H-1417.1
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1648
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By House Early Learning & Human Services (originally sponsored by Representatives Dent, Eslick, Burnett, Penner, Jacobsen, and Graham)
READ FIRST TIME 02/20/25.
AN ACT Relating to child care provider qualifications; amending RCW 43.216.755 ; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that the COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic impact on all people, but had a particularly dramatic impact on child care and the child care industry. Many child care facilities closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and providers left the child care field. It became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic how critical child care is to the success of every industry as parents need child care to work.
(2) The legislature further finds that because of the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the child care industry, the plans of many child care providers to receive education were put on hold as efforts were focused on addressing the immediate needs of child care providers and families. Additionally, the current market-based funding model results in wages so low that affording college tuition is often impossible for child care providers. The limited availability of college courses in multiple languages and the scarcity of early childhood education college programs further hinders access to required training and certification.