Parent Advisory Group

At the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), we believe parents are their children’s first and most important teachers. The DCYF Parent Advisory Group (PAG) is a sounding board for decisions, ideas and questions that shape the future of DCYF. Parental involvement in decision-making is the key to having policies and programs that support families’ strengths and needs.  The PAG is made up of parents and family caregivers of children, from prenatal through 17 years old. The PAG will meet by phone and in person.

PAG members will represent the unique experiences and perspectives of their families, including but not limited to:

  • Rural, remote, urban and military communities
  • Access a variety of early learning services for their children or not currently connected to services
  • Have diverse family structures (for example, headed by both or single parents, grandparents, kinship care, foster parents, or are blended families)
  • Experience with immigration and being new to a community
  • Impacted by incarceration
  • Cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity
  • Have children with varying developmental and special needs

More About PAG

DCYF's founding legislation states that DCYF "shall include parents and legal guardians in the development of policies and program decisions affecting their children." The advisory group has advised the agency on a variety of issues, including:

  • Child Care Check
  • Early Achievers, Washington's child care quality rating and improvement system
  • Child Care and Development Fund plan
  • Washington’s Early Learning Plan
  • Negotiated Rulemaking for Family Home Child Care
  • Working Connections Child Care call centers
  • School-age Rules (WAC) rewrite

Meetings

2021

October 5, 2021 - Joint Early Learning Advisory Council, Provider Supports Subcommittee, and Parent Advisory Group Meeting

JOIN HERE

Meeting number (access code): 868 1578 6589
Meeting password: DCYF2021

Join by phone: 1 253 215 8782 US Toll
Passcode: 52271952

September 21, 2021, 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

JOIN HERE 

Meeting number (access code): 863 3082 3231
Meeting password: DCYF2021 

Join by phone: 1 253 215 8782 US Toll
Passcode: 00617732

July 16, 2021

March 30, 2021 – Joint ELAC Meeting

2020

October 6, 2020

July 10, 2020 - Canceled

March 30, 2020 - Canceled

January 17, 2020 - Canceled