Letter from Director Lisa Brown , Department of Commerce
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare what parents have long known : When child care doesn ’ t work for families , families can ’ t work . In 2020 , 71 % of parents reported that difficulty finding child care affected their ability to work . Even before the pandemic , 63 % of Washington children lived in child care deserts , areas with inadequate supplies of licensed child care . For families that have been fortunate enough to access care options , costs can be exorbitant .
Lisa Brown , PhD
Barriers to care are only worsening and , as the Child Care Collaborative Task Force has long noted , workforce insecurity is at the heart of the crisis . The gap between fair pay for child care workers and what parents can actually afford to pay is huge . It is time to address this gap that has always been part of our child care system . Quality early childhood education is a public good that leads to better outcomes for children , while also allowing parents to fully participate in the workforce .
Licensed child care programs operating on razor thin margins simply don ’ t have resources to compete with larger employers in today ’ s hiring market . Despite their love for the children and families they serve , many child care professionals are understandably choosing other employment opportunities with significantly higher wages and benefits that support their own economic security . At a time when families in our state are eager to reenter the workforce , too many early learning classrooms are empty and too many waitlists are full .
If children and families are to fully reap the benefits of access to high-quality early learning , we must urgently address child care workforce recruitment and retention . Currently , the child care workforce turns over at a rate of 43 % per year . These high levels of churn are unsurprising since child care providers rank in the third percentile of occupational wages ( below pet groomers ). In fact , 39 % of Washington ’ s child care providers rely on one or more sources of public assistance to make ends meet . Continuity of care between children and providers – and the responsive , nurturing , and consistent relationships that result – is one of the most important indicators of high-quality early learning . The stakes of inaction on child care workforce compensation are too high and we cannot defer action any longer .
Over the last four years , the task force has studied and recommended strategies to increase access for families , and we ’ ve made important progress . Most notably , the Fair Start for Kids Act expands affordable child care for thousands of families and increases reimbursement rates for providers accepting Working Connections Child Care subsidies . These changes are essential and yet , on their own , they don ’ t go far enough .
We must work together to build a child care system that makes it possible for all Washingtonians to benefit from our shared prosperity . The Cost of Quality Care study recommendations provide a roadmap to do just that . I am grateful to the Child Care Collaborative Task Force for its continued commitment to understanding the complex dynamics of our child care system , and for recommending a path forward .
Lisa Brown , PhD Director Department of Commerce
2022 COST OF QUALITY CHILD CARE LEGISLATIVE REPORT 2