cost of child care in Washington State ." In addition to the leadership of the task force , an ad hoc provider work group gave more detailed input on the study and model development . The ad hoc workgroup included family child care ( FCC ) providers , center based providers , providers in urban and rural areas , for-profit and not-forprofit programs , and programs serving children of different ages . Child care providers were compensated for their time and expertise .
Figure 1 : Cost estimation model constituent input
Program Survey Program Interviews
Child Care Provider Workgroup
FCC Focus Groups
Child Care Collaborative Task Force
Cost Estimation Model
Project Leadership ( C3TF , DCYF , DEEL , BSK King County )
As part of the " Understanding the true cost of child care in Washington state " ( Appendix E ) study , P5FS developed a cost estimation model to help policymakers estimate the costs of operating a child care program . At its core , the model estimates what it would cost per child to operate a program meeting a set of characteristics , regardless of who is paying for that care . Whether a child care seat is filled by a child whose parents are paying full tuition or by a child whose family qualifies for the WCCC subsidy program , the provider still needs to generate a set amount of revenue to cover costs . The cost estimation model is not a budgeting tool ; it is meant to estimate per-child costs . The task force considers living wages and benefits for child care providers as an essential part of the cost of quality care and recommends adoption of this tool .
The task force recommends that the child care workforce earn living wages , as calculated using the MIT Living Wage Calculator , and benefits . However , the cost estimation model can be used to consider additional wage and benefits scenarios , including :
Current salaries from the cost of care survey . Compensation Technical Work Group salary scale . This salary scale was developed in 2019 by the legislatively created
work group . The scale has a range for each position , based on educational attainment and credentials . The cost model uses the midpoint of the range .
2022 COST OF QUALITY CHILD CARE LEGISLATIVE REPORT 18