imagine, and inspire; at their best, they foster and elevate community. Archive Librarians, Carlos Pelley and Matt Kendall, steward a treasure-trove of Yakima's diverse history in the Northwest Reading Room - the Library's Special Collections and Archives Services. In monthly blog posts, Carlos and Matt will highlight impressive stories found within the content-rich resources of the NWRR.Told as a cultural touchstone to describe unique experience of the Japanese-American population that lived in the Yakima Valley before World War II, this is the story of the Wapato Nippons Baseball Club - www.yvl.org/nwrr-blog-post-wapato-nippons-baseball-club/#NWRR #YakimaValleyLibraries #LibraryArchives #LibraryLife #WapatoWashingon #WashingtonHistory

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Yakima Valley Libraries appreciates the value of stories, as stories remember, preserve, educate, imagine, and inspire; at their best, they foster and elevate community. Archive Librarians, Carlos Pelley and Matt Kendall, steward a treasure-trove of Yakima's diverse history in the Northwest Reading Room - the Library's Special Collections and Archives Services.

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ELC open
some small groups meeting on campus
computer labs available for students
Spring Semester starts in January; classes will continue primarily via remote/hybrid/online learning

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Update from Minerva of resources for families

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Update from Minerva of resources for families

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contact person is Claudia Zepeda

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Con el fin de concientizar a las familias latinas del condado de Yakima, el Distrito de Salud de Yakima, con el apoyo del Departamento de Salud de Washington y Pacific Northwest University, inició la campaña de promoción de salud "COVID-19 es real en el Valle de Yakima".

El programa cuenta con la participación de 20 promotoras de salud que fueron previamente seleccionadas y capacitadas para dar orientación a las familias que se encuentran en alto riesgo de contraer el virus.

Lo anterior fue anunciado por la directora de asociaciones de salud pública del Distrito de Salud de Yakima, Lilian Bravo, en una conferencia de prensa esta semana.

Bravo dijo que las 20 promotoras son líderes en la comunidad, plenamente reconocidas, quienes tendrán como objetivo orientar un promedio de 100 familias del condado, resolviendo sus dudas sobre el nuevo coronavirus, incluso portarán pruebas clínicas para ser aplicadas, en caso de que alguna de las familias tenga sospecha de haber contraído el virus.

La funcionaria explicó que esta campaña permanecerá hasta finales de año, de acuerdo al presupuesto gubernamental que fue canalizado para este programa. Sin embargo, agregó que seguirán haciendo gestiones para obtener más recursos y prolongar esta campaña de promotoras de la salud, atendiendo no solo el tema de COVID-19, sino de prevención de diabetes, prevención de embarazos en adolescentes, cáncer, obesidad y cualquier otro problema de salud pública.

La campaña de promotoras de salud pretende llegar a la comunidad latina, que ha sido la más vulnerable de contraer el virus, ya que en su mayoría no ha podido permanecer en casa debido a que su trabajo es considerado esencial en la comunidad.

Bravo comentó que por la contingencia y atendiendo la orden de distanciamiento físico, las promotoras trabajarán a distancia, con su núcleo más cercano, como familiares, compañeros de trabajo y vecinos, y serán evaluadas para llevar un control del trabajo realizado. Además, se sostendrán reuniones de trabajo con ellas para medir el grado de efectividad del programa y enfocar la atención en las comunidades donde se detecten focos rojos, dijo Bravo.

Comentó que a la par del arranque del programa, están diseñando una estrategia para evaluar el trabajo de las promotoras, al inicio, a la mitad y al final del programa, ya que por ser recursos públicos deberán ser fiscalizados y comprobados.

Explicó que se llevará un registro de cada familia que sea contactada para medir los alcances del programa. Se espera que antes de finalizar el año, hayan sido orientadas en promedio dos mil familias del condado de Yakima.

Hasta el miércoles, el condado de Yakima tenía 11 mil 705 casos de COVID-19 registrados desde marzo, con un total de 10 mil 427 personas reportadas como recuperadas y 228 muertes por complicaciones de la enfermedad, de acuerdo con el reporte del Distrito de Salud de Yakima.

El condado de Yakima se encuentra en la Fase 1 modificada del plan de reapertura estatal y, debido a la disminución de casos de COVID-19 en semanas recientes, fue autorizado por el Departamento de Salud estatal para reabrir más actividades, anunció el distrito de salud.

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LORENA CERVANTES ZEPEDA Para El Sol de Yakima

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Inicia campaña "COVID-19 es real en el Valle de Yakima"

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Con el fin de concientizar a las familias latinas del condado de Yakima, el Distrito de Salud de Yakima, con el apoyo del Departamento de Salud de Washington y Pacific Northwest University, inició la campaña de promoción de salud "COVID-19 es real en el Valle de Yakima".

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enrollment starting to pick up currently at 60 of 66 slots
still struggling to enroll infants and young toddler

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Tomi-Jane's House
Claudette-Heritage
Deb-Libraries
Children's Village-
West Valley-
Sunnyside-
La Casa Hogar-

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Paid Family Medical Leave - Yakima Cohort

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Paid Family Medical Leave - Yakima Cohort

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There is now a brief needs assessment follow up to the internet speed test!

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1. Visit ACPBenefit.org to apply or print out a mail-in application foundhere

2. Contact an internet service provider to select a plan and have the discount applied to your bill. Participating providers near you:

CenturyLink/Lumen: 855-648-1477

Viasat: 844-912-2812

HughesNet: 844-902-3107

Washington Broadband: 509-853-0858

PocketiNet: 509-295-9350

StarTouch/Declaration: 888-773-2203

Earthlink: 800-217-6231

Ziply Fiber: 866-699-4759

Starlink: 855-753-2495

UScellular: 844-901-2981

Charter/Spectrum: 844-901-2981

If you need assistance applying for the program, you can call (509) 255-7110. We will have people available Monday-Friday, 7am-7pm. Assistance is available in Spanish.

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Discounted Internet Service | Yakima Valley Broadband Action Team

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Visit ACPBenefit.org to apply or print out a mail-in application foundhere Contact an internet service provider to select a plan and have the discount applied to your bill. Participating providers near you: CenturyLink/Lumen: 855-648-1477 Viasat: 844-912-2812 HughesNet: 844-902-3107 Washington Broadband: 509-853-0858 PocketiNet: 509-295-9350 StarTouch/Declaration: 888-773-2203 Earthlink: 800-217-6231 Ziply Fiber: 866-699-4759 Starlink: 855-753-2495 UScellular: 844-901-2981 Charter/Spectrum: 844-901-2981 If you need assistance applying for the program, you can call (509) 255-7110.

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/588048563

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Icebreaker: favorite winter drink recipes

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Icebreaker: favorite winter drink recipes

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1 - Advocacy & Awareness
2 - Family Engagement
3 - Health & Wellness
4 - Home Visiting
5 - Professional/Workforce

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Over 300 nonprofit organizations across Washington state received $11.85M in relief funding.

The Washington Equity Relief Fund was made possible by the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) and was led by Philanthropy Northwest working closely with the Washington State Department of Commerce. This one-time investment provides flexible, general operating support to nonprofits that are led by and serve Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities most impacted by the global pandemic.

About the Process

The Washington State Department of Commerce partnered with Philanthropy Northwest to administer $11,850,000 of relief funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act through an open application to community-based nonprofits and tribal organizations most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented impacts on nonprofit organizations including experiencing increased demand or disruption/creation of services; cancellation of contracts, programs, services or other funding losses such as canceled fundraisers, reduced donations and other issues affecting staff and volunteer capacity. We know these impacts are disproportionately experienced by organizations led by and serving BIPOC communities. These impacts are also pronounced among economically vulnerable people living in rural, remote and tribal communities.

We issued the request for proposals on October 26, and organizations submitted almost 1,000 applications by the November 6, 2020 deadline.

Applications were reviewed by 104 community individuals from across Washington State who were recruited to read and score applications.

95% of the reviewers identified as BIPOC.

77% of reviewers identified as having lived experience with poverty.

61% of reviewers identified having lived experience/knowledge in rural areas.

34% of reviewers identified as having lived experience/knowledge as an immigrant or refugee.

Reviewers represented all 39 counties in Washington State.

All reviewers were required to participate in anti-bias training and to examine the approach to application review, using the scoring rubric.

Find the complete list of recipients and grant amounts here.

"We had 104 community reviewers committed to making careful, tough decisions. The majority of these reviewers are from BIPOC communities, many with their own life experience and understanding of living in poverty and/or in rural areas. On behalf of these community reviewers and in partnership with the Department of Commerce, we are honored to award this money to 358 BIPOC nonprofit organizations throughout Washington." - Anjana Pandey, Executive Vice President at Philanthropy Northwest.

About the Awardees

The priorities for this fund were organizations:

Serving BIPOC communities.

With staff and leadership reflective of the communities they serve; and

Serving populations in economically vulnerable areas especially in rural, remote and tribal communities.

Small organizations and those serving unincorporated areas were especially encouraged to apply.
The Department of Commerce and Philanthropy Northwest awarded $11.85 million to 358 nonprofit organizations across the state, with a particular focus on smaller organizations that are BIPOC-led and serving rural communities or are under-resourced communities in urban areas. Awards ranged from $25,000 to $75,000 and are being distributed in the last two weeks of December 2020.

75% of awardees have budgets of less than $250,000; the remaining 25% have budgets of less than $1 million.

All 39 counties received funding (100% of counties represented).

About 90% of awardees are majority BIPOC-led (50% or more board members and directors identify as BIPOC).

36% of awardees are serving eastern Washington, which has disproportionately been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is imperative that we step up to support these trusted and much-needed organizations operated by and serving BIPOC communities. It is equally important that these communities lead the decision-making on how to prioritize these funds. The people served by these lifeline organizations face disproportionately higher rates of COVID infections, hospitalizations and deaths. At the same time the need for services goes up, these nonprofits are fighting to survive because the donations and local resources they depend on have dried up." - Lisa Brown, Commerce Director

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The Washington State Department of Commerce partnered with Philanthropy Northwest to administer $11,850,000 of relief funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act through an open application to community-based nonprofits and tribal organizations most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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#allinWA Child Care Relief Fund- due 11/13

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#allinWA Child Care Relief Fund- due 11/13

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Department of Commerce Child Care Partnership Grants

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Department of Commerce Child Care Partnership Grants

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The following organizations are eligible to apply on behalf of a collaborative group: Washington nonprofit organizations, federally recognized tribes, and local government entities, including school and educational service districts. Applicants and populations served must be located in the state of Washington.

We anticipate awards of up to $100,000. All projects must be completed by June 30, 2021.

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Child Care Partnership Grants - Washington State Department of Commerce

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Commerce is soliciting grant applications for child care partnership grants to support local partnerships developing action plans to stabilize and expand child care capacity in communities.

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VISION: Washington State is a place where each child starts life with a solid foundation for success based on strong families, culturally relevant early learning practices, services, and supports that lead to racial equity and the well-being of all children and families.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) was awarded a federal Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and the Department of Education. In 2018, DCYF was awarded an initial grant of $5,270,656, and then in 2019, was awarded a renewal grant for $33,527,307 to carry out approved activities over the next three years.

DCYF recognizes early learning services as a core prevention strategy. The PDG B-5 award allows the agency to strengthen and build integrated services across early learning and child welfare, including expanding crucial programs for children and families.

Washington's vision for early learning requires the active collaboration of state-level, regional, and community partners across all programs, services, and supports that contribute to the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of Washington's children. Reflecting that collaborative approach, both a statewide Early Learning Coordination Plan and the needs assessment that serves as its foundation were developed in partnership with many organizations, tribal governments, agencies, and individuals (parents, caregivers, providers, and others) across the state.

The PDG B-5 Equity Commitment

Our state has made great strides toward improving early learning outcomes, but achieving our bold goals requires DCYF and partners to center solutions on the system that continues to underserve and marginalize Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. One of the biggest challenges we face is that DCYF and our partners are part of the system that creates and perpetuates the racial inequities and other disparities we see in key success indicators, such as our kindergarten readiness rate.

To address this challenge, our work must center efforts to identify and interrupt patterns and practices that have reproduced inequities in our system. Central to this vision is an intentional focus on redesigning early learning systems to eliminate systemic racism and forms of oppression that have been part of the American legacy. These systems continue to marginalize, exclude, or impose cultural norms on communities within our state. If we want different results, we can't keep doing the same thing. We are committed to facilitating intentional design to interrupt these patterns, with our Early Learning Coordination Plan leading the way.The PDG B-5 is committed to revolutionizing the way Washingtonians receive and access early learning resources and services. This work aims to revamp Washington State's mixed delivery system to become more equitable for all, specifically for those who have had significant barriers with their interaction with it. It has been created with communities and for communities by relying heavily on the idea that people are the experts of their own stories. DCYF and partners are committed to building authentic relationships with communities most often marginalized by our system to listen to, lift up, and value their lived expertise in the spirit of co-creation.

Washington's vision for early learning requires the active collaboration of state, regional, and community partners across all programs, services, and supports that contribute to the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of Washington's children. Reflecting that collaborative approach, the needs assessment was developed in partnership with many organizations, tribal governments, agencies, and individuals (parents, caregivers, providers, and others) across the state. It reveals the rich diversity of the state's children, families, communities, and providers. It shows the strength of community support for early learning and the leadership across the field - from families, providers, tribal communities, advocates, organizations, schools, state agencies, legislators, and more.

The needs assessment also shows that there is still much work to be done to support children and families, particularly those most vulnerable. There is deep disproportionality related to race and ethnicity in accessing services and achieving positive outcomes. Additionally, there are striking economic limitations in the current child care system for both families and providers, and there are areas of extremely limited access to services and supports in rural communities. Gaps still exist in the breadth of supports needed by parents, caregivers, and early learning professionals.

This report serves as a foundational document for the design and implementation of Washington State's next statewide early learning plan. It will provide a valuable resource for state and local partners as they create the next generation of improvements and enhancements to the state's early learning system. It is also important to note that the needs assessment is a snapshot in time. The current economic, public health, and political landscape is changing rapidly, which has created a need for dynamic collaboration and adaptability.

Additional Resources
Washington State Early Learning Needs Assessment Executive Summary
Washington State Early Learning Needs Assessment.

The Early Learning Coordination Plan (ELCP) creates an aspirational vision for how the state and community partners working with parents, caregivers, and early learning professionals can support the healthy development and school readiness of Washington's youngest children (from prenatal to age 8) and their families. Central to this vision is an intentional focus on redesigning early learning systems to eliminate systemic racism and forms of oppression that have been part of the American legacy. The high-level goals and strategies in this plan aim to disrupt that legacy to realize an overarching vision that "Washington State is a place where each child starts life with a solid foundation for success based on strong families, culturally relevant learning practices, services, and supports that lead to racial equity and the well-being of all children and families."

The goals and strategies were co-created with a large and diverse group of community partners. More than 150 people from across the state were engaged through a project steering committee and community-based workgroups, using the targeted universalism framework to ensure the strategies explicitly name our commitment to eliminate racism, bias, and discrimination in communities. Additionally, strategic early learning priorities were developed by a workgroup at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and a separate tribal group facilitated by the Indian Policy Early Learning (IPEL) committee. Their work is incorporated throughout the document.

Partners in the early learning system reflect the many people and agencies that play a pivotal role in supporting the health, development, and school readiness of children and their families. These partners include state and community agencies, tribal communities, legislators, advocates, parents, caregivers, early learning and K-12 professionals, and others. They must work together to coordinate the many supports and services designed to help children and families thrive. This vision will provide a catalyst for the early learning system partners to come together to discuss and coordinate priority actions, create more detailed implementation plans, coordinate policy efforts, and determine the metrics and outcomes needed to measure progress.

A copy of the Washington State Early Learning Coordination Plan (ELCP) can be found here: ELCPwa.org

Help Me Grow® (HMG) is a community-driven resource and referral linkage system that connects young children and their families to appropriate services and community supports. Parents, caregivers, early learning, health, and other service providers can call, text, or email HMG and connect to caring people who are highly trained in child development. The resource navigators listen to families' needs and link them to the most appropriate child development resources.

Help Me Grow® Washington is supported by a core team that includes representatives from WithinReach, Washington Communities for Children, and the DCYF. Help Me Grow® contracted with Washington Communities for Children (WCFC) to support implementation and create outreach and communication tools that market HMG to underserved families in each location. WCFC has used their existing relationships and expertise to create communication toolkits - developed in partnership with parents and providers - to maximize parents' knowledge about how they can connect with a coordinated referral system all the while prioritizing approaches to reach parents and children who experience the greatest disparities within the current system. Help Me Grow® Washington contracted with WithinReach to provide regions with technical assistance.

Help Me Grow® Washington's work is also supported by Actions Teams and a Leadership Council. As the regions continue to plan and implement at the local level, the Help Me Grow® Washington Action Teams have further developed the coordinated statewide system. The Action Teams carried out activities like integrating a robust evaluation component to help review opportunities and gaps to refine the statewide system; developed an equity plan that will be integrated into the statewide system; advised on a statewide messaging and outreach campaign that aimed to capture the voices of families and service providers; worked closely with DCYF to develop a tribal engagement strategy; and provided guidance on the development of a coordinated statewide early childhood resource directory. The Leadership Council is charged with further developing the coordinated statewide system and has carried out activities like identifying a way to implement a statewide infrastructure that includes an interconnected data system; integrating a robust evaluation component to help review opportunities and gaps to refine the statewide system; partnering with The Essentials for Childhood Help Me Grow workgroup to develop an equity plan that will be integrated into the statewide HMG system; developing a statewide messaging and outreach campaign that will target families and service providers; and working with communities to establish a plan for prioritization and equitable distribution of resources. The longer-term goal is to achieve full implementation of Help Me Grow® across Washington State by 2025 to equalize access to care coordination and referrals for families with children from prenatal to age 5.

Additional Resources

Developing a Statewide HMG System: Perspectives from Families, Service Providers and Administrators in the state of Washington
Child Trends report: English | Spanish

HMG Washington 2020 Accomplishments (available in English and Spanish)
Help Me Grow® Washington website

PDG B-5 funding has provided a unique organizational benefit that integrates Early Learning and Child Welfare with a focus on preventing a child's and their family's deeper involvement within the child welfare system. Through PDG B-5 funding, DCYF collected and analyzed data to identify opportunities to better serve families and children through Child Welfare-Early Learning connections. Those connections are made by DCYF Child Welfare Early Learning Navigators (hereafter referred to as Navigators), who are tasked with collaborating with Child Protective Services (CPS) front-line staff to support child welfare-involved families to connect their children to high-quality early learning experiences. Currently, this work is being carried out across three diverse areas of the state: South King County; Grays Harbor, Mason, and Pacific counties; and Yakima County. The Navigators work alongside CPS investigators, Family Assessment Response (FAR) caseworkers, and Family Voluntary Services (FVS) caseworkers to ensure interested families connect with and successfully start in community-based early learning services. The Navigator identifies and reaches out to eligible families, assesses early learning needs, and then matches them with a service in their community. Navigators focus on services with a wrap-around component (e.g., Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), Head Start, and Home Visiting) and licensed, quality child care programs. These methods achieve two interrelated outcomes: the process strengthens the CPS social worker's knowledge about available community resources, and it helps families connect with critical services to fill unmet needs.

The second part of this work was to test engagement approaches. The Navigators identified approaches that connected families to high-quality early learning and tested the impact of approaches that vary by timing, voluntary engagement, involvement parent who suggests an early learning service, and frequency of initiating early learning conversations. Navigators tracked the results of referrals and contacts with families and submitted data to DCYF's Harvard Graduate Performance Lab Fellow, who performed an analysis to identify which local solutions show the most promise for future scaling of Specialized Pathways for Child Welfare-Early Learning. The learnings from this work have been disseminated and replicated. This information can be found below in the additional resources section.

The Navigators have continually improved and adapted this work to meet the goals of the Early Learning Coordination Plan. For example, this project has a goal of expanding services to include an intentional focus on Indian Child Welfare services in response to initial data findings from the needs assessment that demonstrated out-of-home placements are significantly higher for American Indians and Alaska Natives. An Indian Child Welfare Navigator will join the team and will begin to serve tribal communities. Working with DCYF's Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (RESJ), the team will broaden this goal to increase and expand services to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Activities would include community forums (possibly virtually) with parents and community members to identify and create BIPOC specific resources.

Additional Resources
Navigator Pilot Program Fact Sheet Conversation Guide: Talking With Parents About Early Learning and Family Support Programs Children and Families Spotlight Analysis on Local Solutions for Scaling Specialized Pathways for Child Welfare-Early Learning

In the collaborative efforts of DCYF, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), and Child Care Aware (CCA) of Washington, the Early Connections Play and Learn Groups at Community Service Offices (CSO) lead the way with new approaches in early learning and social services integration. This partnership sets the stage for invaluable social connections and pathways for a circle of mutual support for young children, families, and caregivers. The goal of Early Connections Play and Learn is to bring high-quality early learning experiences to families and children who access services from their local DSHS CSO. The Early Connections Play and Learn model has shown success in supporting child outcomes for families not accessing formal care. Modifying the model to include a drop-in approach in a high-traffic office has helped reach many additional children in our state.

The program has been providing services in Yakima and Sunnyside since 2017. In late 2019 and early 2020, the program expanded to four additional CSO sites, including Toppenish, Moses Lake, Wenatchee, and Spokane. In March 2020, the CSOs and Early Connection Play and Learn groups were forced to close in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Services continued to be delivered through remote contact with families and working relationships with CSO staff. A talk and text line was developed and promotional materials were created in English and Spanish to inform CSO workers and families about the modification of services. An evaluation of the CSO Early Connections Play and Learn model was also completed. One additional CSO office is now offering Early Connections Play and Learn through partnership funding from Catholic Charities of Yakima County.

Early Learning Play and Learn groups have proven to be an effective means of connecting with parents and caregivers who access child care through Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) providers and builds their knowledge and skills to promote strong parent-child relationships. Families are provided information and resources to continue to support early learning for their children.

Additional Resources
FFN and CSO Evaluation Report

Shared Services has realigned its plan to meet the most immediate needs of child care providers: business supports, health consultation, infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC), and trauma-informed care (TIC). This reframing of the shared services delivery allows for the continuance of offering Business of Child Care training and follow up coaching through Child Care Aware (CCA)of WA, as well as a plan to expand access to IECMHC by increasing the number of mental health consultants (MHC) to the IECMHC pool. The increase will support TIC, social-emotional development, and reduce expulsion.

The Washington Statewide Early Learning Needs Assessment revealed the need for a deeper level of services to support providers struggling to care for children with the highest needs and to prevent expulsion of children from care. CCA will address this need by connecting providers with direct training from IECMH consultants. IECMHC, TIC, and Health Care Consultations strengthen provider capacity through practice-based coaching and mentoring. Applied learning allows providers to ask questions and test competencies so they gain the confidence to practice what they learn.

Business supports include administrative and financial, such as help with subsidy billing, enrollment, fee collection, understanding, and implementing the iron triangle, facilities improvement, strategic planning, and budget development. Additional Business of Child Care modules and trainings will continue to occur.

Additional Resources
Expulsion Prevention Landscape Report Trauma Informed Care Professional Development Landscape Report

DCYF has collaborated with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) under a shared vision that kindergarten transition is not a single event that ends once a child passes the threshold of the kindergarten classroom, but instead transitions create continuity in the growth and development of children and the cultivation of relationships that begins well before kindergarten and extends far beyond. Successful transitions include the child, family, early care and education providers, pre-K and school district staff, and the larger community.

Implementation of Strengthening Transitions projects was informed by the research on current practices and barriers to effective transitions with a focus on culturally specific groups - especially those furthest from educational justice. Two separate grant projects support strengthening transitions practices across systems. In collaboration with the Office of Head Start, the 100 Schools Reach initiative is an opportunity for cross-sector teams to co-design transition approaches that fit the needs of their individual community. Transitional Kindergarten - Partners in Transition provides grants to support school districts to plan and implement Transitional Kindergarten with strategic support in curriculum, classroom setup, and professional development. The second round of these grants runs through October 2021.

An important finding in our initial study of transitions practices in Washington included the challenge of identifying family voice in transitions. This critical component of effective transitions, notably absent in our initial research, posed a clear priority for the remainder of the Strengthening Transitions work. The PDG B-5 transitions leadership team has begun working with trusted partners to develop a series of listening sessions to lift up the family voice, leadership, and advocacy in transitions. In May 2021, the PDG B-5 Transitions team began meeting with a group of family members who are former WSA Parent Ambassadors. These Family Voice Leaders meet with DCYF and OSPI staff monthly to plan and design listening session formats and protocols to learn about the birth through kindergarten transition experiences of families across Washington - particularly families from historically marginalized and underserved populations.

The PDG B-5 Transitions Team initiated conversations with tribal early learning directors. These discussions guide our work in seeking a family voice in tribal communities and support dialogue on transition practices with neighboring public school districts. What we learn from these families and communities will go far to building a system that supports effective transitions and perseveres through serving each child by need and stage of development.

Additional Resources
Successes and Challenges of Early Learning Transitions in Washington Seeds of Inspiration

DCYF and OSPI have launched cross-agency efforts to increase and sustain the involvement of children aged birth-5 with special and complex needs in inclusive, community-based learning and licensed-care settings. This partnership is committed to supporting children with special and complex needs across agencies. DCYF implemented a multi-day virtual training and community of practice for 300 Early Achievers (QRIS) coaches to introduce them to the Pyramid Model. The Pyramid Model is a positive behavioral intervention and support (PBIS) framework to help early educators build skills for supporting nurturing and responsive caregiving, create learning environments, provide targeted social-emotional skills, and support children with challenging behavior.

Inclusion Practices also recognizes the importance of Trauma Informed Care and how those practices support the creation of an inclusive environment. Therefore, they simultaneously launched Trauma Informed Care Professional Development training to add an additional layer of support to participants. These trainings were delivered to coaches, mental health consultants, and early childhood support staff.

Looking forward to further integration, the Pyramid Model Training will be implemented in coach onboarding and will continue to hold anti-bias/anti-racist, inclusion, and behavioral supports at the forefront of what is delivered. The Trauma Informed Care Professional Development training will take what they've learned to finalize a visual display of the scaffold learning opportunities that are currently available and begin to make direct connections to Washington's existing efforts related to the Pyramid Model.

Additional Resources
National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) website

In 2019, with federal funds from PDG B-5, Senate Bill 5437 required DCYF to "develop a plan for phased implementation of a birth to three early childhood education and assistance program pilot project," now named Early ECEAP. Early ECEAP is one program among many that allow DCYF to bring innovation and increased capacity to the early learning and family support systems in Washington State for infants and toddlers and their families. This model will encompass many features. All of these features will come together to address the main goals of the pilot: Increasing high-quality comprehensive center-based services to infants and toddlers and their families; fostering the health, education, and well-being of infants and toddlers prenatal to three years old; providing strength-based family support and parent education; build trusting, respectful partnerships between families, staff, and community; and lastly in partnership with each contractor, identify and test innovative strategies for improving services to BIPOC communities, children that have experienced trauma, and children with disabilities.

An evidence-based practice called Mobility Mentoring® is embedded in Early ECEAP pilots. Mobility Mentoring® has proven effective within ECEAP for supporting families to promote economic mobility and goal achievement. Mobility Mentoring® aims to overcome the extreme stresses of poverty by improving focus, planning, and decision-making. It is designed to help people set and achieve future-oriented goals, despite the immediate challenges and weight of poverty.

Additional Resources
Early ECEAP Webpage Mobility Mentoring Outcomes Report EMPath and Mobility Mentoring Information

To fulfill the goal that DCYF become an evidence-driven organization with a focus on child and family outcomes, a priority for the DCYF Office of Innovation, Alignment, and Accountability (OIAA) is to create a data integration platform that will combine the legacy databases from the existing agencies and incorporate advanced data analytics capabilities to understand and improve outcomes for Washington's children. Data integration will help ensure our policies and practices respond to child and family needs and facilitate continuous improvement and accountability in our system.

PDG B-5 funds are allocated to help OIAA begin data integration across seven early learning data systems. OIAA has established a Digital Innovation (DI) team that will build and maintain a cloud-based data platform to support traditional descriptive and diagnostic reporting as well as advanced research, analysis, and predictive analytics across all of DCYF. A cloud-based platform to launch this work has been secured, and the DI team has begun to develop the data products and services that will enable researchers and analysts to synthesize operational data into actionable information for staff across the agency.

OIAA has begun some of the data integration work. The analyst team has started to design the external-facing data dashboards. OIAA's vision is to create Tableau-supported interactive, drillable dashboards with the functionality to allow local community stakeholders to analyze the indicators most relevant to their community and help them determine strategies to improve early learning. OIAA envisions that dashboard templates will be created through an iterative process informed by the data priorities of local stakeholders. Dashboard creation was stewarded by learnings from the community, staff, and stakeholders about their local data needs and requirements. OIAA will design and build draft dashboards and perform quality assurance and testing with stakeholders before final approval and publication.

Additional Resources
DCYF OIAA Webpage

Washington Communities for Children (WCFC) is a network of coalitions dedicated to improving the well-being of children, families, and communities. WCFC utilizes the Help Me Grow® (HMG) framework to link local, regional, and statewide efforts, and PDG B-5 resources have supported the organizing of these efforts. Ten WCFC Regions across the state have trusted relationships with more than 600 organizations and individuals. Trusted partners include early learning providers, social service agencies, early intervention services, child welfare organizations, libraries, juvenile courts, school districts, public health agencies, higher education, families, and many others.

At the regional level, parents are already an integral part of WCFC. Through this relationship, they have leveraged opportunities to lead planning, implementation, and evaluation efforts. WCFC's parental engagement process has aided the engagement of parents who represent ELL, urban, semi-urban, and rural parents, and parents who represent the cultural and linguistic diversity that exists across the regions of our state.

Additional Resources
WCFC website State of the Children: Early Learning & Child Care

The Preschool Development Renewal Grant Birth through Five (PDG-R B-5) evaluation team supports data-driven decision-making by providing accurate and reliable information. This information is used to answer pertinent questions about our PDG-R funded projects and their contributions to Washington's Early Learning Mixed Delivery System. The evaluation team ensures results are understood and applicable for all stakeholders, prioritizing the data needs of communities furthest from opportunity. This team is responsible for collecting and analyzing data to support continuous quality improvement, developing an evidence base, and assessing implementation. This includes leveraging the data lifecycle to reveal positive and problematic practices of data equity at various stages of planning, collection, analysis, use of statistical tools, analysis, and reporting and dissemination.

DCYF engages internal and external partners who bring diverse and innovative perspectives to inform evaluation design. Our PDG B-5 Program Performance Evaluation (PPE) partners are key to evaluation planning. This range of stakeholders identified and prioritized questions and indicators, and continue to be integral in the next steps of data analysis. Key partners include DCYF leadership, the implementing units within DCYF, and key external partner organizations represented on the Statewide Early Learning Strategic Plan Steering Committee, Core Strategy Team, and other stakeholder groups. Each internal and external organization has designated an individual staff to serve as a point of contact for the OIAA Evaluation Team for our PPE.

The evaluation team believes that evaluation processes are most effective when they include strategies to build strong relationships, center equity, reveal power, and engage stakeholders throughout each stage of the PPE.

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Department of Children, Youth & Families

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VISION: Washington State is a place where each child starts life with a solid foundation for success based on strong families, culturally relevant early learning practices, services, and supports that lead to racial equity and the well-being of all children and families.

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In your action teams, please review and make any revisions to the goals set at our October meeting. Goals included here were copied from the October meeting notes.

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Question: What do you need to accomplish these goals?

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Question: What do you need to accomplish these goals?

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4-6 hours/month includes:
2 hour meeting translation via ZOOM
1-2 hours prep time for each meeting
1-2 debrief time to prepare for next meeting

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Brandi @ applevalleyinterpreting@yahoo.com

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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.

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October 6, 2020 Regional Coalition Updates

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October 6, 2020 Regional Coalition Updates

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-Policy & Advocacy Lead
-Communication Lead
-Data Lead
-Equity Lead
-Health Provider Outreach Lead
-Coordinated Access Lead (HMG)

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1) Regional Early Learning Conference (1 day) August 2021-virtual conference
2) Anti-racism training (similar to DCYF offerings)
3) Other virtual trainings
4) Education Pathways

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1) Continue to meet monthly as an action team.
2) Meet together to discuss returning to home visiting post-COVID (questions around PPE, assure families are comfortable with us returning to the home, trainings)
3) Explore collaboration with Help Me Grow (coordinated referral system)
4) Facilitating referrals with DCYF

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1) Coordinate with HMG/Ayudame a Crecer Central WA work group
2) Information-sharing with group about State-of-the-Community with developmental assessmests (the state is working on a registry for developmental assessment data);
3) share information out on immunization status and need to stay current
4) Review child health indicators quarterly

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1) How to integrate technology into connecting with families?

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1) Start tracking funding in legislature and make plan to find ways to reach out to our legislators/county/city.
2) Have a coordinated strategy for communication. This should be an larger discussion for the whole group and planning/details to be done in a separate meeting by the advocacy group.
3) Social media push or coordinated call plan for our legislators. Highlight that early learning is only 1% of the budget, but has a deep impact on our families and young children.
4) Make decisions about how often an advocacy meeting should occur.
5) If possible - a Early Learning Fair(s) in Summer or Fall 2021.