In 2017, Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1661, creating the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). DCYF oversees several services previously offered through the departments of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Early Learning (DEL). These include all programs from the Children’s Administration in DSHS such as Child Protective Services’ Investigations and Family Assessment Response, licensed foster care, and adoption support. Also included are all DEL services, such as the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program for preschoolers, Working Connections Child Care, and Home Visiting. Learn more: Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families Source:Washington State Blue Ribbon Commission Final Report (November 8, 2016). Improving the Well-Being of Washington State’s Children, Youth and Families.

Established in 1989, the West Virginia Registered Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist (ACDS) program holds the distinction of being the longest-running apprenticeship program in early childhood education nationwide. A Registered Apprenticeship Program, ACDS is a partnership among the United States Department of Labor, River Valley Child Development Services, and early childhood programs throughout the state. ACDS involves 300 hours of instructional training and requires apprentices to complete between 3,200 and 4,000 hours of on-the-job training. It covers four semesters and follows a curriculum specifically designed for ACDS, with each semester focusing on a specific age group (infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age). The ACDS Curriculum is taught by certified instructors who meet program-specific criteria, including holding at least a bachelor's degree in early childhood or a related field and possessing direct experience in working with young children. Instructors must renew their teaching credentials for ACDS every two years. Once they have completed the program, participants can apply coursework from the ACDS program toward college credits at most West Virginia community colleges. Employers are obligated to sign an agreement stipulating the raise they will provide to the employees upon completion of the program, although the amount may vary between programs. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources/BCF/Early Care and Education Division is the major source of funding for the program, which is administered by West Virginia Early Childhood Training Connections and Resources, a program of River Valley Child Development Services. Learn More: West Virginia Apprenticeship Source: West Virginia Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist. (n.d.). National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning. (n.d.). Early Childhood Education Apprenticeships.

In 2022, West Virginia introduced its Universal Pre-K Program (UPK). It is now available in all 55 counties for all 4-year-olds, and for some 3-year-olds with special needs. Because of a lack of space for pre-K classrooms, it took about a decade after its founding for the program to attain the facilities necessary to meet the capacity needs of the state’s pre-K-aged children. The state provides a minimum of 25 hours of care per week, 4 days per week. The UPK program is a voluntary, mixed-delivery model provided through a combination of public, private, Head Start, and community-based programs. As of 2022, 63% of West Virginia’s population of 4-year-olds was enrolled in UPK settings statewide. Though the state has made some efforts to expand slots for 3-year-olds, just 6% of this age group is served by public pre-K slots. Learn More: West Virginia Universal Pre-K Sources: West Virginia Department of Education. (2019). West Virginia Universal Pre-K Guidebook. National Institute for Early Education Research. (2023). West Virginia. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. (2017). West Virginia Universal Pre-K.

The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Department of Health Services (DHS) and Department of Public Instruction (DPI) have hosted the state’s Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) since 2017. The system fosters data-sharing agreements and a data-sharing process for the agencies' demographic, program, and individual data on early childhood services, including child care subsidies, child support, birth records, early health records, maternal health, attendance, and enrollment. The system uses a matching system and encrypted file manager tool to upload deidentified data to an ECIDS portal for researchers’ and agencies’ projects and analyses. The Wisconsin ECIDS compliments the Department of Public Instruction’s WiseDash system, which contains deidentified individual data available by request. The system is funded through a federal Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant. Learn more: Wisconsin's Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS)

In 1898, the Wisconsin State Legislature voted to permit schools to establish 4-year-old kindergarten (4K) alongside 5-year-old kindergarten (5K). 4K is now available to all children who turn 4 years old on or before September 1st of the school year. The program is universal, free, and voluntary for families, and it is offered through a mixed-delivery system. 4K’s delivery model is varied and includes half-day and full-day programs, offered across 97% of the state’s districts and in partner child care, Head Start, and private programs. Wisconsin received a Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five Renewal in 2021, which was used to conduct a needs assessment and development of a strategic plan to further expand access to public programs. Learn More: Wisconsin Four-Year-Old Kindergarten Sources:Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (n.d.). History of 4K and 5K in Wisconsin.National Institute for Early Education Research. (2023). Wisconsin.National Institute for Early Education Research. (2021). Wisconsin.

Workforce Pathways LA is a workforce development model administered by the Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education in partnership with Quality Start Los Angeles (QSLA), which is a county wide quality improvement initiative. It is funded through a partnership between Los Angeles County and the California Department of Education, the California Department of Social Services, and First 5 California. The Workforce Pathways LA Stipend Program creates financial incentives that help early educators obtain Child Development Permits or college degrees, including both associate and bachelor’s degrees. It aims to increase the skills and knowledge of early educators across the county, increase the number of early childhood professionals with Child Development Permits, and increase the number of professionals with degrees in early childhood. To be eligible, an educator must be working in a program that accepts some form of CA Early Learning subsidy.  Sources: County of Los Angeles Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education. (n.d.). Workforce Pathways LA.

Originally created in 1997, Wyoming’s 20-member Early Childhood State Advisory Council (ECSAC) supports collaboration and coordination across the state’s early education agencies and programs. A 2019 executive order outlines the Council’s duties:

• Conducting a periodic statewide needs assessment, broadly considering the community context and data indicators that reflect the well-being, health and success of young children and their families;
• Identifying opportunities for, and barriers to, practice and policy coordination and collaboration among federally funded child development, child care, and early childhood education programs and services, including collaboration and coordination among state agencies and partners responsible for administering such programs;
• Developing recommendations for the governor, state agencies, statewide and local early childhood initiatives, and/or direct services providers who work with young children and families;
• Working with state agencies to harness the expertise of early childhood providers and stakeholders in implementing state and federal grants, including the development of early childhood policies necessary for the Federal Child Care Development Block Grant Fund, and;
• Reporting once per year to the governor on the needs of Wyoming’s youngest children and the impact of the state’s early childhood programs, including recommendations and collaborative actions that would increase that impact. Members of the council include state agency administrators, elected officials, governor’s office staff, educators, parents, advocates, and others.

Learn More: Wyoming Early Childhood State Advisory Council Sources: Wyoming Department of Family Services. (1997). Wyoming Early Childhood State Advisory Council (ECSAC). State of Wyoming Executive Department. (2019). Order 2019-4: Wyoming Early Childhood State Advisory Council. Wyoming Department of Family Services. (2019). Wyoming Early Childhood State Advisory Council Roster.