DCYF is committed to creating accessible and culturally responsive pathways for people to enter and grow in early care and education careers.
Fair Start for Kids Act
The Fair Start for Kids Act (FSKA) was a $1.1 billion investment of the Washington state Legislature to expand access to affordable, high-quality early learning for Washington families.
Professional Development’s Components of the Fair Start for Kids Act
The Professional Development team leads two major parts of FSKA that supports the early childhood workforce and improve child care quality in Washington.
Dual language education teaches children literacy, culture, and academic content in two or more languages.
Launched in 2023
The Fair Start for Kids Act directed DCYF to create a Dual Language Designation for licensed or certified providers that accept state subsidy, ECEAP, and/or Early ECEAP. Programs with this designation may receive funding to strengthen multilingual learning environments.
Learn more on DYCF’s Dual Language Learning webpage.
Under FSKA, DCYF launched a statewide effort to expand trauma-informed and healing-centered supports for early childhood professionals.
Why it Matters
Positive relationships between children and adults help build healthy brain development and support children’s social, emotional, and learning growth.
Four Rs in Trauma-Informed Care
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, trauma-informed care includes:
- Realize the wide impact of trauma and paths to recovery
- Recognize signs of trauma in children, families, staff
- Respond by using trauma-informed policies and practices
- Resist re-traumatization
Who is Supported
FSKA directs DCYF to support:
- Licensed, certified, and license-exempt providers
- ECEAP provide trauma-informed supports to aid early childhood professionals, including certified, licensed, and license-exempt providers, Early Childhood Education and Assistance (ECEAP) Program staff, and Early Achievers coaches
Supports and Funding
FSKA supports include:
- Compensation for individual staff who have an infant and early childhood mental health or other child development specialty credential
- Trauma-informed professional development and training
- Screening tools and assessment materials
- Supportive services for children with complex needs
External Advisory Group
Internal DCYF teams and Community partners from 10 agencies and nonprofits met six times and guided strategies and planning for design and implementation.
Provider Input
Early learning providers attended a two-day (four hours total) session to make implementation decisions and share insights for additional supports.
Pyramid Model Planning Group
DCYF is working with Child Care Aware and University of Washington’s Cultivate Learning and the Haring Center to implement Pyramid Model in licensed child care, beginning with a few sites in the Southwest Region of Washington. Learn more about Pyramid Model.
Tribal Collaboration
DCYF attended the Indian Policy Early Learning Committee (IPEL) meeting in July to hear from IPEL members around what types of trauma-informed supports could be beneficial for American Indians and Alaska Natives in Washington state.
The Care and Education Workforce
Engaging in ongoing professional development opportunities to advance one’s knowledge or career are crucial. Professional Development’s current initiatives aim to grow the workforce:
- Knowledge about child and youth development.
- Knowledge about trauma and the impact that both trauma and high-quality learning have on child development and life experiences.
- Knowledge around challenging and uprooting racial inequities that will support Washington children and educational systems to advance racial equity and social justice.
What are equivalents?
Equivalents refer to the options providers have to meet licensing or other state program requirements related to staff qualifications, including education. WAC 110-300-0100 requires early learning providers to complete a certain amount of college education or equivalent for their role. DCYF offers several accessible and community-based opportunities to satisfy this requirement.
Why equivalents?
DCYF offers opportunities to meet the diverse needs of early learning providers and recognize the variety of ways professionals gain knowledge and skills to do their job.
What equivalent options are available?
- Provider Access to a Community Equivalent (PACE) is the community-based training pathway for early learning professionals in Washington.
- * PACE is a training series designed to help certain child care professionals meet education requirements for licensing or certification.
- * PACE provides training that is considered equivalent to the Washington State Initial and Short Certificate.
For more details, see the PACE Program Overview.
- Providers must submit their high school/GED diploma, certificates or credentials, degree diplomas or transcripts through an education application in their MERIT account.
What is Pyramid Model?
The Pyramid Model is a nationally recognized, research‑based approach that supports young children’s healthy social and emotional growth. It helps programs:
- Improve social, emotional, and behavioral skills in children from birth to age five
- Stop the use of suspension and expulsion.
- Increase the use of trauma‑informed and responsive practices
- Include children with disabilities in all settings
Since 2019, DCYF and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) have been working together to implement Washington Pyramid Model (WAPM) across the state.
- Developmental preschool, transitional kindergarten, Head Start, ECEAP, and child care programs are using Pyramid Model.
- WAPM trainings are available in English, Spanish, and Somali.
- OSPI and DCYF developed a tool that helps align other training with Washington Pyramid Model.
Imagine U is a relationship-based mentorship program designed to increase the number of Licensed Family Home (LFH) child care providers in Washington. Imagine U pairs experienced and talented LFH child care providers with those interested in becoming licensed and offers both the mentor and intern support to help them grow professionally.
Imagine U is administered by the Imagine Institute and funded by DCYF through the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Service Employees Union (SEIU) 925 and the State of Washington. To learn more about this program, visit the Imagine U webpage.
Washington’s Early Care and Education Substitute Pool supports licensed family home and child care center providers to have qualified workers for program coverage. The substitute pool helps to recruit and train substitutes throughout the state. Washington is the only state in the nation with such a robust, statewide substitute pool for licensed child care.
The Substitute Pool offers:
- Training for substitutes to become fully qualified to work in licensed care.
- Hourly wages to subsidize substitute time (as program eligibility and funding permits).
- Private pay option for additional hours.
- Workforce pipeline into licensed care roles.
The Early Care and Education Substitute Pool is administered by the Imagine Institute and funded by DCYF through the Collective Bargaining Agreement for Family Child Care and other state resources.
To learn more about this program, visit the Substitute Pool.
DCYF’s State-Approved Training (SAT) Program helps professionals grow their knowledge and skills to improve and sustain quality practices in programs that serve children, youth, and families. Trainers may be employees with our partnering organizations or can offer training independently. The trainer approval process allows for trainers of different backgrounds and levels of experience to get started.
- The SAT Standards capture the knowledge and skills trainers should grow. These were updated to include guidance on anti-bias and anti-racist approaches, virtual learning, and universal design for learning principles.
- The Standards of Practice and Professionalism help state-approved trainers navigate the program.
The following priorities are informed by the SAT recommendations report that was completed based on feedback from trainers, training participants, training program administrators, and other members of our community.
We will invest energy into:
- Creating a professional development registry that has an easy-to-navigate trainer application and training-related processes.
- Advancing racial equity and social justice through trainers and training content.
- Diversifying the trainer workforce.
- Increasing accountability that is objective and reliable.
- Increasing monitoring that training content reflects the needs of our learners.
- Providing trainers with access to support resources.
For more information about becoming a trainer, or the SAT program, visit DCYF’s Professional Development Strategies webpage.
