FINAL BILL REPORT

EHB 2861

C 231 L 18

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Expanding the provision of trauma-informed child care.

Sponsors: Representatives Ortiz-Self, Lovick, Klippert, Kilduff, Kagi, Frame, Jinkins, Macri, Kloba, Pollet and Goodman.

House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services

Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education

Background:

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are indicators of severe childhood stressors and family dysfunction experienced before the age of 18 that can negatively impact physical and behavioral health across a person's lifespan. Adverse childhood experiences indicators include:

• child physical, sexual, or emotional abuse;

• child emotional or physical neglect;

• alcohol or other substance abuse in the home;

• mental illness, depression, or suicidal behaviors in the home;

• incarceration of a family member;

• witnessing intimate partner violence; and

• parental divorce or separation.

An individual's ACEs score is the total sum of the different ACEs indicators experienced by that person during childhood and is used to assess cumulative childhood stress.

The Early Achievers program is a quality rating and improvement system administered by the Department of Early Learning (DEL) that provides a common set of standards by which to measure and improve the quality of early learning and child care. Providers who are Early Achievers participants advance through program levels and are rated on a scale of 1 through 5 based on child outcomes, facility curriculum and learning environment, professional development, and family engagement and partnership.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) was established in 2017 with the stated purpose of protecting children and youth from harm and promoting healthy development with effective and high quality prevention, intervention, and early education services delivered in an equitable manner. On July 1, 2018, all functions of the DEL will be integrated into the DCYF.

Summary:

The DCYF must convene an advisory group to develop a five-year strategy to expand training in trauma-informed child care for early learning providers and reduce expulsions from early learning environments. The five-year strategy must be delivered to the Governor and the Legislature by November 1, 2018.

Trauma-informed child care is defined as child care in which a provider recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in children, incorporates into care an understanding of trauma's impact and the potential paths for recovery, and responds by integrating knowledge about trauma while seeking to avoid retraumatization.

The five-year strategy developed by the advisory group must include:

• plans for training early learning providers and administrators in trauma-informed care;

• recommended changes to the Early Achievers program to better rate and support providers serving high-needs children;

• outreach plans to expand awareness among parents about the availability of trauma-informed child care;

• an analysis of all fund sources that may be used to fund elements of the five-year strategy;

• best practices for supporting family day care providers in the provision of trauma-informed child care;

• recommended child care center staffing ratios, requirements for access to specialty providers, and subsidy rates for providers specializing in trauma-informed child care; and

• systems for tracking child care expulsions and methods to reduce expulsions by 50 percent over five years.

The advisory group consists of the following members selected by the DCYF:

• one or more child psychologists;

• three child care providers with experience serving traumatized children, children with developmental disabilities, and racially diverse children;

• an expert on ACEs and the impacts of ACEs on child development;

• a provider of the Early Childhood Intervention and Prevention Services program;

• a representative of a nonprofit that provides quality improvement services to Early Achievers participants;

• a parent of a child with three or more ACEs;

• a representative of a nonprofit organization with expertise in developing social-emotional curricula for early learning environments;

• a representative of a union representing child care providers;

• a nonunion representative of child care providers; and

• a representative of a statewide organization representing Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program providers.

The act expires on December 30, 2018.

Votes on Final Passage: