SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2556

2020 Regular Session

ByHouse Human Services & Early Learning (originally sponsored by Representatives Dent, Corry, Eslick, Caldier, Klippert, Jenkin, Griffey, McCaslin, Mosbrucker, Gildon, Dufault, and Tharinger)

READ FIRST TIME 02/07/20.

AN ACT Relating to providing regulatory relief for early learning providers; adding a new section to chapter 43.216 RCW; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that a nurturing and loving relationship between an early learning provider and a child the provider cares for is an essential component of early learning and has a strong influence on that child's healthy development. Further, the legislature finds that successfully operating a child care center or licensed family home is becoming more financially challenging as the state's regulatory framework for child care and early learning has grown more comprehensive. The legislature recognizes the value of demonstrated competence that comes with a provider's experience in delivering quality child care. Therefore, in response to our state's urgent child care crisis, the legislature intends to provide relief to early learning providers by building the early learning workforce to meet the needs of working families across our state. The legislature further intends for providers to have a range of options to meet education requirements, including a noncredit-bearing community-based training pathway.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.216 RCW to read as follows:

(1) By July 1, 2021, the department shall implement a noncredit-bearing, community-based training pathway for licensed child care providers to meet professional education requirements associated with child care licensure. The community-based training pathway must be offered as an alternative to existing credit-bearing pathways available to providers.

(2) The department shall consult with the following stakeholders in the development and implementation of the community-based training pathway: The statewide child care resource and referral network, a community-based training organization that provides training to licensed family day care providers, a statewide organization that represents the interests of family day care providers, a statewide organization that represents the interests of licensed child day care centers, an organization that represents the interests of refugee and immigrant communities, a bilingual child care provider whose first language is not English, an organization that advocates for early learning, an organization representing private and independent schools, and the state board for community and technical colleges.

(3) The community-based training pathway must:

(a) Align with adopted core competencies for early learning professionals;

(b) Be made available to providers in multiple languages;

(d) Be made available at low cost to providers and at prices comparable to the cost of similar community-based trainings, not to exceed two hundred and fifty dollars per person; and

(e) Be accessible to providers in rural and urban settings.

(4) The department shall allow licensed child care providers until at least August 1, 2026, to:

(a) Comply with child care licensing rules that require a provider to hold an early childhood education initial certificate or an early childhood education short certificate; or

(b) Complete community-based trainings.

(5) For the purposes of this section, "demonstrated competence" means an individual has shown that he or she has the skills to complete the required work independently.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The department of children, youth, and families and the state board for community and technical colleges must collaborate with representatives of local community and technical colleges to develop a plan to allow community-based training, including training described in section 2 of this act, that is completed by licensed child care providers to qualify for college credit. The department of children, youth, and families must submit the plan to the governor and the legislature by December 1, 2021.

(2) This section expires December 1, 2022.