Greetings YDEKC Members and Friends –
What an inspiring and hopeful time the past month has been for kids and families in King County. First off, together, we passed King County Proposition 1 – Best Starts for Kids! This new $65 Million per year levy has the potential to truly transform outcomes for children and youth in our region. On the national front, I got to participate (along with 130 others from the Puget Sound) in Policy Link’s 2015 Equity Summit in Los Angeles. The opening video, Our Moment (#ClaimTheTorch) is an incredible testimony to equity movements coming together around the country and here at home. Finally, YDEKC hosted our 5th annual summit, bringing our members together with decision makers from government, philanthropy and K-12 systems to work towards building an equitable ecosystem of supports for kids in King County. More to come next month on that front.
We also just launched our new website (www.ydekc.org) that we hope you will find useful (and welcome your feedback on!) AND we are now on facebook (www.facebook.com/ydekc/) and twitter (@ydekc). Like us. Share us. Give us feedback.
Thank you for your membership and partnership in 2015. Come toast the end of the year and the holidays with us and our friends at SESEC at Jules Maes Saloon (5919 Airport Way South) in Georgetown on December 8th, 4:30 – 6:30. RSVP to alopezdiaz@ydekc.org.
In Service,
Jessica
Executive Director
Youth Development Executives of King County
Working together to advance the youth development field
jwerner@ydekc.org | 206.336.6912
Advocacy: Garnering systemic support of the youth development field
5th Annual YDEKC Summit
At this year’s fifth annual YDEKC Summit our members engaged with critical system builders in King County. We were fortunate to welcome Greg Garcia (United Way of King County), Carri Campbell (Director of Partnerships, Seattle Public Schools), Sheila Capestany (Strategic Advisor on Children and Youth, King County), Tina Walha (Innovation Team, City of Seattle) and Juliet Taylor (Raikes Foundation)! It was inspiring to see everyone at the table having key conversations about the youth and families we all serve. A big thanks to Jenn Ramirez Robson (King County Housing Authority) for moderating an amazing panel. See our new facebook page for photos of the event.
Best Starts for Kids
King County Proposition One: Best Starts for Kids resoundingly passed last month by voters! This new $65 Million annual resource in our community will focus 50 percent of the funding on early childhood development, from birth through age 5, when 92 percent of brain growth occurs; 35 percent will invest in early intervention strategies that address problems as they emerge while the brain continues to develop through age 24. Ten percent will go toward Communities of Opportunity, a partnership between King County and The Seattle Foundation to create healthy, safe communities that reinforce a child’s progress and Five percent will pay for rigorous assessment, data collection and evaluation. Hear Sheila Capestany, lead implementer on Best Starts, share an overview of Best Starts with NPR.
Outcomes: Promoting common youth development outcomes
Social Emotional Learning Workgroup for Washington State
In the 2014 Supplemental Budget, ESSB 6052 Sec 501 (34) directed OSPI to convene a workgroup “to recommend comprehensive benchmarks for developmentally appropriate interpersonal and decision-making knowledge and skills of social and emotional learning for grades kindergarten through high school that build upon what is being done in early learning.” That workgroup has been formed. All meetings are open to the public. We encourage you to attend the meetings, and to provide comments throughout the process. The Workgroup’s next meeting is on December 16, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The SELB Workgroup will submit its report with recommendations to the education committees of the legislature, and the office of the governor by October 1, 2016. SEL Workgroup Website: http://www.k12.wa.us/WorkGroups/SELB.aspx
Continuous Improvement Using Data
YDEKC is working with the City of Seattle and the Seattle Public Schools on an upcoming training opportunity for education partners. The focus of the training will be Continuous Improvement Using Data. From the session description: “Using data to inform your programmatic and youth serving decisions is a skillset that is very powerful for all community partners to continually develop. In this workshop community partners will develop their own logic model and practice using data in a cycle of continuous improvement.” The workshop is scheduled for the morning of December 8. Visit the Seattle Public Schools’ Professional Development Calendar for more information or to register.
Capacity Building: Increasing member capacity through professional development and networking opportunities
Participate in the Non-Profit Sector Survey! Washington Non-Profits
Washington Non-Profits developed a brief survey on standard practices, organizational effectiveness and perceptions of the sector that is distributed to organizations throughout the region. Your answers give will give them valuable information about the “state of the sector” in each of our states and throughout the Northwest. They will be using this information to help improve the resources and the environment for all nonprofits. The 2015 Nonprofit Sector Survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. The survey will be open until December 18, 2015.
United Way of King County: Supporting Youth Agency Convening
United Way of King County is hosting a Supporting Youth Agency convening to get feedback from our agencies regarding United Way’s Youth Strategy and Investment Plan. At this convening you will learn more about the planning process timeline and how your agency may be affected. They have provided this flyer with more information. Reserve your spot here as seating is limited. Monday, December 14th at 3:00pm – 5:00pm at SeaTac City Hall
“Leading With Purposeful Questions” (Exciting New Workshop with Anne Powell!)
For leaders who seek to facilitate collaboration, creativity, and lifelong learning, join us to explore the complexity of asking questions. When we are purposeful in how we ask questions, what we ask about, and how we listen in response, we strengthen our leadership skills and influence. Participants will acquire tools to ask effective questions that build relationships, facilitate creativity and innovation when solving problems, promote learning and development, and represent their leadership values. For youth development professionals, these tools are applicable to our interactions with our colleagues as well as the youth we serve. By taking our communication skills to the next level, we have the potential to improve outcomes in a diverse array of situations, including team building, workplace conflict, program development, and customer service. Workshop will be held on January 9th in Seattle. For more information and to register click here.
Contact Anne Powell at anne@sparkconsultingseattle.com or 206-455-3355 with questions.
Members on the move
Welcome new YDEKC member Upower! Upower provides free, high-quality fitness classes and health and wellness programs to underserved teens in South Seattle and South King County. Check them out!
Youth Program Directory on Facebook!
The Youth Program Directory is now on Facebook. Be sure to like the page on Facebook here for updates on new programs for youth and their families. Share this with your network!
Thank you for continuing to work together to advance the youth development field. Hope to see you soon!
The YDEKC Team
Jessica Werner, Executive Director
Sarah Terry, Research & Evaluation Manager
Andrea Lopez-Diaz, Member Engagement & Communications