DEL News

April 6, 2009
DEL to hold hearings on plan for Child Care and Development Fund

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Early Learning will hold two public hearings in May on the state’s draft two-year plan for the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), which helps promote accessible, affordable, quality child care around the state. The hearings will be held on:

Monday, May 4
Moses Lake
4 to 7 p.m.
Big Bend Community College
ATEC (Masto) Conference Center
Room 1870 D

Tuesday, May 5
Kent
4 to 7 p.m.
Kent DEL Office
1313 W. Meeker, Tahoma Room

A draft of the plan will be posted on DEL’s Web site on April 22 at www.del.wa.gov/government/CCDF/. DEL currently is gathering public input via an online survey (in English and Spanish) about priorities for the draft plan. That survey is available at www.del.wa.gov/government/CCDF until April 7.

DEL serves as the lead CCDF agency for the state, and must submit a plan every two years describing how the state will spend its federal child care dollars. The funding is used for a variety of initiatives, including:

  • Help low-income families find and pay for child care.
  • Fund activities to improve the quality of child care.
  • Fund child care resource and referral services for parents and caregivers.
  • Provide training for child care providers.

Washington’s final federal allocation for CCDF in the past biennium (federal fiscal years 2008 and 2009) was about $220.5 million.

###

The Washington State Department of Early Learning is a Governor’s Cabinet-level state agency created in 2006 to bring heightened visibility and focus to early learning and help all Washington children reach their full potential. DEL oversees the state-funded comprehensive preschool program, child care licensing, child care subsidy policy, and other initiatives and programs to support parents as children’s first and most important teachers. For more information, visit the DEL Web site at www.del.wa.gov.

For more information:

DEL Communications Manager Amy Blondin
360.725.4919 (office)
360.878.0628 (cell)
amy.blondin@del.wa.gov