Washington falls short covering child care subsidy costs

Even with state subsidies, families in Washington still cannot afford child care and providers are struggling to pay their staff, according to a new report.

Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families is required to study market rates for child care every three years to determine how much the state should be reimbursing private providers for families who use its subsidy programs. It released the findings in July.

Almost 1,400 providers, of the state’s 5,779, responded to the survey.

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Subsidy rates are ‘far below’ what state law says they should be.

The state is required to reimburse providers for subsidies that families use to pay for child care at 85% of the market rate for care, according to state law. (This rate varies across different regions and age groups.) Based on the 2024 data, almost no subsidy meets the 85th percentile requirement.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/08/05/washington-falls-short-covering-child-care-subsidy-costs/