Fair Start for Kids investments make quality child care more affordable for families
Millions in new funding: caps co-pays for families, supports providers and free healthcare for child care workers
Olympia, WA – Washington’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) distributed more than $288 million to stabilize the state’s child care system since passage of the Fair Start for Kids Act in May 2021.
“Child care was in crisis before the pandemic. The Legislature funded the Fair Start for Kids Act to ensure Washington children have access to high-quality early learning experiences and enter kindergarten ready, which improves their start in life,” said Nicole Rose, DCYF Assistant Secretary of Early Learning. “This work is nothing less than an investment in a better future for the state’s children.”
The agency is just getting started, with more than $1.1 billion allocated to expand Washington State’s child care and early learning systems so that child care becomes affordable and accessible for more Washington families.
Action to date includes:
- Working Child Care Connections (WCCC) – Washington State’s child care subsidy that helps families pay for child care administered by DCYF – announced increased subsidy rates to child care providers. Child care providers saw an average 15% increase in rates paid to providers by the state.
- DCYF partners with the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (WAHBE) to ensure health benefits are available to child care workers. Specifically, WAHBE is administering a health benefit premium assistance program for employees of licensed child care facilities. Since November, more than 2,000 child care providers enrolled for coverage, many qualifying for a $0 monthly premium.
- Additionally, over 4,300 child care providers received stabilization funding in the form of Federal Child Care Stabilization Grants, which provided necessary financial support for the struggling child care sector. Further investments in professional development, new grants, and rate enhancements in 2022 will help stabilize this essential workforce.
- With a focus on working parents, DCYF increased eligibility standards for subsidized child care for families making up to 60% of the state median income and capped monthly copayments at $115. These changes provide over 2,300 families with new eligibility for child care services through WCCC, a benefit to families struggling to make ends meet and provide high-quality care for their children.
“Washington’s working families face challenges finding child care that is affordable, that is accessible, and offers the quality that parents expect,” said Rose. “We are building a child care system that is equitable and fair and where high-quality care is more available to all of Washington's children.”
Future grants and policy changes through the Fair Start for Kids Act coming online in 2022 include: Complex Needs Fund, Early Childhood Equity Grants, increased ECEAP slots for the 2022-23 school year, and Trauma-Informed Care Supports.
“The Fair Start for Kids Act means historic investments in child care and preschool, making quality early learning affordable for more Washington Families, leading to healthier children and thriving families,” said Rose. “Investments allocated over coming years will support child care providers to help keep their doors open and to meet the needs of the children and families the serve, so the early learning system is more accessible and equitable.”
Media Contact: Jason Wettstein, Jason.wettstein@dcyf.wa.gov, 360-464-0294
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