Child Care Quality

High quality early care is associated with positive developmental outcomes for children. When the quality is very high, positive effects last into early adult years, particularly for children from the poorest home environments.

Improving the quality of child care for all children is challenging:

• Subsidy rates in Washington fall far short of the true cost of care, and programs that accept subsidies tend to limit the number they will take.
• Depending on the size of the program and the accrediting body, national accreditation can cost thousands of dollars.
• The National Association for Family Child Care offers accreditation for licensed home care programs, but few seek out the endorsement.
• Family friend and neighbor (FFN) caregivers do not typically have the same access to caregiver education as either child care and preschool professionals or parents.

The 2007 Washington State Legislature increased vendor rates to child care providers who provide care for children whose families qualify for subsidy programs. This should make greater choice available to families and help improve the quality of care in centers serving large numbers of children eligible for subsidies.