S-4377.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6227
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2026 Regular Session
By Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development (originally sponsored by Senators C. Wilson, Nobles, Conway, Hasegawa, and Lovick)
READ FIRST TIME 01/30/26.
AN ACT Relating to formalizing data collection protocols to support parenting students; adding a new section to chapter 28B.77 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that Washington lacks a formal, consistent system to identify or track parenting students across institutions of higher education. As a result, parenting students are often invisible in policy development, budgeting decisions, and student support planning, limiting the ability of institutions and the state to understand their needs, measure outcomes, or design effective supports.
The legislature further finds that parenting students represent a significant portion of the postsecondary population and face distinct barriers to enrollment, persistence, and completion. Without reliable data, institutions cannot consistently identify student parents, evaluate access to existing resources, or coordinate supports related to child care, basic needs, and financial aid.