Washington State Department of Early Learning

Dear Principals,

Bishop Tyson and Sister Sharon Park are studying and reviewing the implications of the core competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals and these have been sent from the Washington State Department of Early Learning to all the licenses daycare centers in Washington.

In 2009, the Legislature asked DEL and the Professional Development Consortium (PDC) to create a set of core competencies for early learning and child care professionals. This set of guidelines defines what professionals need to know and be able to do to provide quality education and care.

Copies of this new resource are being mailed to all licensed child care providers over the next several weeks. Spanish versions have not yet been developed.



The core competencies can be used in many ways. For example:

• Providers and teachers might use them to decide where they should seek more training or education.
• Trainers might use them to plan professional development.
• College staff might use them to design course content.

DEL used federal funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to create, print and distribute the Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals. Accompanying school-age core competencies developed by School’s Out Washington will be available soon. The following links may be worthwhile for local building conversations:
For more information, visit: www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/development/core.aspx

The DEL-NEWS listserv is a collection of news and announcements from the Washington State Department of Early Learning to members of the broader early learning community and interested parties. DEL 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. For more information, visit the DEL website at www.del.wa.gov.

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Respectfully submitted,
Sandra Barton Smith