The Washington State Legislature has tasked the Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF) to partner with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to expand equitable access to early learning programs for families seeking early care and education. Joint efforts by the two agencies will create resources to support families and providers, as well as link providers to technical assistance.
What is CRE?
CRE is a shared process among early learning programs serving 3- to 5-year-olds that:
- supports families in selecting a high-quality early learning program that best meets their needs and interests,
- assures that programs are partnering effectively to create resources to support families navigating our early learning system,
- provides technical assistance to early learning providers in community collaboration, and
- maximizes resources to serve the most children possible.
Services for PreK-aged children in Washington include the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), Head Start, Transition to Kindergarten, Developmental PreK and Licensed Child Care. Together these services support the diverse needs and interests of families with young children.
This work is needed because families with young children are seeking high-quality early learning experiences that meet their needs and priorities. Unfortunately, across Washington, there are more children in need of quality early learning than there is programming to serve them, and many families do not know all the options and resources available to them.
- Coordination to Benefit Families: All programs who serve children ages 3 to 5 want to serve the greatest number of children possible, with high-quality programming that meets the needs of all children and families.
- Choices for Families: Washington is fortunate to have an early learning system that offers a range of early learning options for families. However, no single program or model can meet the demand for placements or fulfill the desires of all families.
- Limited Programming: Coordination of existing programs and services and collaboration across all early learning providers is essential to providing access for as many children and families seeking early care and education as possible.
Of Washington's 1.8 million children age birth to 5, DCYF estimates that 362,578 are currently enrolled in child care, according to the Need and Supply Dashboard.
Statewide, DCYF estimates that families of about 320,000 children ages Birth to 5, not yet in school, need child care because all available parents in the home are working. Only about 27% of these children are served by licensed child care, state- or federally funded preschool, and/or subsidized child care. *Preschool is inclusive of ECEAP and Head Start. These data are not inclusive of Transition to Kindergarten and Developmental Pre-K.
- ECEAP currently has 15,797 funded slots for eligible children through 63 ECEAP contractors across the state.
- Washington State currently has 7,611 funded slots for eligible children in Head Start and American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start.
- In 2022-23, it is estimated that approximately 25,545 eligible children not served by ECEAP or Head Start.
- Transition to Kindergarten (TK) - In 2023-24, 146 school districts provide TK to 5,805 children statewide.
- Developmental PreK - In school year 2022-2023, 10,822 children 3-5 years old were found eligible for IDEA, Part B.
In January 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee issued Directive of the Governor 20-01 to Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Secretary Ross Hunter and a letter to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Superintendent Chris Reykdal. The directive requested DCYF to collaborate with OSPI to identify near-term administrative efficiencies and longer-term strategies to improve the alignment and integration of high-quality early-learning programs administered by both agencies.
An important goal of this work is to streamline regulatory functions across the various programs aimed at kindergarten readiness in a manner that allows for the braiding of multiple funds in school- and community-based classrooms. These cross-agency partnership efforts will boost access to inclusive, high-quality, and culturally responsive preschool services so that more of Washington’s children will be prepared for success in kindergarten and beyond.
Gov. Inslee directed that both agencies work together on a report with recommendations to support the integration of preschool services, including recommendations, regarding:
- Capital needs;
- Data collection, sharing, and analysis;
- Licensing and quality standards;
- Impacts to the working connections child care subsidy program;
- Considerations for community-based and school district settings;
- Analysis of any legal issues; and
- Necessary statutory changes.
A copy of this report can be found at Aligning and Integrating Early Learning Programs.
SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1550
Chapter 420, Laws of 2023
68th Legislature
2023 Regular Session
TRANSITION TO KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 23, 2023
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The department of children, youth, and families must make administrative changes to better align early childhood education and assistance program implementation with state-funded early learning programs serving three through five-year old children offered by school districts, charter schools authorized under RCW 28A.710.080(2), and state-tribal education compact schools. The department must submit a report, in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, of the administrative changes to the appropriate committees of the legislature by July 1, 2024.
Representatives include:
- DCYF Early Learning/ECEAP/Child care subsidy team
- DCYF Licensing
- Head Start Collaboration Administrator
- OSPI 619 Coordinator
- OSPI Early Learning Director
- Child Care Aware of Washington
- SEIU 925
- Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT)
- Tribal Relations and Office of Native Education
- Washington Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD)
A shared process among community programs serving children ages 3 to 5 to support families in selecting a high-quality early learning program that best meets the needs of each child and family; and to assure that community early learning programs are working together in ways that maximize resources and serve the most children possible.
