Child care center providers will be required to claim payment based on a new attendance-based rule, as part of the implementation of Substitute House Bill (SHB) 2689.

UPDATE on Sept. 28, 2026:  DCYF Centralia and Long Beach Offices are open and functioning as normal. 

The DCYF Centralia Office located at 3401 Galvin Road, Centralia, WA 98531 and the DCYF Long Beach Office Located at 2601 Pacific Ave N, Long Beach, WA 98631 are closed on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, due to power outages caused by inclement weather. 

Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program offers free preschool and family support for low-income 3- and 4-year-olds

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is hosting a webinar from 2 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, to provide updates on our Agency Request Legislation (ARL) and Decision Package (DP) submissions for the 2027 Legislative Session. 

Washington is one of the leading states in kinship care, which is the full-time care of a child by extended family or suitable others.  

The DCYF Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) is excited to announce that registration is now open for the 7th Annual ICYF conference.  

Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) Appreciation Week is celebrated yearly on the second week of September. FFN providers include grandparents, aunts and uncles, elders, older siblings, friends, neighbors, and others who help families by providing child care.  

In partnership with Friends of Echo Glen, the Echo Glen facility hosted a field day on Aug. 19, 2026, for young people. The event included a petting zoo, an inflatable obstacle course, and a dunk tank where several staff were dunked by enthusiastic young people.