The past year marked important milestones and successes for the Developmental Disabilities and Early Childhood Supports Division (DDECSD). We made great strides in supporting children, young people and adults; bolstering the workforce who make the programs we do possible; and ensuring communities have access to the tools and resources they need to be successful.  

Check out our highlights from 2024: 

Supporting Children, Families and Providers 

  • Universal Developmental Screening (UDS) providers launched six Parent Champions pilot programs, in addition to serving more than 2,300 children and caregivers through family-facing programs and hosting 369 workshops, trainings, and community events.  
  • The pilot aims to build trust, increase awareness, and ensure children receive the support they need for health development and success by training parents to provide culturally and linguistically matched developmental education, support, and screening for their peers.  
  • Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) provided comprehensive developmental support services to 6,974 children. To better support the ESIT workforce, the King County ESIT Career Pathways Scholarship program launched with the goal of improving retention, creating career pathways, and strengthening the ability of ESIT providers to work effectively with diverse families. In 2024 the program announced eight awardees.  
  • The Developmental Bridge program provided service coordination, screening, and referral services for 173 children birth to age four and for the first time in many years, there was no longer a summer waiting list for families due to changes with Seattle Public Schools.  
  • The Innovation Supports Team provided 120 hours of individualized support to community-based organizations and hosted workshops attended by 129 providers from 11 organizations as part of the Community-Designed Program Development Pilot program.   
  • Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) supported 48 early childhood practitioners in completing the IECMH Certificate Program: Centering Relationships and Social Justice in Early Childhood. In addition, more than 300 early childhood practitioners participated in IECMH learning opportunities throughout the year.  
  • The Workforce Development program sponsored 14 large group workshops attended by 400 individuals and 77 learning events attended by 170 members of community-based organizations working with young children. To expand and support a network of trainers and facilitators in the community, the Cultivating Prenatal-to-Five Community-Based Facilitators Program started the first cohort supporting 13 community leaders working with young children.  

Community Outreach and Connection 

Community Information, Outreach, and Referral (CIOR) services connect people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families to information, skills, and supports they need to live and participate in the community.    

  • More than 2,280 individuals were provided with Information and Referral services, including 900 individuals who also received additional, one-on-on supports with Cultural Navigation.  
  • Behavioral Support programs served 63 children and young people with I/DD experiencing a behavioral health crisis.  
  • 267 parents and caregivers of individuals with I/DD attended peer support groups to build relationships and share resource.  
  • CIOR providers hosted workshops and trainings attended by 697 people, including 40 self-advocates participating in leadership trainings where they learned how to advocate for their needs.  
  • Partners created and shared more than 35,000 social media posts, emails, and texts with community members about issues and topics impacting the I/DD community 

Expanding Education and Employment Opportunities for Adults 

  • The School-to-Work (S2W) program served 301 students in their high school transition programs, connecting them to supported employment services and supporting them and their families navigate services. The S2W team focused on outreach efforts to expand the reach of the program, hosting four orientations for students and families and three provider meet-and-greets in addition to attending school Parent Nights and outreach events hosted by community partners.  
  • More than 2,300 individuals with I/DD participated in Individual Supported Employment. Over 70% of participants were working across more than 560 different employers. The Adult Services team also worked with the City of Seattle to create a blog series highlighting the stories of several participants and what employment means to them.  
  • About 410 people participated in Community Inclusion services with the goal of increasing social connections and skill building – an 8% increase over 2023! And one in four participants in the program were also receiving supported employment services at the same time.  
  • Design and implementation of the Capacity Development Program began this year with the goal of supporting the Adult Services system to advance Equity, Race, and Social Justice (ERSJ). Planning and design activities included a needs assessment survey completed by 34 providers.  

Technical Assistance for Community-Based Organizations 

The Grant Assistance and Capacity Building (GACB) program received 44 requests over the course of the year, with three-quarters of the organizations receiving supports reporting that they increased their skills in organizational development.  

DDECSD aims to:  

  • Nurture development and well-being of all children prenatal-to-five and their families. 
  • Assist King County residents of all ages and cultures who have developmental disabilities to achieve full, active, integrated, and productive participation in community life. 
  • Strengthen small organizations, as well as Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) led organizations, and increase their success in partnering with the County by providing grant assistance and capacity building supports.  

The DDECS division sits within the Department of Community and Human Services and offers a range of programs and services to help childrenprenatal to five, their families and caregivers; young adults and adults with developmental disabilities and delays and their families; and community-based organizations.