S-1872               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 4174

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Senators Gaspard and Benitz

Read first time 2/8/85 and referred to Committee on Human Services and corrections.

AN ACT Relating to day care; adding new sections to chapter 74.15 RCW; creating a new section; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that although day care centers enrolling seven or more children for more than four hours a day are required to be licensed by the state, enforcement is far from universal.  While licensed day care centers are inspected for health and safety by the department of social and health services, the frequency of monitoring the more than eleven hundred licensed centers in this state has been severely reduced by budget cuts.  The legislature further finds that day care centers are being used by an ever-increasing number of families in this state and that these early years are crucial to a child's development.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 74.15 RCW to read as follows:

          By 1989, all day care centers licensed under this chapter shall have at least one instructor on staff who meets the requirements under this section.  An instructor shall have the equivalent of a two-year associate of arts degree in early childhood education from a community college or other program or equivalent experience and have demonstrated competence in working with young children.  The department shall establish criteria by rule consistent with this section for approval of instructors.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 74.15 RCW  to read as follows:

          In addition to its other duties under this chapter, the department shall monitor and evaluate day care centers licensed under this chapter in cooperation with the appropriate personnel in the office of the superintendent of public instruction for the developmental quality of the programs provided.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The sum of six hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1987, from the general fund to the department of social and health services for the purposes of this act.