H-3553.1
HOUSE BILL 2450
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State of Washington | 65th Legislature | 2018 Regular Session |
By Representatives Senn, Hargrove, Chapman, Kilduff, Muri, Kagi, Appleton, Tharinger, and Doglio
Read first time 01/09/18. Referred to Committee on Early Learning & Human Services.
AN ACT Relating to supporting the business of child care; adding new sections to chapter
43.216 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that early learning is a critical part of every child's education, and the quality of early education impacts long-term performance. Since 2011, Washington has suffered from a net decline of about one thousand six hundred licensed providers. This accounts for a twenty-one percent decline in the overall supply of child care. Washington ranks third in the nation for least affordable child care for an infant in family child care, and seventh in the nation for least affordable child care for an infant in a child care center. The annualized cost of an infant in a child care center is greater than fifty percent of the state median income for single mothers. The legislature further finds that some areas of the state are experiencing a lack of child care supply, creating challenges for working parents and employers. This shortage is a growth opportunity for the child care industry and developing an adequate supply of quality child care will contribute to the economic success of our state.
(2) The legislature intends to support early learning providers with the goal of making the business of child care sustainable and mutually beneficial for providers, children, parents, and the state.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.216 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The department shall develop, in consultation with the statewide child care resource and referral network and the community and technical college system, a community-based training module for child care providers. The training module must train providers specifically in managing and sustaining a child care business and include information about budgeting, marketing, human resources, and securing funding.
(2) The training module must be offered to providers as a pilot program in at least four communities: An urban community, a rural community, a community with a high number of monolingual Spanish-speaking child care providers, and a community with a high number of monolingual Somali-speaking child care providers. The department must select the communities where the training modules will be offered.
(3) Training must be provided by state-approved trainers listed in the managed education registry information tool and associated in the managed education registry information tool with the identified agency. The department must offer reimbursement for training taken from state-approved trainers. Professionals who work in department licensed or certified child care facilities and have confirmed or verified their employment record may access reimbursement within available funds through their managed education registry information tool professional record.
(4) As part of the review of the state early childhood certificates under section 3 of this act, the business of child care training and implementation of child care and development fund requirements must be conducted to ensure there is not duplication of services. The department and the state board for community and technical colleges must work together in conducting the review. The review must provide recommendations for how the business of child care training should be delivered in the future.
(5) Upon completion of the first cohort of providers receiving training under the pilot program in the four communities, but no later than July 1, 2021, the training module must be made available statewide for all child care providers.
(6) The training module must be functionally translated into languages other than English, particularly for child care providers who speak Spanish and Somali.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 43.216 RCW to read as follows:
(1) Upon completion of the pilot program created in section 2 of this act, the department must collaborate with the state board for community and technical colleges to align all or parts of the training module created in section 2 of this act with course outcomes identified in one or more early childhood education classes that may be offered by the community and technical colleges. The department and the state board for community and technical colleges must integrate training module content in early childhood education curriculum. This section does not create any new requirements for receiving a certification in a program, however the training module content must be incorporated into courses related to stackable certificates in early childhood education as offered by participating community and technical colleges.
(2) The state board must work with community and technical college early childhood education programs to incorporate outcomes related to managing and sustaining a child care business into its early childhood education curriculum by fall quarter of the 2021 academic year. This course will be an elective and not a required course.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2018.
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