Early Learning Access Coordinator

Imagine a city where every student, regardless of language and cultural differences, receives a quality education and feels safe and included. The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is charged with improving the lives of Seattle families by helping children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed, providing support so students achieve academically, reducing the achievement gap, and making sure students graduate from high school prepared for college or career.

As part of this mission, we have an opportunity for an Early Learning Access Coordinator to support DEEL’s Early Learning Unit by connecting with families, childcare providers, and other community partners to discuss program eligibility, assist with the application process, and provide referrals to other programs when needed. DEEL offers several programs to the community. You will be responsible for differentiating requirements for each program to help families, childcare providers, and other community partners navigate early learning options for child(ren) and increase participation in DEEL early learning programs.

Outreach for programs will put you in the community, engaging on the phone, and via email.

You will work with families from many backgrounds and will need to be familiar with, and demonstrate comfort with, issues such as race and social justice, poverty, equitable access, and gatekeeping. You will represent DEEL as you partner closely with our childcare providers, representatives of social service agencies, and employees of other City departments. Identifying process improvements for the family and provider experience is a significant part of this position that includes building and maintaining relationships with families and community partners and monitoring data to identify and assist when families have difficulty completing the application or using their subsidy.

Our department strives to embed the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative into its education objectives and seeks staff that value the importance of working together as a government and community to eliminate racial disparities and achieve racial equity. Our core values of equity, results, stewardship, transparency, and collaboration guide our work, support our operations, and hold us accountable.

• Increasing access and enrollment for eligible families in the Child Care Assistance Program and other DEEL early learning programs.
• Increasing family and community awareness of accurate DEEL program information by developing and maintaining key internal and external partnerships.
• Identifying and implementing process improvements and providing direct assistance with family and provider experience to ensure eligible families can start childcare when they need to.

• Operationalizing new customer service strategies and collaborative outreach approaches to improve program operations and outcomes.
• Assisting with family and provider-centered communication, information gathering and analysis to support families’ experiences with DEEL early learning programs.

• Interviewing clients, explaining program guidelines and eligibility requirements, determining eligibility, and assisting with access to early learning programs.
• Collaborating with communications team to conduct outreach activities, which may include presenting information to community groups and governmental agencies coordinating outreach strategies, updating and maintaining program materials, and communicating program changes.
• Identifying gaps in community understanding of DEEL programs to initiate collaborative solutions that improve access.
• Maintaining referral processes with other subsidy programs to improve seamless family access to child care assistance programs.
• Assessing families’ child care needs and identifying access barriers to finding or using child care.
• Providing navigation assistance to families eligible for DEEL programs who need help learning about child care options and/or finding child care programs that meet their needs.
• Preparing correspondence, including recommendations to management on behalf of clients requesting Exception to…