Brief Summary of Bill

Directs the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to develop a community-based training module for child care providers and entrepreneurs interested in developing a child care business and offer the training as a pilot program.
Requires DCYF to offer reimbursement to child care providers for training taken from state-approved trainers.
Tasks DCYF to collaborate with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to align all or parts of the training module with early childhood education classes offered by community and technical colleges.

Background: DCYF. In 2017, the Legislature passed a bill that created the new DCYF. On July 1, 2018, all powers, duties, and functions from the Department of Early Learning (DEL) will transfer to DCYF. One of DCYF's duties is to review and update core competencies for early care and education professionals

Child Care Resource and Referral Network. DCYF must work in conjunction with a statewide child care resource and referral network to compile data about local child care needs and availability and provide training and technical assistance to child care providers. This network is known as Child Care Aware of Washington.

Managed Education Registry Information Tool (MERIT). This tool is used to track professional development for early learning professionals including education and training experience. According to DEL's website, early learning professionals may use MERIT to find training opportunities by state-approved trainers and apply for training reimbursement funds.

SBCTC. This nine-member board coordinates and directs the state's system of 34 public community and technical colleges.

Stackable Certificates. According to DEL's website, 29 community colleges in Washington currently offer stackable certificates in Early Childhood Education (ECE). These certificates are stackable in that they build off one another in a sequential manner and deepen levels of applied learning along the way. All courses are aligned with the state's core competencies for early care and education professionals.

Summary of Bill: Child Care Business Training Module. DCYF must 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 and entrepreneurs interested in developing a child care business. Topics must include information about budgeting, marketing, human resources, and securing funding.

DCYF must select at least four communities to offer the training as a pilot program:

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 training module must be functionally translated into languages other than English, particularly for child care providers who speak Spanish and Somali.

Upon completion of the pilot program, but no later than July 1, 2021, the training module must be made available statewide.

Reimbursement for Training. Training must be provided by state-approved trainers listed in MERIT. DCYF must offer reimbursement to certified or licensed child care providers for training taken from state-approved trainers. Professionals who have confirmed or verified their employment record may access reimbursement within available funds through their MERIT professional record.

Alignment with Community and Technical College Classes. Upon completion of the pilot program, DCYF must collaborate with SBCTC to align all or parts of the training module with course outcomes identified in one or more ECE classes that may be offered by community and technical colleges. The training module content must be incorporated into courses related to stackable certificates as offered by participating community and technical colleges.

SBCTC must work with ECE programs to incorporate outcomes related to managing and sustaining a child care business into its curriculum by fall quarter of the 2021 academic year. This course will be an elective and not a required course.

DCYF and SBCTC must work together to review certificates, ensure that training efforts are not duplicative, and provide recommendations for how the business of child care training should be delivered in the future.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: This bill combines education and economic development. Washington has increased the requirements on child care providers, which has made them stronger and richer, but has also resulted in some child care providers leaving the business. This bill will help child care providers and entrepreneurs learn about starting and running a child care business.

OTHER: Family home child care and family, friends, and neighbor care providers bargained for professional development and a training program that provides peer-to-peer mentorship and manages a substitute pool. The training module in this bill lines up with this training program and could be mentioned in the bill to acknowledge this existing program.