A statewide network of Community Resource and Referral Agencies helps families find appropriate child care. Licensing of Child Care Providers Child care providers must be licensed in Washington state if they are operating a child care business and caring for children of more than one family. The Office of Child Care Policy licenses both home-based child care providers, and child care centers. Their homes or centers must also meet health and safety requirements, and they must have character references and early childhood education training. Child Care for low-income working people and those leaving welfare Working Connections Child Care provides help paying for child care for parents with incomes up to 225 percent of the federal poverty level.
Parents pay a portion of the cost, based on their income and the size of their families.
This program is funded, in part, by savings achieved through WorkFirst caseload reductions, and is provided by the Economic Services Administration rather than the Children's Administration. For those leaving welfare, the Child Care Careers Program provides training to become child care center teachers or licensed family child care providers. After receiving training, participants are linked with a child care center that is participating in the Career and Wage Ladder Pilot Program. This training enables the TANF recipient to make a higher wage. Specialized child care Seasonal Child Care is available to protect children from the dangers of being taken to the agricultural work site or left home alone.