The Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) is working with communities across the state to gather and summarize existing information, data and experiences to create a statewide early learning needs assessment. This will help us identify where the current system has opportunities for improvement as well as areas of success and promise.

Early Learning Facilities Program Grant Guidelines Available Online

The Department of Commerce has released the 2019-21 Early Learning Facilities (ELF) program grant guidelines for eligible organizations who currently provide Working Connections Child Care (WCCC

Our Plan to Improve the Foster Parent Experience

Each year, thousands of foster and kinship families open their hearts and homes to our state’s most vulnerable children. There are nearly 9,200 children in Washington who are in out-of-home placements. This number has been climbing slowly every year as we work through the opioid epidemic and the aftermath of the great recession.

Dozens of foster families received free school supplies during a foster care picnic last week at the Tumwater Historical Park.

The DCYF event featured food, an activity set up by the Hands On Children’s Museum of Olympia and free school supplies donated by various community partners.