Working connect. child care

AN ACT Relating to the working connections child care program; 1
amending RCW 43.216.802 and 43.216.828; and repealing RCW 43.216.827.2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
Sec. 1. RCW 43.216.802 and 2025 c 412 s 5 are each amended to 4
read as follows: 5
(1) It is the intent of the legislature to increase working 6
families' access to affordable, high quality child care and to 7
support the expansion of the workforce to support businesses and the 8
statewide economy. 9
(2) A family is eligible for working connections child care when 10
the household's annual income is at or below 60 percent of the state 11
median income adjusted for family size and: 12
(a) The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; 13
or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need 14
according to department rule or is under court supervision; and15
(b) The household meets all other program eligibility 16
requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department 17
as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority 18
granted by this chapter. 19
(3) Beginning July 1, 2029, a family is eligible for working 20
connections child care when the household's annual income is above 60 21
Z-0635.1
HOUSE BILL 2689
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Gregerson, Ormsby, and Macri; by request of Office
of Financial Management
Read first time 01/28/26. Referred to Committee on Appropriations.
p. 1 HB 2689
percent and at or below 75 percent of the state median income 1
adjusted for family size and: 2
(a) The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; 3
or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need 4
according to department rule or is under court supervision; and5
(b) The household meets all other program eligibility 6
requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department 7
as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority 8
granted by this chapter. 9
(4) Beginning July 1, 2031, and subject to the availability of 10
amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, a family is eligible 11
for working connections child care when the household's annual income 12
is above 75 percent of the state median income and is at or below 85 13
percent of the state median income adjusted for family size and:14
(a) The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; 15
or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need 16
according to department rule or is under court supervision; and17
(b) The household meets all other program eligibility 18
requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department 19
as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority 20
granted by this chapter. 21
(5) Beginning November 1, 2024, when an applicant or consumer is 22
a member of an assistance unit that is eligible for or receiving 23
basic food benefits under the federal supplemental nutrition 24
assistance program or the state food assistance program the 25
department must determine that the household income eligibility 26
requirements in this section are met. 27
(6) The department must adopt rules to implement this section, 28
including an income phase-out eligibility period. 29
(7) The department may not consider the citizenship status of an 30
applicant or consumer's child when determining eligibility for 31
working connections child care benefits. 32
(8) The income eligibility requirements in subsections (2) 33
through (4) of this section do not apply to households eligible for 34
the working connections child care program under RCW 43.216.808 and 35
43.216.814. 36
(9) From July 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026, the department must 37
stop accepting new entries to the working connections child care 38
program with exception to families as outlined in RCW 43.216.808. 39
Beginning January 1, 2027, the department may accept new entries to 40
p. 2 HB 2689
the working connections child care program if the department is not 1
exceeding the average monthly caseload outlined in subsection (10) of 2
this section. 3
(10) Beginning January 1, 2027, the department must manage the 4
program so that the average monthly caseload does not exceed 33,000 5
households, except that families subject to the categorical 6
eligibility provisions in RCW 43.216.808 must always be allowed 7
access. For all other families, the department must give prioritized 8
access to the program according to the following order:9
(a) Families applying for or receiving temporary assistance for 10
needy families;11
(b) Families who are curing a sanction pursuant to temporary 12
assistance for needy families;13
(c) Families that include a child with special needs;14
(d) Families in which a parent of a child in care is a minor who 15
is not living with a parent or guardian and who is a full-time 16
student in a high school that has a school-sponsored on-site child 17
care center;18
(e) Families that received subsidies in the last 30 days and: (i) 19
Have reapplied for subsidies; and (ii) have household income of 60 20
percent of the state median income or below; and21
(f) All other eligible families.22
Sec. 2. RCW 43.216.828 and 2025 c 424 s 957 are each amended to 23
read as follows: 24
(1) It is the intent of the legislature to systemically increase 25
child care subsidy rates over time until rates are equal to the full 26
cost of providing high quality child care. 27
(2)(a) Beginning July 1, 2026, ((child care subsidy base rates 28
must achieve the 85th percentile of market, as established by the 29
most recent market rate survey published before May 20, 2025, for 30
licensed or certified child care providers. )) the department must pay 31
the child care subsidy base rate that achieves the 75th percentile of 32
market, as established by the most recent market rate survey 33
published before the effective date of this section, for licensed or 34
certified child care providers, with exception to family child care 35
providers who will continue to be paid the subsidy base rate that was 36
bargained in the 2025-27 enacted collective bargaining agreement 37
until a new market rate survey is available to inform future rate 38
increases at the 75th percentile of market.39
p. 3 HB 2689
(b) The state and the exclusive representative for family child 1
care providers must enter into bargaining over the implementation of 2
the subsidy rate increases under this subsection. 3
(3)(a) The department shall build upon the work of the child care 4
collaborative task force to develop and implement a child care cost 5
estimate model and use the completed child care cost model to 6
recommend subsidy rates at levels that are sufficient to compensate 7
licensed or certified child care providers for the full costs of 8
providing high quality child care. The department shall consider:9
(i) Adjusting rates to reflect cost of living such as area median 10
income, cost of living by zip code, and grouping by categories such 11
as rural, suburban, or urban; and 12
(ii) Incorporating the rate model for nonstandard child care 13
hours developed under section 306, chapter 199, Laws of 2021.14
(b) The department shall build upon the work of the child care 15
collaborative task force to evaluate options to support access to 16
affordable health care insurance coverage for licensed or certified 17
child care providers. 18
(4) This section does not interfere with, impede, or in any way 19
diminish the right of family child care providers to bargain 20
collectively with the state through the exclusive bargaining 21
representatives as provided for under RCW 41.56.153.22
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. RCW 43.216.827 (Prospective payments) and 23
2025 c 412 s 13 are each repealed.24
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