Revised Code of Washington
Chapter 43.216 - Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
43.216.749 - Child care subsidy rates—Use of cost model.

RCW 43.216.749
Child care subsidy rates—Use of cost model.

(1) It is the intent of the legislature to systemically increase child care subsidy rates over time until rates are equal to the full cost of providing high quality child care.
(2) Beginning July 1, 2021, child care subsidy base rates must achieve the 85th percentile of market for licensed or certified child care providers. The state and the exclusive representative for family child care providers must enter into bargaining over the implementation of the subsidy rate increase under this subsection.
(3)(a) The department shall build upon the work of the child care collaborative task force to develop and implement a child care cost estimate model and use the completed child care cost model to recommend subsidy rates at levels that are sufficient to compensate licensed or certified child care providers for the full costs of providing high quality child care. The department shall consider:
(i) Adjusting rates to reflect cost of living such as area median income, cost of living by zip code, and grouping by categories such as rural, suburban, or urban; and
(ii) Incorporating the rate model for nonstandard child care hours developed under section 306, chapter 199, Laws of 2021.
(b) The department shall build upon the work of the child care collaborative task force to evaluate options to support access to affordable health care insurance coverage for licensed or certified child care providers.
(4) This section does not interfere with, impede, or in any way diminish the right of family child care providers to bargain collectively with the state through the exclusive bargaining representatives as provided for under RCW 41.56.028.

[ 2021 c 199 § 301; 2019 c 368 § 7.]
NOTES:

Effective date—2021 c 199 §§ 201, 202, 301, 309, and 504: See note following RCW 43.216.1368.


Short title—Findings—Intent—Conflict with federal requirements—2021 c 199: See notes following RCW 43.216.770.


Findings—Intent—2019 c 368: "(1) The legislature finds that child care is a sector that is critical to the vitality and economic security of our state and communities and families, and that families in Washington face significant barriers to accessing and affording high quality child care. The legislature finds that Washington's committed caregivers and state investments and advancements in our quality rating and improvement system ensure that quality, culturally relevant child care supports children's healthy development and prepares them for success in school and in life. The legislature recognizes that provider diversity and cultural relevance are fundamental components of quality, and that parent choice is a priority throughout the state's early learning system.
(2) The legislature finds that the cost of quality child care is unaffordable for many families and state support is needed to ensure that all children and families in Washington can access safe, enriching child care.
(3) The legislature recognizes that expanding access to quality child care requires preparing the market of child care providers to meet existing and expanded demand. The legislature finds that the market of child care providers is shrinking, that child care deserts are expanding, and that fewer providers are offering services to working connections child care subsidy recipients. The legislature additionally finds that child care providers are unable to recruit and retain a qualified workforce; that wages in the industry remain among the lowest of all professions, at or near minimum wage; and that the relationship between a child and a qualified caregiver is of paramount importance to parents and, according to a rapidly accumulating body of brain science, is foundational to supporting healthy development.
(4) Further, while the system awaits systemic change, the legislature finds that steps must be taken to begin to preserve and expand access to child care for child care subsidy recipients, stabilize the child care industry, and reduce turnover in the workforce.
(5) Therefore, the legislature intends to promote high quality child care from diverse providers that is accessible and affordable to all families of Washington's children ages birth to twelve." [ 2019 c 368 § 1.]


Short title—2019 c 368: "This act may be known and cited as the Washington child care access now act." [ 2019 c 368 § 9.]

Structure Revised Code of Washington

Revised Code of Washington

Title 43 - State Government—Executive

Chapter 43.216 - Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

43.216.005 - Findings.

43.216.010 - Definitions.

43.216.015 - Department of children, youth, and families—Created—Duties—Agency performance data—Oversight board for children, youth, and families—Powers and restrictions—Stakeholder meetings.

43.216.020 - Department duties.

43.216.022 - Annual quality assurance report.

43.216.025 - Secretary—Appointment—Salary.

43.216.030 - Secretary's authority.

43.216.035 - Office of innovation, alignment, and accountability—Duties and focus.

43.216.040 - Family services and programs—Administration.

43.216.045 - Advisory committees or councils—Travel expenses.

43.216.050 - Evaluation and research materials and data on private nonprofit group homes—Availability.

43.216.055 - Federal and state cooperation—Rules—Construction.

43.216.060 - Policies to support children of incarcerated parents.

43.216.065 - Private-public partnership—Secretary's duties.

43.216.070 - Reports to the governor and legislature.

43.216.075 - Early learning advisory council—Policy development and implementation—Early achievers review subcommittee.

43.216.080 - Integration with other entities.

43.216.085 - Early achievers program—Quality rating and improvement system.

43.216.087 - Early achievers program—Participation of culturally diverse and low-income center, family home, and outdoor nature-based child care providers.

43.216.089 - Early achievers program—Final report—Mitigation plan for areas not achieving required rating levels—Data availability—Reports.

43.216.090 - Early achievers program—Mental health consultants.

43.216.091 - Early achievers program—Administrative policies—Rating and rerating.

43.216.092 - Early achievers program—Administrative policies—Various.

43.216.100 - Community information and involvement plan—Informing home-based, tribal, and family early learning providers of early achievers program.

43.216.105 - Native language development and retention—Dual language learning—Rules.

43.216.110 - Core competencies for early care and education professionals and child and youth development professionals—Adoption and implementation—Updating.

43.216.115 - Partnership responsibilities—Department's duties—Partnership's duties.

43.216.120 - Reduction of barriers for using local or private funds for early learning opportunities.

43.216.125 - Parental notification of report alleging sexual misconduct or abuse—Notice of parental rights.

43.216.130 - Home visiting services account—Purpose—Administration—Funding.

43.216.135 - Child care providers—Subsidy requirements—Tiered reimbursements—Copayments.

43.216.136 - Working connections child care program—Eligibility.

43.216.1368 - Working connections child care program—Eligibility—Copayments.

43.216.137 - Working connections child care program—Unemployment compensation.

43.216.139 - Working connections child care program—Notification of change in providers.

43.216.141 - Working connections child care program—Standards and guidelines—Duties of the department.

43.216.143 - Working connections child care program—Contracted child care slots and vouchers.

43.216.145 - Working connections child care—Eligibility of high school students.

43.216.152 - Definitions.

43.216.155 - Home visitation programs—Findings—Intent.

43.216.157 - Home visitation programs—Definitions.

43.216.159 - Home visitation programs—Funding—Home visitation services coordination or consolidation plan.

43.216.165 - Early start account.

43.216.170 - Applicants for positions with the department—Investigation and background checks.

43.216.180 - Education of students in the custody of juvenile rehabilitation facilities—Duties—Creation of a comprehensive plan.

43.216.190 - Assistance with submission of Washington state identicard application materials.

43.216.195 - Child care centers—Negotiated rule making.

43.216.200 - Imagination library of Washington program.

43.216.205 - Youth and young adults exiting publicly funded system of care—Rapid response team.

43.216.250 - Secretary's licensing duties.

43.216.255 - Licensing standards.

43.216.260 - Minimum requirements for licensure.

43.216.265 - Fire protection—Powers and duties of chief of the Washington state patrol.

43.216.270 - Character, suitability, and competence to provide child care and early learning services—Fingerprint criminal history record checks—Background check clearance card or certificate—Shared background checks.

43.216.271 - Background check clearance registry—Background application form.

43.216.272 - Fee for developing and administering individual-based/portable background check clearance registry.

43.216.273 - Individual-based/portable background check clearance account.

43.216.280 - Licensed day care centers and outdoor nature-based child care providers—Notice of pesticide use.

43.216.285 - Articles of incorporation.

43.216.290 - Access to agencies—Records inspection.

43.216.295 - License required.

43.216.300 - License fees.

43.216.305 - License application—Nonexpiring licenses—Issuance, renewal, transfer, duration.

43.216.310 - License renewal.

43.216.315 - Initial licenses.

43.216.320 - Probationary licenses.

43.216.325 - Licenses—Denial, suspension, revocation, modification, nonrenewal—Proceedings—Penalties.

43.216.327 - Licenses—Denial, revocation, suspension, or modification—Notice—Effective date of action—Adjudicative proceeding.

43.216.335 - Civil fines—Notice—Adjudicative proceeding.

43.216.340 - Licensure pending compliance with state building code, chapter 19.27 RCW—Consultation with local officials.

43.216.345 - Adjudicative proceedings—Training for administrative law judges.

43.216.350 - License or certificate suspension—Noncompliance with support order—Reissuance.

43.216.355 - Actions against agencies.

43.216.360 - Unlicensed providers—Notification to agency—Penalty—Posting on website.

43.216.365 - Operating without a license—Penalty.

43.216.370 - Negotiated rule making.

43.216.375 - Negotiated rule making—Statewide unit of family child care licensees—Antitrust immunity, intent.

43.216.380 - Minimum licensing requirements—Window blind pull cords.

43.216.385 - Reporting—Actions against agency licensees—Agencies notified of licensing requirement—Posting on website.

43.216.390 - Reporting resignation or termination of individual working in child care agency.

43.216.395 - Child care inspection reports—Internal review process—Definitions—Final review.

43.216.500 - Intent.

43.216.505 - Definitions.

43.216.5052 - Definition of "Indian"—Rule making.

43.216.510 - Admission and funding.

43.216.512 - Expanded enrollment—Risk factors—Participation in other programs.

43.216.513 - Early entry—Participation in other programs.

43.216.514 - Enrollment priority.

43.216.515 - Eligible providers—State-funded support—Requirements—Data collection—Pathways to early childhood education and assistance program.

43.216.520 - Advisory committee.

43.216.525 - Rules.

43.216.530 - Review of applications.

43.216.535 - Reports.

43.216.540 - State support—Priorities—Program funding levels.

43.216.545 - Reimbursement of advisory committee expenses.

43.216.550 - Authority to solicit gifts, grants, and support.

43.216.555 - Early learning program—Voluntary preschool opportunities—Program standards—Prioritizing programs—Rules.

43.216.556 - Early learning program—Funding and statewide implementation.

43.216.559 - Early learning program—Short title—2010 c 231.

43.216.565 - Findings—Intent—Early start program.

43.216.567 - Early therapeutic and preventative services and programs.

43.216.570 - Early intervention services—Findings.

43.216.572 - Early intervention services—Infants and toddlers with disabilities—Interagency coordinating council—Conditions and limitations.

43.216.574 - Early intervention services—Infants and toddlers with disabilities—Interagency coordinating council—Coordination with counties and communities.

43.216.576 - Early intervention services—Interagency agreements.

43.216.577 - Prenatal to three family engagement strategy.

43.216.578 - Birth to three early childhood education and assistance program—Pilot project—Reports.

43.216.579 - Infant child care incentives.

43.216.580 - Early intervention services—Funding.

43.216.585 - Program rates.

43.216.587 - Complex needs funds.

43.216.590 - Trauma-informed care supports.

43.216.592 - Dual language designation—Rate enhancement.

43.216.595 - Early childhood equity grants.

43.216.597 - Play and learn groups—Resources and supports.

43.216.600 - Professional development supports.

43.216.602 - Child care deserts grant program.

43.216.650 - Child fatality reviews.

43.216.655 - Data collection and program evaluation—Reports.

43.216.660 - Child care services—Declaration of policy.

43.216.665 - Child care workers—Findings—Intent.

43.216.670 - Child care provider rules review.

43.216.675 - Child care workers—Career and wage ladder.

43.216.680 - Child care workers—Career and wage ladder—Wage increases.

43.216.685 - Child care—Toll-free information number.

43.216.687 - Child care—Required postings—Disclosure of complaints.

43.216.689 - Child care—Public access to reports and enforcement action notices.

43.216.690 - Child day care centers and outdoor nature-based child care providers—Immunization.

43.216.692 - Family home providers—Capacity flexibility.

43.216.695 - County regulation of family day-care centers—Twelve-month pilot projects.

43.216.700 - Day care insurance.

43.216.705 - Child care providers—Tiered-reimbursement system—Pilot sites.

43.216.710 - Child care services.

43.216.715 - Child care partnership employer liaison.

43.216.720 - Child care expansion grant fund.

43.216.725 - Subsidized child care report and assessment.

43.216.730 - Child care subsidy fraud—Referral—Collection of overpayments.

43.216.735 - Placement of children ages sixty months through six years.

43.216.742 - Outdoor nature-based child care program.

43.216.745 - Child care consultation program—Creation, operation, and duties.

43.216.749 - Child care subsidy rates—Use of cost model.

43.216.750 - Child welfare workers—Department duties—Technical work group to develop workload model—Annual report to legislature.

43.216.755 - Child care providers—Community-based training pathway.

43.216.760 - Child care and early learning providers—Firearms, dangerous weapons.

43.216.762 - Child care and early learning providers—Firearms, dangerous weapons—Rules.

43.216.770 - Fair start for kids account.

43.216.772 - Fair start for kids account—Spending goals and strategies.

43.216.775 - Inflationary adjustments to rates.

43.216.900 - Early childhood education and assistance program—Short title—1985 c 418.

43.216.901 - Contingency—Effective date—1985 c 418.

43.216.902 - Effective date—2006 c 265.

43.216.903 - Construction—Chapter applicable to state registered domestic partnerships—2009 c 521.

43.216.904 - Short title—2015 3rd sp.s. c 7.

43.216.905 - Transfer of powers, duties, and functions of the department of early learning.

43.216.906 - Transfer of child welfare provisions from the department of social and health services.

43.216.907 - Transfer of juvenile justice services provisions from the department of social and health services.

43.216.908 - Conflict with federal requirements—2017 3rd sp.s. c 6.

43.216.909 - Transfer of working connections child care and seasonal child care programs from the department of social and health services.

43.216.910 - Savings clause—2021 c 199.