The Washington State Department of Early Learning, or DEL, was a
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
state agency responsible for
early childhood education
Early childhood education (ECE), also known as nursery education, is a branch of education theory that relates to the teaching of children (formally and informally) from birth up to the age of eight. Traditionally, this is up to the equival ...
. The agency was informed by the Washington State Early Learning Advisory Council. Governor Inslee signed House Bill 1661 on July 6, 2017, creating the
Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), part of which includes the work that DEL used to do. Its director is
Ross Hunter.
About
DEL was founded in 2006 as a Governor's cabinet-level agency by combining programs formerly housed in three agencies that were focused on early learning and support services such as parent education. They included the Division of Child Care and Early Learning at the
Department of Social and Health Services.
Among other things, the agency is noted for focusing on
public-private partnerships. According to a publication from the European Union, Washington state law says,
:"Except for licensing as required by Washington State law and to the extent allowed by federal law, the director of the department of early learning shall grant waivers from the rules of state agencies for the operation of early learning programs requested by non-governmental public-private partnerships to allow for flexibility to pursue market-based approaches to achieving the best outcomes for children and families."
Duties
DEL licenses and monitors
child care
Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...
facilities. It oversees the
Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, a state-funded preschool program for low-income 3- and 4-year-olds. The agency sets policy for child care subsidy programs, and coordinates early intervention services for children birth to age 3 who have disabilities and/or developmental delays, including providing specialized instruction, speech therapy, occupational therapy, or physical therapy.
The agency partners with the Department of Social and Health Services and the
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on a variety of issues.
What we do.
Department of Early Learning. Retrieved 1/4/12.
References
External links
*
Early childhood education in the United States
Education in Washington (state)
Early Learning
Government agencies established in 2006
2006 establishments in Washington (state)
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