Through the Child Care Stabilization Grant, DCYF has distributed over $327 million to 5,883 providers helping them stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic to care for children and ensure working families have access to high-quality child care.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) believes in that every family should have the opportunity to enroll their children, or children in their care, in high-quality child care and early learning programs that prepare them for kindergarten.

The Fair Start for Kids Act supports child care and early learning providers by supporting increased resources for professional development and support for adult educators who care for and teach young children in Washington State.

Everett College is one of 10 Early ECEAP (Early Childhood Education Assistance Program) sites in Washington. The college currently has 22 slots for infants and toddlers. 

In early May, DCYF staff spoke with three Early ECEAP parents asking them what the program means to them.

Here is what they said:

DCYF's Adolescent Programs and Youth Villages recently awarded new contracts to Catholic Charities of Central Washington<

Beginning July 1, 2022, child care licensors from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) will conduct all monitor visits unannounced and on-site. The visits will use a baseline checklist that focuses on the highest risk Washington Administrative Codes (WAC) and those that are necessary to meet federal requirements.

Home visiting programs are voluntary, family-focused services offered to expectant parents and families with new babies and young children to support the physical, social, and emotional development of a child. Through the Home Visiting Services Account (HVSA), Washington State funds 44 programs with the capacity to serve about 2,800 families statewide.

After a year and a half of planning, hard work, and tenacity from many people behind the scenes, the cosmetology program at Echo Glen Children's Center has launched. In May 2022, staff, students, and visitors attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the occasion.

DCYF and Binti, a child welfare software provider, have joined together to launch the Washington Caregiver Application Portal (WA CAP) this fall, which will allow prospective foster parents to complete the application process online.