S-1591               _______________________________________________

                                         SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 5660

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Children & Family Services (originally sponsored by Senators Niemi, Smith and Murray)

Read first time 3/1/89.

AN ACT Relating to child care resource and referral; creating new sections; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature recognizes that child care has been a patchwork of services without an integrating system to ensure that planning, coordination, and linkages between consumers and child care providers occur.  The legislature finds that the creation of the office of the child care coordinator was the first step to achieving an integrated system.  Additional steps must be taken to assist parents in obtaining appropriate child care for their children.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     Potential or existing resource and referral programs will, as part of the grant application process, develop a plan for achieving the following objectives:

          (1) Provide parents with information  about child care resources, including location of services and subsidies;

          (2) Carry out child care provider recruitment and training programs;

          (3) Offer support services, such as parent and provider seminars, toy lending libraries, and substitute banks;

          (4) Provide information for businesses regarding child care supply and demand;

          (5) Advocate for increased public and private sector resources; and

          (6) Provide technical assistance to employers regarding employee child care services.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The coordinator shall establish a method by which interested persons or agencies can apply for a grant.  Such method shall include the requirements listed in section 2 of this act.  In no instance shall a grant of larger than twenty-five thousand dollars be made to either an existing or potential resource and referral program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The sum of two hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the department of social and health services, solely for start-up grants for the creation of community resource and referral agencies and for operating costs for existing resource and referral agencies.  Of the two hundred thousand dollars, only seventy-five thousand dollars shall be used for start-up grants.