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VOTE: Extend term for Claudette Lindquist until 10/6/25

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DCYF End of Session Webinar - May 14, 2025

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DCYF End of Session Webinar - May 14, 2025

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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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VOTE: Executive Committee Member Nominee 

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VOTE: Executive Committee Member Nominee 

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Cindy Carroll, Clinical Director - Children's Village | Multicare

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750 million+ members | Manage your professional identity. Build and engage with your professional network. Access knowledge, insights and opportunities.

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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ELAC rep needed for Investing in Children Coalition

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ELAC rep needed for Investing in Children Coalition

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$1,250 available to support participation

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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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June Investing in Children Coalition Meeting

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Please complete this form to sign in for today’s meeting! If you have trouble completing this, please send the requested information to forthekids@yakimavalleycf.org.Thank you!

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Governor Bob Ferguson Bill Signing and Media Availability

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Governor Bob Ferguson Bill Signing and Media Availability

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Governor Bob Ferguson Bill Signing and Media Availability - TVW

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Governor Bob Ferguson holds a bill signing ceremony at the State Capitol for bills including the state operating, capital and transportation budgets, and

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@forthekidswa

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Centering Meditation (Short Guided Meditation) 3 minute meditation

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Council for a Strong America is a national, bipartisan nonprofit that unites three organizations comprised of law enforcement leaders, retired admirals and generals, and business executives who promote solutions that ensure our next generation of Americans will be citizen-ready.

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.

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Start Early WA: 2025-27 Biennial Budget Analysis-Early Learning

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Start Early WA: 2025-27 Biennial Budget Analysis-Early Learning

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Start Early WA: Notes from Olympia, 4/28

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Start Early WA: Notes from Olympia, 4/28

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Special Edition of Notes From Olympia - April 28

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Update from Apr. 28th on key highlights of Washington State 2025-27 Biennial Budgets on early learning.

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What Is the Financial Risk of Nonprofits Losing Government Grants?

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See the financial risks that nonprofits in every state would face without government grants.

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borrowed from ESD 105

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🧳 If you had to pack a suitcase using only items that represent your childhood, what would you put in it?

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🧳 If you had to pack a suitcase using only items that represent your childhood, what would you put in it?

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🧃 If your personality were a juice flavor, what would it be and why?

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🧃 If your personality were a juice flavor, what would it be and why?

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Pathwaves WA creates pathways for leaders of color to hold decision-making roles in early childhood systems so they can equitably drive and shape the design of policies that affect future generations of our kids and our communities.

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Acknowledgments

Pathwaves WA is built on the work and wisdom of our mentors, partners, and teachers. We wish to especially acknowledge Leslie Dozono (she/her) as a co-founding consultant and Interim Executive Director and Makeba Greene (she/her) as co-founding consultant, as well as Meg Gomez (they/them) and Arianna McLaren-Simpson (they/them), who have provided consultant support.

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Pathwaves WA is built on the work and wisdom of our mentors, partners, and teachers. We wish to especially acknowledge Leslie Dozono (she/her) as a co-founding consultant and Interim Executive Director and Makeba Greene (she/her) as co-founding consultant, as well as Meg Gomez (they/them) and Arianna McLaren-Simpson (they/them), who have provided consultant support.

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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The state legislature cut funding for Imagination Library. OSPI announced today that they will fund the program for one year using discretionary funds.

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Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal to Fund Imagination Library of Washington

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OLYMPIA—June 25, 2025—Before a child reaches kindergarten, parents, guardians, and families pave the way for their child’s early learning and their success in school. Dolly Parton founded the Imagination Library, in tribute to her father who was unable to read and write, to help families around the world access free reading materials and share the love of reading and the power of books with their children. In 2022, the state Legislature, in partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), expanded access to the Imagination Library to all children in Washington aged birth to 5. This allowed for each of these children, regardless of their zip code or their families’ income, to receive a high quality and age-appropriate book each month at no cost to their family. The Imagination Library program is affordable and scalable. Each book costs $2.60—50% paid through local partners, and the other 50% typically funded through the state budget. The program currently serves 120,000 children and operates in each of Washington’s 39 counties. This past legislative session, legislators faced a $12 billion budget shortfall. Although they protected basic K–12 education to the fullest extent they could, they had to make tough choices in other areas of the budget. Funding for early learning programs such as Transition to Kindergarten and the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program were reduced, and the entirety of funding previously allocated for the Imagination Library was removed from the state budget. “Washington’s youngest children cannot afford to have their opportunities for early learning cut to this extent,“ said State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. “While I plan to advocate for renewed funding in the supplemental session next year, the Imagination Library of Washington risks losing their effective, statewide infrastructure if funding generated from the statewide match is halted for even one year. Through limited discretionary funds, my agency will keep this program funded for one more year with the goal being to obtain permanent funding from the Legislature next session.” To enroll your child in the Imagination Library program, follow the link at the bottom of this release. It’s easy, and free, to sign up. Additionally, families can choose to participate in the program’s bilingual option, which provides books in both English and Spanish. “We are grateful to Superintendent Reykdal and OSPI for their investment in and continued support for the Imagination Library,” said Brooke Fisher-Clark, Executive Director of the Imagination Library of Washington. “This program has the potential to be absolutely life changing for Washington students, and we already see through rising kindergarten readiness scores that our efforts, along with other early learning investments, are making a difference in our children’s learning. As Dolly Parton often says, ‘you can never get enough books into the hands of enough children.’” For More Information Learn more about the program: Turning Pages, Changing Lives: Heartwarming Stories from Washington Imagination Library Parents (published November 26, 2024) Enroll your child in the program: Enroll – Imagination Library of Washington

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Yakima Neighborhood Health Services Sectors Represented should be updated to include: Parent Education/Empowerment, Health/Mental Health, Special Needs, & Home Visiting/Parent Engagement

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Imagination Library - available in Spanish

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Imagination Library - available in Spanish

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Imagination Library is available in Spanish. https://www.imaginationlibrarywashington.org/bilingual_english_spanish_book_collection