About

Mission

The mission of the Department of Children Initiatives (DCI) is to promote equitable access to high-quality Early Care and Education and Out-of-School Time services for all children and youth in Allegheny County.

Goals

All Allegheny County children and families have stable, reliable access to quality Early Care and Education and Out-of-School Time programs.
Allegheny County is a national leader in the Early Care and Education and Out-of-School Time space.
Allegheny County is a great place to work in Early Care and Education and Out-of-School Time.

Priorities

In leading Allegheny County’s commitment to children and youth and the programs that serve them, the Department of Children Initiatives (DCI) established the following priority areas:

Birth to Five

DCI’s Birth to Five efforts focus on addressing the challenges and systemic barriers families face in accessing quality child care and early learning services for their youngest children.

Out-of-School Time

DCI’s Out-of-School Time (OST) efforts supports children during the time spent outside of the traditional school day.

Workforce

DCI’s Early Care and Education (ECE) and Out-of-School Time (OST) workforce efforts focus on supporting the corresponding workforce that provides daily programming for children and youth.