Olympia — The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Secretary Ross Hunter met with community and government leaders to discuss the critical role child care plays in the U.S. economy. Secretary Hunter participated in the Economic Security Roundtable hosted by Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) which focused on HR 1364/S 568, the Child Care for Working Families Act of 2019. The legislation would help ensure access to high-quality, affordable child care for millions of families, and would expand assistance at the federal level. 

The list of attendees included:

• Ross Hunter, Secretary of WA State Department of Children, Youth & Families
• Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO MomsRising
• Maggie Humphreys, WA State Director MomsRising
• Patsy Sellars, Managing Director Casey Family Programs
• Barb Taylor, Program Supervisor KC Kinship Collaboration, CCS
• Courtney Whitaker, Youth Development and Child Care YMCA
• Susan Truong, Career Navigator YWCA
• Meghan Altimore, VP of Community Services and Operational Excellence, Hopelink 

Key roundtable discussion topics were the importance of full-day, year-round funding for preschool. The legislation has provisions that help all Head Start programs meet the newly expanded duration requirements and provide full-day, full-year programming. When Head Start was created, many families had a stay-at-home parent. Today, both parents are more likely to work outside the home, and half-day programs are not compatible with the needs of those families.

Providers in attendance also shared the difficulties they face in trying to blend the different government programs, such as the state ECEAP and federal Head Start. They also have problems incorporating special education requirements into pre-school classrooms. Greater flexibility from the federal and state governments would help address these challenges.

The current early learning and child care crisis is mostly the result of rising costs that impact the economic security of working families and high rates of turnover for employees in the child care profession. HR 1364/S 568 addresses both of these issues.

“Middle-class families can’t afford the reliable, high-quality child care they need to go to work,” said Secretary Hunter. “The bill would limit co-pays to 7-10% of family income.”

In addition, the legislation details a plan to increase workforce training and compensation. It would ensure that all child care workers are paid at least a living wage. Their pay could reach parity with that of elementary school teachers if the child care workers have similar credentials and experience. Washington state currently provides some additional compensation through training, but increased support at the federal level would strengthen wages for child care workers state-wide.

Families are impacted the most by the child care crisis as they struggle to choose between professional growth or child care benefits. The “benefits cliff” makes it impossible for many families to afford reliable, quality child care. Working parents miss opportunities for professional growth because they want to avoid losing benefits. As a consequence, they remain trapped in economic poverty and dependent on government assistance. The new legislation would mean that families whose incomes are under 75 percent of the state median pay no fees for the child care services they receive.

“It is imperative that we ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed, no matter how much their family makes. Quality child care is proven to benefit parents and improve student outcomes, but the high cost and limited availability prevent hardworking families from accessing it,” said Congresswoman DelBene. “The Child Care for Working Families Act would address this nationwide crisis by ensuring families have universal access to affordable, quality preschool programs, setting up children for success later in life.”

Congresswoman DelBene is an original co-sponsor of HR 1364, the Child Care for Working Families Act. Senator Patty Murray sponsored S 568, an identical bill in the Senate.

The Economic Security Roundtable was held at Hopelink Center in Redmond. 

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