The DCYF Professional Development (PD) team is committed to having the public and stakeholders engage and contribute to our work. This ensures community voice is reflected in our work, achieves equitable outcomes, and strengthens the relationships with those we serve.
Training and Learning
PACE is the community-based training pathway to meet the licensing staff qualifications for those required to have an initial or short certificate. This option will provide a training pathway based in the community and will be available in-person or online.
Outreach and Engagement
DCYF’s PD team conducted several outreach and engagement events between November 2020 and January 2021. A pilot was conducted May – June 2021. Learn more about what DCYF learned during this pilot.
Feedback received influenced the development and delivery of PACE: Review the full report. Revisions have been made, and DCYF is excited to launch this pathway in February 2021.
PACE will undergo additional stakeholder feedback in 2022.
- To get involved in this work, contact Diana Stokes
- To learn more, visit the PACE webpage
- To participate in the PACE training series, find available training offerings through the Find Training tab in MERIT.
Dual language is a form of education in which students are taught literacy, culture, and content in two or more languages. This work is important because research shows:
- Young children benefit cognitively from learning more than one language
- There are many long-term benefits to learning more than one language
- Multilingual learning is critical to a child’s success in school and later in life
- Learning more than one language is proven to close achievement gaps, especially for children who speak a first language other than English
Dual Language Designation is Coming Spring 2023!
To learn more about the designation, the benefits of a designation, including funding to enhance multilingual learning environments, visit DYCF’s Dual Language Learning webpage.
To get involved in this work, email Athena Jimenez-Manalo.
DCYF’s State-Approved Training (SAT) Program provides ongoing learning with the goal of continuously improving practices in programs so that children and youth thrive.
This program is currently undergoing a revision to ensure that the:
- Program advances racial equity and social justice
- Trainers and training content reflects the needs of all of our stakeholders
- Design is data-driven
Outreach and Engagement
The SAT program provides periodic opportunities to provide feedback to inform and shape the direction of the program. You can learn more about current engagement opportunities through the Growing the Workforce Newsletter and the monthly webinars.
- To get involved, subscribe to the Growing the Workforce newsletter or contact training@dcyf.wa.gov
- Learn more about the SAT Program by visiting DCYF’s Professional Development Strategies webpage
- To learn more about what is guiding the program revision, review the Community Feedback Report.
Workforce Development
Compensation Technical Workgroup
In the 2017-2019 operating budget, the Legislature appropriated $5,000 to create the Compensation Technical Workgroup. The workgroup was established to develop recommendations for the Legislature on how to:
- Increase child care workforce wages
- Reduce turnover
- Enable child care providers to recruit more qualified educators
- Maintain the diversity of the workforce
What’s happening with this work?
- The Compensation Report for Washington Legislature and Governor was sent in 2019: Read the full Compensation Technical Workgroup Report
- 2019-2025: Washington Legislature passes the Child Care Access Now act (HB 1344) and includes direction for compensation efforts. Read about HB 1344
- The Washington Childcare Access Now (CAN) Act establishes a child care collaborative task force to develop a plan for affordable, quality care that includes an investment in the workforce
- The task force is housed at the Washington State Department of Commerce. More information about the Child Care Collaborative Task Force