WSR 16-24-091

PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY

[Filed December 7, 2016, 10:35 a.m.]

Subject of Possible Rule Making: Updating health and safety standards relating to safe sleep practices for infants napping or sleeping while in the care of an early learning provider.

Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 43.215.060, 43.215.070, and 43.215.201.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: Rule making is needed to update licensing rules pertaining to safe sleep practices in order to reduce sleep related incidents while in the care of early learning providers. This rule making is also part of a larger effort to develop rules to implement a single set of licensing standards for child care and the early childhood education and assistance program as directed by section 3, chapter 7, Laws of 2015 3rd sp. sess. (see WSR 16-15-082). This rule making is proceeding separately because the department of early learning (DEL) believes that rules related to safe sleep standards are critical to the safety of children and need to be enacted before the rule making to align standards is expected to be completed.

Process for Developing New Rule: Negotiated rule making; and to the extent practicable, DEL intends to seek stakeholder and public input during the rule drafting and development process. At a later date, DEL will file proposed rules, hold a public hearing(s), and accept written comments before adopting permanent rules.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication. Individuals and organizations wishing to receive draft and proposed materials may join a DEL rules mailing list by contacting the DEL rules coordinator at rules@del.wa.gov, fax (360) 725-4925, or by writing to the DEL Rules Coordinator, Department of Early Learning, P.O. Box 49070 [40970], Olympia, WA 98504-0970.

December 7, 2016

Lori Anderson

Rules Coordinator