Washington State’s Fair Start for Kids Act: Phased Funding for Early Childhood Education Access and Quality

Washington’s childcare system suffers from a structural gap between the true cost of delivering care and the state’s subsidy reimbursement rates. Current rates are based on market surveys of what families can afford—rather than actual costs—leaving providers underpaid, especially for infant and toddler programs, special-needs care, and non-standard hours. This mismatch forces providers to absorb losses by offering poverty-level wages, cutting back on quality measures like staff training, or exiting the market altogether. The strain contributes to high workforce turnover and closures, shrinking availability even as family demand rises. Parents face some of the highest childcare costs in the nation—up to $14,500 per year for infants—putting care out of reach for many low- and middle-income households. The problem is acute in rural and high-cost regions, where lower incomes and limited provider scale make sustainability even harder. Without reform, Washington risks a downward cycle of shrinking supply, higher costs, and unstable care, undermining workforce participation and child outcomes.

The Fair Start for Kids Act introduced a multifaceted solution to the childcare crisis. It made significant investments to increase eligibility for childcare subsidies, expanded programs like Working Connections Child Care (WCCC), and capped co-payments for low-income families. The act also aimed to stabilize and grow the childcare workforce by increasing provider compensation, offering health insurance support, and providing resources for professional development. Additionally, it made investments to expand childcare facilities and provide resources for culturally and linguistically relevant care. The law sought to create a more sustainable and equitable early learning system in Washington.

~12-18 months