Early Start Act

Washington’s Early Start Act, enacted in 2015, required DCYF to report on a number of measures related to the state’s implementation of Early Achievers. For past years, please refer to these comprehensive reports:

Additional legislation enacted in 2020 (SB 6507 Section 3 subsections 4-7), changed DCYF required reporting for Early Achievers from a comprehensive annual report to annual updates of online indicators. DCYF is required to report:

  • Indicators of childcare supply/demand at the local level. For this information, see the DCYF Need/Supply Dashboard.
  • ECEAP program need by school district. For this information see the annual ECEAP Saturation Study.
  • Number and percent of childcare providers enrolled in Early Achievers, waiting to be rated, and who have achieved required rating. For state-level information on these indicators, see the Early Achievers Data Dashboards, updated monthly.

Look for additional information in this section soon.

  • Licensed Capacity

    Licensed Capacity

    Washington State has more than 5,700 licensed or certified child care facilities, with a total licensed capacity of over 190,000 children. Licensed programs include child care centers, family home child care, school-age care, and licensed outdoor programs.

    READ THE REPORT FROM CHILD CARE AWARE OF WASHINGTON

    Licensed Capacity of Child Care Providers, by Type, End of State Fiscal Years 2018-2022
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    Number of Licensed Child Care Providers, by Type, End of State Fiscal Years 2018-2022
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    Early Learning

  • Child Care Licensed Capacity

    Child Care Licensed Capacity

    Washington State has more than 5,500 licensed or certified child care facilities, including licensed child care centers, licensed family home child care programs, and licensed school-age programs. DCYF is tracking the licensed capacity of Early Achievers enrolled providers as a driver for expanding preschool access and associated kindergarten readiness.

    READ THE REPORT FROM CHILD CARE AWARE OF WASHINGTON

    Total Licensed Capacity for Non-School-Age Children, by Early Achievers Enrolled Provider Type, SFY 2017-2022
      depressed adults
    Early Learning
    Strategic Priority Balancing Indicator

  • Child Care Quality

    Child Care Quality

    DCYF monitors quality ratings of Early Achievers providers as a balancing indicator for our priority to create a high-quality, integrated B-8 system. Early Achievers uses an easy-to-understand rating system to track quality improvement of participating early care providers. At the end of the 2022 state fiscal year, we estimate that over 32,000 non-school-age children were served in settings rated 3+ or higher.

    Estimated Number and Percent of Non-School-Age Children Served, by Early Achievers Enrolled Provider Type and Quality, SFY 2022
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    Estimated Number and Percent of Non-School Aged Children Served by Early Achievers Enrolled Providers Rated 3+ and Above, by Type, SFY 2019-2022
      graph
    Early Learning
    Strategic Priority Balancing Indicator