Parent Advisory Group Members Announced

The Washington State Department of Early Learning (DEL) has selected 16 parents to represent 10 regions as members of the newly established Parent Advisory Group (PAG). The PAG will act as a sounding board for decisions, ideas and questions that shape the future of DEL and early learning programs throughout the state.

“The Department of Early Learning is engaging in a critical mission: eliminating race and economic standing as the strongest predictor of outcomes for Washington kids.  Input from parents is critical to ensuring we get it right,” said DEL Director, Ross Hunter. “We look forward to working with the Parent Advisory Group.”

DEL received a total of 86 applications interested in joining the PAG. A panel of diverse early learning advocates and DEL leadership selected 17 parents with varying backgrounds and experience to represent ten Early Learning Regional Coalition (ELRC) communities throughout Washington. The coalitions and the selected members are broken down as follows:

• Pierce County: Angelica Gonzalez, Kirsten Anderson
• Northeast: Allene Osborn, Jennifer Ross
• Central: Bianca Bailey
• Northwest: Amber Mehta, Keron Ricketts
• Olympic-Kitsap: Jasmyn Kaiwa, Natasha Fecteau
• North Central: Susy Salazar
• Southwest: Kelli Burnham
• King County: Angeline Corpuz, Sitara Marin, Yingju Ren
• Southeast: Beth Swanson
• West Central: Scott Lee Elliot, Teneille Carpenter

PAG members will represent the unique experiences and perspectives of their families, including but not limited to:

• Rural, remote, urban and military communities;
• Access a variety of early learning services for their children or not currently connected to services;
• Have diverse family structures (for example, headed by both or single parents, grandparents, kinship care, foster parents, or are blended families);
• Experience with immigration and being new to a community;
• Impacted by incarceration;
• Cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity;
• Have children with varying developmental and special needs.

For the most current information on group members, visit DEL’s website (www.del.wa.gov) and search “Parent Advisory Group” or click here: PAG.