Agencies and Committees
WFIS represents the interests of private schools on agency boards and working groups and serves as the official liaison organization for independent schools with OSPI and the Department of Early Learning.WFIS Agency and Committee News
ELAC Meeting August 14th in Spokane
WFIS' ELAC Representative and Issaquah Montessori Director Chelle Downey-Magee graciously shares her insights from all ELAC and Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee (LCAS) meetings. The August 14th Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) meeting was held at The...
Frontlines of Early Learning in Washington State
WFIS is on the complex and often redrawn front lines of early learning. This front line includes but is not limited to: the Early Learning Advisory Committee (ELAC) which is the official 'catch all' advisory committee established through legislation to advise the...
Superintendent Reykdal announces Washington will not arm its teachers
WA State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal made the following announcement in response to US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos statement that she is considering allowing schools to use federal funds to buy guns. It has been reported that...
OSPI School Safety and Security Committee
Andrew Rauch is the Facilities Manager for Epiphany School and the WFIS Representative on the OSPI School Safety Advisory Committee. Below Andrew shares his thoughts following the committee's Annual Summit and Retreat held August 6 and 7, 2018. The annual school...
Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee (LCAS)
The Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee of the Early Learning Advisory Council was created in 2017 within the Departent of Early Learning (now Department of Children, Youth, and Families). Tasked with providing input on licensing and subsidy rules and...
Spring Valley Montessori hosts the Governor’s Task Force on Child Care.
State Representative Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, initiated legislation to increase affordability and access to childcare during the 2018 Legislative Session. Because of her efforts, Reeves has been appointed to the Child Care Collaborative Task Force....
CAPE Summer Institute
The Council for American Private Education hosted its summer conference in Detroit, July 15-17, 2018 The Executive Directors of each state’s private school advocacy organization met in Detroit this summer for two-days of exploring new educational trends,...
Private School Summer Conference – What do your teachers need?
The FREE Summer Conferences for private school staff held each year by OSPI at Gonzaga University and Seattle Pacific University are paid for through equitable TITLE II, Part A services provided by the federal government. Every private school teacher,...
WFIS Advocacy for Preschools
The work continues throughout summer on advocacy for preschools and childcare centers. WFIS provides support for current Providers trying to stay in business, and emphasizes diversity in early learning programming to support the diversity of children and families in...
ELAC report from June 5th Meeting
Early Learning Advisory Council meetings occur six times per year from 9am to 4pm at rotating locations around the state. Chelle Downey-Magee, Director of Issaquah Montessori School, is the WFIS representative on ELAC. The June 5th at Holiday Inn Yakima meeting was...
About our work
WFIS representatives work with State Agencies, including the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), The Department of Early Learning (DEL), The Department of Health and others to advocate for the particular needs of private schools.
WFIS representatives at OSPI, DEL and on the State Board of Education communicate regularly with WFIS to help guide and change policy to reflect private school needs.
WFIS works directly with the executive directors of the accreditation organizations in Washington to protect the integrity of accreditation and our schools. We call these leaders “Constituency Leaders” and rely on their in depth understanding of their schools to guide WFIS’ policy decisions.
WFIS is in Olympia during the legislative session, building relationships with Legislators and their staff, collaborating with lobbying organizations with similar goals, as well as reading and contributing to legislation to be sure private schools are considered when law is crafted and when it is passed.