The Child Care Collaborative Task Force ( task force ) is comprised of a broad coalition of child care providers , parents , advocates , legislators , community members and representatives of the business community . The task force was created by the Washington State Legislature in 2018 (
Chapter 91 , Laws of 2018 ) to develop policy recommendations to incentivize employer-supported child care and improve child care access and affordability for employees . Most recently , the Legislature charged the task force with reporting findings and recommendations on the true cost of quality child care based on a federally approved cost of quality care study and cost estimation model . The authorizing legislation is as follows :
Chapter 334 , Laws of 2021 , ESSB ( Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill ) 5092 , Sec 127 pg 76
( 127 ) $ 240,000 of the general fund — state appropriation for fiscal year 2022 and $ 95,000 of the general fund — state appropriation for fiscal year 2023 are provided solely for the department to collaborate with the department of children , youth , and families to jointly convene and facilitate a child care collaborative task force to continue the work of the task force created in chapter 368 , Laws 9 of 2019 ( 2SHB 1344 ) to establish a true cost of quality of child care . The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature by November 1 , 2022 .
The authorizing legislation for both the 2019 commencement of the study , and the 2021 directive to complete the study , after it was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic , is included in Appendix A .
The cost estimation model and cost of quality care study , developed by Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies , may be found in Appendix E .
Child care is not financed as a public good like elementary education and secondary education . In Washington , and across the country , individual families and child care providers carry the responsibility for financing child care , except for our state ’ s child care subsidy program for families with qualifying incomes . Yet the child care industry is unable to operate like other markets , where costs are set by supply and demand . Licensed child care programs incur high costs to meet important health and safety licensing requirements , such as teacherto-child ratios . Most child care providers simply don ’ t have stable and sufficient sources of revenue to pay more than minimal wages . Since 60 % to 80 % of a provider ’ s costs go toward wages and providers operate on razor-thin margins , child care center and family home owners and directors often keep wages low for themselves and their staff to balance their budgets . 1
1 Child Care Collaborative Task Force Action Plan , June 2021 .
2022 COST OF QUALITY CHILD CARE LEGISLATIVE REPORT 6