The DCYF Professional Development (PD) team wants families, providers, and community partners to be involved in this work. Getting input from the community helps us make better decisions, improve equity, and build strong relationships.
Training and Learning
PACE is a training option that helps staff meet licensing requirements. It is for people who need an initial or short certificate.
PACE:
- Is based in the community
- Is offered in person and online
- Provides another pathway to meet staff qualifications
Outreach and Engagement
DCYF gathered feedback from providers and partners between November 2020 and January 2021. A pilot program was tested from May – June 2021.
What we learned:
- Feedback helped shape how PACE was designed and delivered
- Updates were made based on this feedback
- PACE launched in February 2021
Learn more about what DCYF learned during this pilot.
Learn more:
- Visit the PACE webpage
- Find PACE trainings in MERIT under the “Find Training” Tab
Workforce Development
Compensation Technical Workgroup
In 2017-2019, the Legislature funded a workgroup to study wages in child care. The group made recommendations to:
- Increase wages
- Reduce staff turnover
- Help programs hire qualified educators
- Support a diverse workforce
What’s happening now?
- A report was sent to the Legislature and Governor in 2019: Read the full Compensation Technical Workgroup Report
- The Child Care Access Now (CAN) act (HB 1344) was passed. and includes direction for compensation efforts. Read about HB 1344.
This law supports improving access to affordable, quality care. A task force was created to continue this work. It focused on improving child care access, quality, and workforce support. The task force was led by the Washington State Department of Commerce.
