{"id":2725,"date":"2021-05-07T11:11:48","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T18:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/wilson\/?p=2725"},"modified":"2021-05-07T14:02:13","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T21:02:13","slug":"governor-signs-historic-legislation-expanding-access-to-childcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/wilson\/2021\/05\/07\/governor-signs-historic-legislation-expanding-access-to-childcare\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor signs historic legislation expanding access to childcare"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>OLYMPIA<strong> \u2013<\/strong> Today Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation that will address one of the leading challenges for Washington households by dramatically increasing the accessibility and affordability of childcare while stabilizing and expanding an industry in crisis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChildcare is a major concern for the vast majority of households in Washington,\u201d said Sen. Claire Wilson (D-Auburn), the bill\u2019s sponsor. \u201cThis new law will help parents keep their jobs and the salaries they need to take care of their families by increasing access to affordable, quality childcare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pre-pandemic, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uschamberfoundation.org\/reports\/mounting-costs-childcare-washington-state\">Child Care Collaborative Task Force reported<\/a> that the childcare crisis was costing businesses in Washington $2.08 billion a year and that working parents forego $14 billion a year in lost wages due to lack of childcare access. The pandemic only worsened these problems as massive numbers of parents left the workforce or began working reduced hours, forced to compromise their families\u2019 economic stability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Washington, over half a million children do not have access to licensed childcare,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cEven where there is childcare available, the cost is so high that it remains out of reach for most families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Fair Start for Kids Act, or <a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/billsummary?BillNumber=5237&amp;Initiative=false&amp;Year=2021\">Senate Bill 5237<\/a>, takes a wide-reaching, four-pronged approach to help childcare and early learning systems in Washington by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stabilizing and expanding the childcare industry by increasing subsidy rates and providing resources for professional development, complex needs, non-standard hour care, trauma-informed care, and other urgent needs;<\/li>\n<li>Making childcare more affordable by reducing copays for families accessing Working Connections Childcare subsidies and extending eligibility to more families;<\/li>\n<li>Making childcare and early learning more accessible by expanding eligibility and access to more services; and<\/li>\n<li>Strengthening prevention and intervention services like mental health consultation, home visits, equity grants, dual language supports and early intervention services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe current situation is not just inequitable \u2014 it hurts families and has hindered our state\u2019s economic recovery,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cOur future economy depends on meeting the critical early needs of children <em>now.<\/em> The Fair Start for Kids Act will get parents back to work, get our economy up and running, and give kids a fair start in life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnsuring parents have access to affordable, high-quality childcare is a critical part of the infrastructure needed for them to rejoin the workforce and for businesses to reopen in the wake of COVID-19,\u201d said Rep. Tana Senn, sponsor of the bill\u2019s House companion, <a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/billsummary?BillNumber=1213&amp;Year=2021&amp;Initiative=false\">House Bill 1213<\/a>. \u201cThe need for childcare is not going away anytime soon, as it\u2019s also vital to Washington\u2019s ongoing economic well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the Fair Start for Kids Act ramps up, many of its provisions will take effect on July 1, 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; OLYMPIA \u2013 Today Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation that will address one of the leading challenges for Washington households by dramatically increasing the accessibility and affordability of childcare while stabilizing and expanding an industry in crisis. \u201cChildcare is a major concern for the vast majority of households in Washington,\u201d said Sen. Claire Wilson (D-Auburn), the bill\u2019s sponsor. \u201cThis new law will help parents keep their jobs and the salaries they need to take care of their families by increasing access to affordable, quality childcare.\u201d Pre-pandemic, the Child Care Collaborative Task Force reported that the childcare crisis was costing businesses&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":2728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Governor signs historic legislation expanding access to childcare - Sen. 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