Child care provider qualif.

AN ACT Relating to qualifications for child care providers; 1
adding a new section to chapter 43.216 RCW; creating a new section; 2
and providing an expiration date. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.216 5
RCW to read as follows: 6
(1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the 7
department shall allow licensed child care providers until at least 8
August 1, 2028, to demonstrate experience-based competency as an 9
alternative means to comply with child care licensing rules that 10
require a provider to hold an early childhood education initial, 11
short, or state certificate, when the provider has all of the 12
following documented in the department's electronic workforce 13
registry: 14
(a) Active employment in a position that requires an early 15
childhood education initial, short, or state certificate;16
(b) Employment in a licensed or certified child care center or 17
licensed family home provider without a break in service since August 18
1, 2021, or a cumulative seven years of employment in a licensed or 19
certified child care center or licensed family home provider; and20
S-0575.1
SENATE BILL 5279
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators C. Wilson, Frame, Hasegawa, Krishnadasan, Nobles,
Saldaña, Shewmake, and Trudeau
Read first time 01/15/25. Referred to Committee on Early Learning &
K-12 Education.
p. 1 SB 5279
(c) Completion of and maintained compliance with all health and 1
safety and child care or school-age care basics training required by 2
the department. 3
(2) The department shall establish a process to proactively 4
recognize the fulfillment of staff qualification requirements for any 5
provider who has, as of the effective date of this section, 6
demonstrated all of the criteria required for experience-based 7
competency as identified in subsection (1) of this section. The 8
process established by the department may not require providers 9
meeting these criteria to submit an application demonstrating 10
fulfillment of their staff qualification requirements, and the 11
department must provide notice to providers whose staff qualification 12
requirements have been fulfilled through this process.13
(3) Nothing in this section prohibits the department from 14
establishing more restrictive requirements for providers serving the 15
early childhood education and assistance program including, but not 16
limited to, excluding experience-based competency as an alternative 17
means to fulfill staff qualification requirements, nor does it 18
prohibit the department from excluding experience-based competency 19
from the calculation of early achievers professional development 20
points. 21
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The department of children, youth, and 22
families shall convene a stakeholder group to assist the department 23
in identifying strategies to improve early learning and school-age 24
staff qualification requirements and verification processes 25
including, but not limited to, identifying measures to streamline and 26
clarify relevant administrative rules and department policies and 27
defining criteria and methods by which to honor equivalent out-of-28
state education and training.29
(2) At a minimum, the stakeholder group must include:30
(a) Family home and child care center providers, including at 31
least one provider from a child care center that is part of a 32
national chain or has 10 or more sites; and 33
(b) Representation from the following organizations:34
(i) The statewide child care resource and referral network;35
(ii) A community-based training organization that provides 36
training to licensed family day care providers; 37
(iii) A statewide organization that represents the interests of 38
family day care providers; 39
p. 2 SB 5279
(iv) A statewide organization that represents the interests of 1
licensed child day care centers; 2
(v) The statewide out-of-school time intermediary organization;3
(vi) An organization that represents the interests of refugee and 4
immigrant communities; 5
(vii) A bilingual child care provider whose first language is not 6
English; 7
(viii) An organization that advocates for early learning;8
(ix) An organization representing private and independent 9
schools; and 10
(x) The state board for community and technical colleges.11
(3) The department shall report to the legislature by December 1, 12
2026, in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, on strategies identified by 13
the stakeholder group and the department's plans and timelines under 14
which to carry out those strategies. 15
(4) This section expires July 1, 2028. 16
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p. 3 SB 5279