wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 2689 > Original Bill
It is the intent of the legislature to increase working families' access to affordable, high quality child care and to support the expansion of the workforce to support businesses and the statewide economy.
A family is eligible for working connections child care when the household's annual income is at or below 60 percent of the state median income adjusted for family size and:
The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need according to department rule or is under court supervision; and
The household meets all other program eligibility requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority granted by this chapter.
Beginning July 1, 2029, a family is eligible for working connections child care when the household's annual income is above 60 percent and at or below 75 percent of the state median income adjusted for family size and:
The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need according to department rule or is under court supervision; and
The household meets all other program eligibility requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority granted by this chapter.
Beginning July 1, 2031, and subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, a family is eligible for working connections child care when the household's annual income is above 75 percent of the state median income and is at or below 85 percent of the state median income adjusted for family size and:
The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need according to department rule or is under court supervision; and
The household meets all other program eligibility requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority granted by this chapter.
Beginning November 1, 2024, when an applicant or consumer is a member of an assistance unit that is eligible for or receiving basic food benefits under the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program or the state food assistance program the department must determine that the household income eligibility requirements in this section are met.
The department must adopt rules to implement this section, including an income phase-out eligibility period.
The department may not consider the citizenship status of an applicant or consumer's child when determining eligibility for working connections child care benefits.
The income eligibility requirements in subsections (2) through (4) of this section do not apply to households eligible for the working connections child care program under RCW 43.216.808 and 43.216.814.
From July 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026, the department must stop accepting new entries to the working connections child care program with exception to families as outlined in RCW 43.216.808. Beginning January 1, 2027, the department may accept new entries to the working connections child care program if the department is not exceeding the average monthly caseload outlined in subsection (10) of this section.
Beginning January 1, 2027, the department must manage the program so that the average monthly caseload does not exceed 33,000 households, except that families subject to the categorical eligibility provisions in RCW 43.216.808 must always be allowed access. For all other families, the department must give prioritized access to the program according to the following order:
Families applying for or receiving temporary assistance for needy families;
Families who are curing a sanction pursuant to temporary assistance for needy families;
Families that include a child with special needs;
Families in which a parent of a child in care is a minor who is not living with a parent or guardian and who is a full-time student in a high school that has a school-sponsored on-site child care center;
Families that received subsidies in the last 30 days and: (i) Have reapplied for subsidies; and (ii) have household income of 60 percent of the state median income or below; and
All other eligible families.
It is the intent of the legislature to systemically increase child care subsidy rates over time until rates are equal to the full cost of providing high quality child care.
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Beginning July 1, 2026, the department must pay the child care subsidy base rate that achieves the 75th percentile of market, as established by the most recent market rate survey published before the effective date of this section, for licensed or certified child care providers, with exception to family child care providers who will continue to be paid the subsidy base rate that was bargained in the 2025-27 enacted collective bargaining agreement until a new market rate survey is available to inform future rate increases at the 75th percentile of market.
The state and the exclusive representative for family child care providers must enter into bargaining over the implementation of the subsidy rate increases under this subsection.
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The department shall build upon the work of the child care collaborative task force to develop and implement a child care cost estimate model and use the completed child care cost model to recommend subsidy rates at levels that are sufficient to compensate licensed or certified child care providers for the full costs of providing high quality child care. The department shall consider:
Adjusting rates to reflect cost of living such as area median income, cost of living by zip code, and grouping by categories such as rural, suburban, or urban; and
Incorporating the rate model for nonstandard child care hours developed under section 306, chapter 199, Laws of 2021.
The department shall build upon the work of the child care collaborative task force to evaluate options to support access to affordable health care insurance coverage for licensed or certified child care providers.
This section does not interfere with, impede, or in any way diminish the right of family child care providers to bargain collectively with the state through the exclusive bargaining representatives as provided for under RCW 41.56.153.