DEL prepares plan for potential government shut down July 1

State agencies, including the Department of Early Learning (DEL), have prepared and submitted plans to Gov. Jay Inslee in the event the Legislature does not pass the 2013-15 operating budget by July 1. July 1 is when the new fiscal year and biennium begins.

State agencies may not deliver programs and services after July 1 without a final budget, unless those services:

1. Are funded by appropriations in the enacted transportation budget.
2. Do not require an appropriation, (come from non-appropriated funds).
3. Are required by constitutional mandates and federal law.
4. Are necessary for the immediate response to issues of public safety, or to avoid catastrophic loss of state property.

While the work we do at DEL is critical to our state’s vitality and economic success, our programs and services do not meet these legal and constitutional criteria. Therefore, as of July 1, if there is no final budget:

• We will temporarily lay off all staff except two child care licensors, who will be available to respond only to child care licensing emergencies.
• Child care subsidies starting July 1: Child care subsidy payments for care provided in July will cease. This includes Working Connections and seasonal child care subsidies. If child care providers opt to continue caring for children who receive subsidies, the state most likely cannot legally retroactively pay for that care.
• Child care subsidies prior to July: Payments will be made to providers who bill for care that was provided prior to July 1. Those payments may be delayed.
• We will be working with our contractors to suspend or terminate agency contracts. Because home visiting services are non-appropriated until Senate Bill 5809 takes effect on July 28, those services may continue to be delivered until that date. Every other program and service funded by DEL will be suspended.

While a government shutdown is unlikely, we must prepare for this scenario. You can find agencies’ contingency plans on the Governor’s Office of Financial Management website.

Early learning bills passed the Legislature, signed into law--what happens now?

Every year, DEL tracks and weighs in on bills in the Legislature that affect early learning in Washington, and we update bills’ status throughout the session on our website.

But what happens after the bills are signed into law? DEL is posting the implementation plans for the bills that require our action. In some cases, it may be a matter of DEL updating a policy or rule in order to comply with the new law. In other cases, the bill may require DEL to form a work group or to institute changes with partner agencies like the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).

Here are a few examples:
House Bill 1203 allows DEL to exempt personal information relating to children from public inspection and copying. That means that when citizens request public records from DEL, we are allowed to redact children’s identifying information from the records before we release them. Previously, we had to ask the requester’s permission and if the requester declined, we attempted to notify the children’s parents or guardians by mail and give them time to file a court injunction (we explained the bill in more detail in this blog post). You can read how DEL plans to implement the new law, which in this case means we will update our policies and procedures and be ready to go on July 28 when the bill takes effect.

Senate Bill 5595, concerning child care reform,  requires DEL and DSHS to train employees who work with families who apply for or receive child care subsidy; change rules, policies and procedures that apply to Working Connections Child Care subsidy program; and participate in a legislative task force that will look at child care improvements. More detail on how we will do that work is in the implementation plan.

You can see all of our 2013 early learning legislation implementation plans on the DEL website. We will continue to post them as they are completed.

Gov. Inslee signs bill that allows DEL to protect children’s privacy

Yesterday, Gov. Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1203 that allows the Department of Early Learning (DEL) to protect the identity of children whose names and other identifying information appear in DEL records. The Public Records Act (PRA) (42.56 RCW) governs how public agencies, including DEL, respond to public records requests. The PRA requires that all public information be disclosed unless it is specifically listed as exempt.  After three years of requesting legislation to specifically allow DEL to exempt children’s identifying information, we

were successful this year with the help of bill sponsor Rep. Jessyn Farrell.

How will this affect people who request public records from DEL?

Starting July 28, DEL will automatically redact children’s identifying information from requested records. Previously, DEL was required to ask requestors’ permission to redact children’s identifying information. If the requestor declined, DEL attempted to notify the children’s parents or guardians and offer instructions for how to seek a court injunction to protect their children’s identities.

• View the bill history.
• View DEL’s public records webpage.

Thank a child care provider today!

Gov. Jay Inslee has proclaimed today Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. The day is also celebrated nationally and is a time to thank child care providers for their hard work in caring for our youngest learners.

Here are some ways you can thank the child care provider in your life:

• Download a certificate of appreciation in English or Spanish to fill out and give to your provider. 
• Write a thank you note or create a thank you card. 
• Share an example with your provider about a time they did something that made a difference in your life or in your child's life. 
• Offer to bring treats or a snack for the provider and children. 
• Have your child make a drawing for your provider.
• Give a favorite children's book to your provider and include a thank you message inside the cover. 
• A simple verbal expression of gratitude is always appreciated any day of the year!

Do you have an example of something you did to thank a child care provider? Share your idea on DEL's Facebook page. 

National preschool rankings find Washington stays the course despite economy

Washington’s commitment to early learning stands out in an annual report issued today about the state of pre-kindergarten (pre-k) education around the nation. 

The State of Preschool 2012 report, issued by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), noted three nationwide trends:

• State funding for pre-K decreased by more than half a billion dollars, the largest one-year drop ever.
• Enrollment in state-funded pre-K has stalled after a decade of growth.
• State funding per child fell to $3,841, down from the national average of more than $5,000 per child in 2001-02.

Here’s how Washington’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), administered by the state Department of Early Learning (DEL), fared:

• Quality: ECEAP met nine out of 10 benchmarks for program quality. The 10th benchmark would require ECEAP lead teachers to have a bachelor’s degree. DEL currently requires an associate or higher degree with 30 quarter credits of ECE. 
• Access: ECEAP currently has space for 8,391 children to be enrolled at a time. 
• Washington is serving 8 percent of 4-year-olds, ranking 31st in the nation for access.
• Washington is serving 1 percent of 3-year-olds, ranking 19th in the nation for access.
• Resources: Washington ranked seventh in the nation for state per-child funding, at an average of $6,600 per child.

ECEAP has been serving Washington preschoolers for 26 years with education, nutrition, health and family support services. ECEAP serves 3- and 4-year-olds whose families’ incomes are at or below 110 percent of the federal poverty level ($25,355 for a family of four in 2012). Nearly two-thirds of ECEAP families are at or below annual incomes of $17,880 for a family of four. Additional children may be eligible based on developmental risk factors or environmental risk factors (such as child protective services involvement); children qualifying for special education; and children in foster care. 

ECEAP currently serves 8,391 children at a time. Combined with the 10,600 federal Head Start slots going to ECEAP-eligible students, Washington serves 37 percent of ECEAP-eligible children. ECEAP is slated to become a statutory entitlement in school year 2018-19, at which time all eligible preschoolers would be entitled to enroll.

“Washington’s rankings highlight the need to continue serving our state’s most vulnerable families and to increase access to ECEAP,” said DEL Director Bette Hyde. “ECEAP has proven to be a cost-effective way to prepare our youngest learners for success in school and in life. We must continue to fund ECEAP at a per-child cost that allows ECEAP sites to maintain quality while serving more eligible children.”

Gov. Jay Inslee proposed a $35 million increase to ECEAP funding in the 2013-15 operating budget to improve program quality and access. The House of Representatives and Senate currently are negotiating their final 2013-15 state operating budget. Both chambers proposed an increase in state-funded preschool funding.

• View the State of Preschool 2012 report. 
• View the ECEAP caseload forecast. 

Washington ranks third in nation for regulations that keep kids safe, healthy in center-based child care

 

Washington’s child care center requirements and oversight are among the top in the nation for keeping children safe and healthy, according to a new report from Child Care Aware of America. The report, issued Thursday, ranks child care center licensing requirements in 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Department of Defense. Washington ranked third in the nation, only two points behind New York, for the strength of our child care center licensing requirements and monitoring.

Washington earned notice for conducting comprehensive background checks, one of only 13 states to do so. A comprehensive background check is defined as including a fingerprint check against state and federal records, a check against the child abuse registry and the sex offender registry.

Among the other report findings:

• Washington is one of only nine states to require CPR training for all staff, rather than just one person on the premises.
• Other areas where Washington met the standard include:

• Initial training for child care providers.
• Learning activities that address specific developmental domains
• Following safety practices in 10 specific areas and prohibiting corporal punishment.
• Encouraging involvement and communication with families.
• Requiring state child care licensors to have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or related field.
• Making licensing complaint inspections and information available to families online (www.del.wa.gov/check).

The report made recommendations on how Washington could strengthen center-based child care:

• Require more education for child care providers. Currently, they must have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Require 24 hours or more of annual training on specific topics. Washington currently requires 10 hours of annual training.
• Reduce staff-to-child ratios and group sizes.
• Increase the number of times per year that licensors conduct monitoring visits to at least four times per year. Currently, DEL child care licensors monitor child care centers at least once every 12 months
• Hire more licensors to lower their caseloads to 50:1 or fewer. Currently, Department of Early Learning center licensors have an average caseload of 63 centers.

 

More information: 

• View the full report. 
• View Washington’s results. 

 

Child Care Aware also issues regular rankings of states’ family home child care standards. Washington ranked second in the nation for the strength of our family home requirements and oversight in 2012. View that report.

The Department of Early Learning licenses and monitors more than 6,000 child care facilities around the state. 

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month: How you can make a difference

The Department of Early Learning (DEL) is observing National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April by raising awareness in the community about child abuse and neglect prevention. Gov. Jay Inslee has proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Washington. Read his proclamation here.

DEL’s Strengthening Families Washington is the Prevent Child Abuse Washington State Chapter. The Pinwheels for Prevention initiative uses pinwheels—a timeless symbol of childhood—to represent its campaign.

DEL has distributed more than 9,500 pinwheels to communities around the state. They’re popping up in front yards and at community events. The Capitol grounds in Olympia turn silver and blue with pinwheels planted in the ground the week of April 15-19.

Pinwheels for Prevention is a reminder that it is not enough to respond to child abuse and neglect—we must build and support strong families through community engagement, programs, and policies. This grassroots movement works towards developing communities that are healthy, safe, and nurturing for all children and all families.

What you can do to support strong families

• Whether you are a parent, an early learning provider or a community member, you can help build and support strong families in your community every day in simple ways. Check out these calendars that offer an idea a day, such as offering a board game library in your facility for families, and holding family potlucks or movie nights at community centers with time for discussion.
• Tell us what's happening in your community to support strong families. Email strengtheningfamilies@del.wa.gov.
• Join us at the fountain!

Where: Tivoli Fountain, on State Capitol Grounds near Capitol Way, Olympia
When: April 15, 2013 at noon

Help raise awareness by taking a pinwheel and sharing with us how you’ve helped a child.