The fog has lifted at the start of Week Three. Is that a good omen?

(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

Which legislator is the only member to serve during the two times the House of Representatives was evenly split with 49 Democrats and 49 Republicans?

Bonus Question: How many years apart did this occur?

Governor Ferguson Budget Reduction Target Exercise Instructions Released

On January 24, Office of Financial Management (OFM) Director K.D. Chapman-See released instructions to state agencies regarding Governor Ferguson’s directed budget reduction target exercise.

The instructions direct agencies to identify reductions of at least six percent beyond any reductions included in Governor Inslee’s budget proposal. This means we could see items that agencies originally included on their reduction lists from last November but were not a part of Governor Inslee’s budget reemerge.

Programs providing cash benefits to Washingtonians as well as the following agencies are excluded from this exercise: K-12, community and technical colleges, Washington State Patrol, the Department of Corrections and the Criminal Justice Training Commission. Four-year public universities are asked to identify at least three percent reductions.

In addition to suggestions for potential reductions such as pausing legislative reports, the instructions suggest consolidating management positions (10-25% within each agency) and reducing “administrative, executive, and externally focused positions that are not essential to the delivery of government services (10% to 25% within each agency).”

Agency recommendations are due to OFM by February 6 and will be posted on the OFM website following review.

Highlights of the Week

House Appropriations Receives Early Learning Staff Briefing

On Wednesday, January 29, the House Appropriations Committee received a staff briefing about early learning programs. This presentation is filled with rich data detailing early learning caseloads and investments over the years, highlighting changes since passage of the Fair Start for Kids Act.

Fiscal committees in both chambers are holding these types of briefings and work sessions to prepare themselves for the difficult budget decisions ahead.

Legislative Leadership Media Availability

Each week during the legislative session, legislative leadership holds media availability. These sessions aren’t very long, and they are good to watch to get a finger on the pulse of what is “on top” for that moment. It’s also helpful when you are knee-deep in an issue to pull back and look at the larger landscape.

Not surprisingly, the state budget dominated this week’s leadership media availability. For example, Democratic leaders spoke of how they are busy working on various scenarios but are waiting for the next revenue forecast in March to make more definitive public pronouncements.

I wanted to flag the Republican leadership media availability because child care was one of the first questions asked and Senator John Braun talked about his SB 5310, which will be heard on Monday, February 3 in the Senate Ways and Means Committee (starts around minute 6). Senator Braun’s bill would change the reimbursement rate for Working Connections Child Care to the lesser of the 75th percentile of the Market Rate Survey or a provider’s rate for a private pay family.

What’s on Deck for Next Week

First off, it will finally not be January. For me, January felt like it went on for 97 days.

Committee action continues at a brisk pace. Bill introductions are beginning to slow down slightly, and we are at the stage of heavy public hearings and the start of executive sessions (votes). This is also the time where we are watching for amendments (substitutes) and fiscal notes (expected costs for implementation). In short, things are moving FAST!

As a reminder, each Thursday, Start Early Washington updates its bill tracker with the latest information on bills we are following. If you would like us to do a deeper dive on a particular bill in a future newsletter, let us know!

Tuesday, Feb 4: Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee Hearing on Cost of Quality

• The Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee will hear SB 5500 (Alvarado). This bill would modernize the way the state reimburses child care rates to more fully account for the true cost of doing business.

Tuesday, Feb 4: House Early Learning and Human Services Committee Hearings on Provider Qualifications and Child Care Licensing

• HB 1648 (Dent) would delay the requirement for child care providers to meet certification and training qualification conditions until at least August 1, 2035. It would also add a work equivalency option as an alternative to certification requirements for all child care positions.
• HB 1582 (Caldier) seeks to make changes to child care licensing requirements so the calculated occupancy load of existing buildings with more than one use (such as churches), would only be based on the space where the child care is provided. The intent of the bill is to leverage existing buildings for child care space.

Thursday, Feb. 6: Senate Ways and Means Hearing on Early Learning Facilities Bill; House Education Expected to Hold Executive Session on Transition to Kindergarten Bill; and House Appropriations Committee Hears Proposal to Push Out Fair Start for Kids Act Provisions

• The Senate Ways and Means Committee will hold a public hearing on SB 5297 (Trudeau/Torres). This is the Senate companion to HB 1314 (Callan/Abbarno) which was heard in the House Capital Budget Committee this week. It would make technical changes to the Early Learning Facilities Fund.
• HB 1450 (Santos) is scheduled for an Executive Session (vote) in House Education next week. In the public hearing this week on the Transition to Kindergarten Bill, Representative Santos stated she plans to propose a substitute bill with changes.
• Finally, the House Appropriations Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 1489 (Ormsby). This bill adjusts implementation dates for Working Connections Child Care income eligibility and ECEAP entitlement created through the Fair Start for Kids Act to align with former Governor Inslee’s proposed regular budget.

Friday, Feb 7: House Labor Committee Action Scheduled on Child Care Workforce Standards Board and House Finance Committee to Consider Sales Tax Removal on Diapers

• The House Labor and Workforce Standards Committee has scheduled an Executive Session for HB 1128 (Fosse) related to the establishment of a Child Care Workforce Standards board. Refer to the January 17th Notes from Olympia for a more detailed summary of that.
• Last week I highlighted the various efforts to ease some of the affordability challenges facing Washington families. Two bills in this area are scheduled for hearings next Friday in the House Finance Committee. The first, HB 1307 (Caldier), would remove the sales and use tax on diapers and other essential child care products. The second, HB 1318 (Rule), is narrower and would remove the sales and use tax, but only for diapers. It will be interesting to watch how this conversation advances.

The Illinois Department of Public Health’s 2024 Illinois Infant Mortality Data Report sheds additional light on the critical public health challenges impacting Illinois families and emphasizes the need for a strategic policy response. As Illinois continues to work to enhance infant health statewide, a comprehensive prenatal-to-three system of support for families must be a critical piece of the solution.  

As highlighted in the IDPH report, though it has declined over the last decade in 2021, Illinois’ infant mortality rate was 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, with profound disparities particularly affecting Black families. Illinois has not yet met the Healthy People 2030 goal of no more than 5.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births and had the 28th lowest state infant mortality rate out of the 50 US states in 2021.  

Significant and concerning racial disparities in infant mortality persist. In Illinois, the infant mortality rate among infants born to Black women is nearly three times that of infants born to White, Hispanic, and Asian women. The leading causes of infant mortality in Illinois are effects of prematurity and fetal malnutrition, birth defects, sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and pregnancy/delivery complications. The Black-White inequity in infant mortality is heavily influenced by trends in deaths due prematurity and SUID, with non-Hispanic Black infants more than four times as likely to die of SUID than non-Hispanic White and Hispanic infants. 

Ready for Week Two…

(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

The Joel Pritchard Library is the latest building on the Capital campus to be undergoing a complete overhaul. When it reopens in 2026, which legislative chamber will assume offices in the enlarged building?

The Joel Pritchard Library in 2014

(Photo Courtesy: ThurstonTalk)

Highlights of the Week

The Roster is Complete! Final Legislative Appointments Made and Lawmakers Sworn In

This has been a most atypical year with a high degree of movement with sitting legislators assuming statewide or Congressional office, accepting leadership jobs within the Ferguson administration or timing their retirement so an appointment was necessary. After this week, the Senate and House are both finally back to “full capacity.”

The King County Council appointed early learning and housing champion Emily Alvarado to serve as Senator in the 34th Legislative District, with Brianna Thomas receiving the appointment for Alvarado’s House seat. The Council also appointed Janice Zahn to represent the 41st Legislative District in the House seat vacated by Representative Tana Senn, now Secretary of the Department of Children, Youth and Families.

With the high number of former House members now serving in the Senate, we could start a friendly wager about the number of times testifiers mistakenly refer to these new Senators as “Representative” during their remarks. Change continues to be the theme of 2025.

Senate Fiscal Committee Holds Early Learning Work Session

On Tuesday, January 21, the Senate Ways and Means Committee held a work session on developments in early learning. The committee heard a briefing from committee staff followed by presentations from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Children, Youth and Families. The work session is available to watch on TVW.

Given the work session was in a fiscal committee (and with our state’s budget crisis), you will not be surprised by the questions and discussion focused on budget and costs.

Senate Labor Committee Hears Child Care Workforce Standards Bill

On Monday, January 20, the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee held a public hearing on the Senate vehicle for the Child Care Workforce Standards Bill, SB 5062 (Stanford). We included a more detailed summary of the concept of the Workforce Standards Board in last week’s Notes from Olympia if you want to reference the details.

The bill generated a hearty debate. Check it out on TVW – it is in the first bill in the hearing.

Child Care Siting Bill

On Tuesday, January 21, the House Local Government Committee heard HB 1212 which is prime sponsored by Representative (now Senator) Alvarado. This bill would require that child care centers be permitted as outright uses in all zones except for industrial zones.

Now you may be asking, what happens to this bill with Senator Alvarado in the Senate? The bill stays alive and keeps moving and the second sponsor (Representative Duerr) becomes the prime sponsor.

Notably at the hearing, the Association of Washington Cities Government Affairs staff testified in appreciation for Senator Alvarado’s engagement with the cities over the interim on the development of this bill.

The bill is scheduled for executive session (vote) on Friday, January 24th.

What’s on Deck for Next Week

Tuesday, Jan. 28: House Education Committee Hear Bill on Transition to Kindergarten

• The House Education Committee will hear HB 1450 (Santos) sponsored by the Committee Chair, Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos. The bill language may be familiar as it closely reflects the 2023 legislation (HB 1550) as it passed the House before it was amended in the Senate.

Tuesday, Jan. 28: Public Hearing on Child Care Notification Requirements and Liability Insurance

• The House Early Learning and Human Services Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 1282 (Pollet) which makes changes to notification requirements to parents if a program has a change in licensing status; changes regarding what information is to be publicly posted; and directs DCYF to look into liability insurance issues.

Wednesday, Jan. 29: House Fiscal Committee to Review Early Learning Budget

• Following in the footsteps of their Senate counterparts, the House Appropriations Committee will be looking at fiscal issues around early learning. As in the Senate work session, I will be particularly interested in the committee member questions.

Thursday, Jan. 30: Early Learning Facilities Bill Receives Hearing

• The House Capital Committee will hear HB 1314 (Callan/Abbarno). This bill aims to make improvements to the Early Learning Facilities Fund program. Check out last week’s Notes from Olympia for a more detailed description of the bill’s contents.

Friday, Jan. 31: House Child Care Workforce Standards Board Bill Scheduled for Vote

• Friday, the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee will vote on HB 1128 (Fosse), the House vehicle for the Child Care Workforce Standards Board. This bill was heard in the first week of session.

Bills, Bills, Bills

Bills continue to be introduced at a fast clip, and we encourage you to glance through the bill tracker that we update every Thursday and post on the top of our Policy and Advocacy Resources page. If there is a bill you would like us to do a deeper dive on, send us an email.

Addressing the Affordability Challenge for Families

A flurry of bills have been introduced this session by legislators from both sides of the aisle to address the affordability challenge of raising young children. There are bills to remove sales tax on diapers and “essential child care products” HB 1307 (Caldier)/HB 1318 (Rule). There is even a bill to exempt “permanently from the sales and use tax purchases of products for young children” SB 5341 (Fortunato).

Delaying Implementation of Fair Start for Kids Act

House Appropriations Chair Representative Timm Ormsby introduced HB 1489 (Ormsby) which included former Governor Inslee’s proposed budget proposal to delay two provisions in the Fair Start for Kids Act due to the state’s budget situation. The first would delay the income eligibility expansion for Working Connections Child Care from 60% of State Median Income to 75% of State Median Income from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2029. The second would extend the implementation date for ECEAP entitlement from the 2026-27 school year to the 2030-31 school year.

When are the Upcoming Legislative Committee Deadlines

In parenting there is an expression that “the days are long, but the years are short.” In the legislative world, time takes on an entirely different pace – you might look at your watch for the first time and realize it is 3:30 p.m. and you haven’t even had a chance to eat anything all day! It is not uncommon for people associated with the legislative process to forget the day of the week. Thank goodness for smart phones.

Time, though, is an important construct of the legislative system as built in deadlines (or “cutoffs”) serve as filters to winnow down the volume of policies that are still eligible for consideration. And bills that do not advance past these cutoffs are considered “dead” in legislative vernacular. Like the English language, there’s always an exception to every rule and we will explain these exceptions in future newsletters.

For now, Olympia’s eyes are on these upcoming deadlines:

Friday, February 21: Policy Committee Cutoff (All bills must be passed out of the policy committee of their house of origin)

Friday, February 28: Fiscal Committee Cutoff (All bills must be passed out of the fiscal committee of their house of origin unless they are considered Necessary to Implement the Budget).

These back-to-back-cutoffs mean fiscal committees will likely be working the weekend of February 22.

Policymakers in Illinois have launched early care and education workforce scholarship programs in recent years, in an attempt to curb the high rates of staff turnover. At city and state levels, scholarship programs were created with the intent of providing career advancement opportunities to current staff, while also recruiting new members into the workforce. The number of scholarship applications across programs has largely surpassed the amount of financial aid available, underscoring the need to support our early learning workforce. 

Financial aid opportunities for higher education are a necessity for those aspiring to become early childhood educators. To become an early childhood lead teacher in a child care program, Illinois’s licensing standards require at least 6 semester hours/9 quarter hours of college course credit in child development or early childhood. However, child care staff are typically paid near minimum wage, making college courses financially out-of-reach without financial assistance. 

The Proverbial Calm Before the Storm

The Legislative Building on the Morning of Day One

(Photo Credit: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

Which Washington county is named after our state’s first governor?

Governor Ferguson Releases Budget Priorities for 2025-27

On Thursday, Jan. 9th, Governor Ferguson released a 14-page document outlining his budget priorities for 2025-27.

In an accompanying letter, Governor Ferguson shared his view that the state cannot tax its way out of its budget situation and expressed deep skepticism that Governor Inslee’s “untested” wealth tax could close the budget gap. He notes his team is taking time to review each line of Governor Inslee’s proposed budget, but it is clear the state cannot afford all the proposed expenditures. Governor Ferguson states he will not entertain new revenue options until every effort has been exhausted to increase efficiencies.

Governor Ferguson does propose $800 million in new spending, but places heavy emphasis on overall review of state operations to identify savings and efficiencies. Specifically, he projects savings of $4.4 billion over two biennia through an equivalent 6% state agency-wide cut. (Note these cuts would be in addition to those proposed by Governor Inslee in his budget). Governor Ferguson excludes K-12 and public safety entities from this budget reduction exercise and plans to direct state agencies to identify their own reductions.

Governor Ferguson outlines the following Budget Principles:

• Avoid legislation that includes spending hikes outside of the four-year budget outlook;
• Increase the percentage of operating budget funding for basic education;
• Ensure strong budget reserves; and
• Support state employees.

Among new spending items, Governor Ferguson proposes the following for the 2025-27 biennium:

• $100M in new funding for a grant program for cities and counties to hire more law enforcement;
• $240M to support free school meals for all Washington students;
• $600M in the Capital Budget for housing related investments; and
• $100M to support subsidized child care for lower income workers where at least one parent works for a small business.

On a final note, in a cover letter to state legislators accompanying this budget priority document, Governor Ferguson asked each legislator to identify at least one program that is not achieving its intended objective or delivering “meaningful results for the people of Washington,” noting the program could be large or small.

Highlights of the Week

Pomp and Circumstance

The first day of the legislative session began on Monday with a celebration as recently elected (and re-elected) Senators and House members took their oaths of office. Family members and supporters flooded the Capital campus to witness the event.

The week also featured the “passing of the baton” of our state’s executive leadership. On Tuesday, outgoing Governor Jay Inslee provided his final State of the State address where he touted his Administration’s accomplishments while also urging his successor and lawmakers to protect vulnerable Washingtonians as they work through the state’s budget deficit.

Former Governor Jay Inslee’s Official Portrait

Commissioned by the Washington State Arts Commission

Artist: Grace Flott

On Wednesday, the transition became official as Governor Ferguson took the oath of office (and the official website switched over to reflect the change). Governor Ferguson delivered an inaugural speech to a Joint Session of the Senate and House of Representatives. The full ceremony can be viewed on TVW.

Governor Ferguson’s speech struck a different tone than former Governor Inslee’s remarks from the day before. He said he is “… not here to defend government, I’m here to reform it.” He urged an open and honest dialogue about how the state arrived at the budget shortfall and what lessons can be learned. Governor Ferguson stated “I will veto policy bills that defer major spending obligations more than 4 years after the legislation is adopted. These bills violate the spirit of Washington’s requirement that state budgets be balanced over a 4-year period.”

This week also saw a new Secretary of DCYF take the helm. On Monday, Representative Tana Senn took her oath of office as a legislator. Two days later, she assumed the role of Secretary of DCYF after resigning from the Legislature. Similarly, Senator Joe Nguyen resigned his role in the Senate to become the new Director of the Washington State Department of Commerce. Welcome Secretary Senn and Director Nguyen!

Legislative Committee Work Sessions

Legislative committees jumped right into work following the swearing in ceremonies, with the House Housing Committee holding a public hearing on the notable rent stabilization legislation. I could barely make my way into the O’Brien Building which houses the committee hearings due to all the people trying to get into that hearing room.

Both early learning related policy committees in the Senate and House held “work sessions” this week to orient their members to the early learning landscape. Many of these committee members are new to the Legislature or to these issues generally, so these work sessions are great orientations. I personally find these work sessions helpful, both for the data provided by the presenters and for hearing the questions from legislators. I always learn something.

On Tuesday, DCYF’s Allison Krutsinger and Nicole Rose presented an update on Fair Start for Kids Implementation and an overview of the Cost of Quality work. You can watch this work session on TVW, beginning at about the 6-minute mark. Later Tuesday, Krutsinger and Rose made a similar presentation to the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee (this work session is also available on TVW).

In the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee, the DCYF presentation was followed by a panel entitled “Perspectives from the Field” to discuss various aspects of the early learning landscape in more detail. These presenters included Genevieve Stokes of Child Care Aware, Cate Bridenstine of the Imagine Institute, Zamzam Mohamed of Voices of Tomorrow and Maggie Humphreys of MomsRising.

Bills, Bills, Bills

For the past month legislators have been able to “pre-file” bills. On the first day of the legislative session, these pre-filed bills were introduced – and there were a lot of them. For example, the Senate Introduction Sheet on the first day of session listing all the Senate’s pre-filed bills ran 30 pages long! And each day more and more new bills are introduced.

There is added complexity this year in that two legislators resigned to take new roles in the Ferguson administration. For example, with both Senator Nguyen and Representative Senn receiving appointments to the Ferguson administration, government affairs folks have been brushing up on what happens to bills prime sponsored by a legislator that resigns. The answer is these bills remain as introduced bills with the second co-sponsor assuming the role of prime sponsor. The more you know…

You can follow along to the pertinent early learning bills via Start Early’s bill tracker that is updated each Thursday.

The following are some newly introduced bills we thought warranted a bit of a deeper dive.

Early Learning Facilities (HB 1314/SB 5297)

This week, Senate and House companion bills were introduced to make improvements to the Early Learning Facilities (ELF) Fund. HB 1314 (Rep. Callan/Rep. Abbarno) and SB 5297 (Sen. Trudeau/Sen. Torres) would:

• Make Tribal Compact Schools eligible for the ELF Public School District grant program.
• Subject to appropriations, establish an emergency grant program for projects that are necessary because of natural disaster or another health or safety threat resulting from unforeseen circumstances.
• Clarify that projects supporting the conversion of Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) slots to full day and/or extended full day are eligible for ELF Fund grants.
• Remove the level of matching funds as a criterion for selecting projects and make other clarifying changes to matching requirements.

HB 1314 and SB 5297 are priorities of the Early Learning Facilities coalition that Start Early Washington convenes. If you have questions or would like more information on this bill, feel free to reach out to me.

Child Care Workforce Standards Board (HB 1128/SB 5062)

HB 1128 (Fosse) and SB 5062 (Stanford) are companion bills that seek to establish a Child Care Workforce Standards Board. The following is a summary of the key provisions of the bills.

Board composition and other details

• A total of 10 members appointed by Governor.
  • Three members representing child care workers. At least one must be from a list of three or more names provided by the largest organization representing family child care providers, and at least one must be from a list of three or more names provided by the largest organizations representing center workers.
  • Three workers representing child care employers or employer organizations with at least one representing family child care.
  • One member representing a professional development or training program for child care workers.
  • One representative from an organization representing parents.
  • One – Secretary of DCYF (or their designee).
  • One – Director of Labor and Industries (or their designee).
• Board members serve four-year terms after initial staggered terms. Initial appointments must be no later than September 1, 2025, and the Board’s first meeting, convened and staffed by the Labor and Industries Director, must be held by October 1, 2025.
• An affirmative vote of five is needed for action. This action includes the establishment of standards.

Role of the Board

• The Board is directed to adopt rules establishing minimum child care employment standards that are reasonably necessary and appropriate to protect the health and safety of child care workers; ensure child care workers are properly trained about and fully informed of their rights.
• Standards include compensation and other working standards.
• Standards are statewide.
• Board may not adopt standards about licensing.
• Must adopt rules establishing initial standards for wages no later than 8/1/26.
• Board must investigate market conditions and existing wages, benefits and working conditions of child care workers for specific geographic areas of the state and specific child care occupations. Using this information, Board must seek to adopt minimum child care employment standards that meet or exceed existing industry condition for a majority of child care workers in the relevant geographic areas and child care occupations.
• Initial employment standards are effective beginning 1/1/27 and remain in effect until subsequent standards are adopted by rule.
• Wages do not go into effect if public money is not allocated.
  • If the established child care employment standards result in costs that exceed any applicable federal payments or collective bargaining agreement amounts, the standards are not effective until the appropriation to cover the cost is made.

Worker Trainings

• Board certifies worker organization provided trainings.
• The Board is charged with establishing certification criteria; training focus and requirements; and a process for renewal and curriculum requirements.
• Child care employers must ensure that every two years each of its child care workers must complete one hour of training provided by the certified worker organization.
• Workers must be compensated for their time taking the training.

HB 1128 received a public hearing in the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee on Wednesday, January 15th. SB 5062 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on Monday, January 20th.

Cost of Quality Care Bill (HB 1350/Senate companion to be introduced)

HB 1350 is the House vehicle for Cost of Quality Care legislation. Representative Emily Alvarado is listed as the prime sponsor, with Representative Julio Cortes as the second sponsor.

The following is a summary of key provisions and background of the Cost of Quality Care bill:

• The bill is inspired by the work of the Early Education Design Team that included a co-design process involving providers, parent advocates, SEIU 925 and DCYF.
• The bill would transition the state’s use of the Market Rate Survey to set subsidy rates based on the Cost of Quality Care rate model and protect this transition in statute.
• The bill includes language maintaining current statute that sets the 85th percentile of market rate as the baseline subsidy rate.
• The bill does not fully fund the cost of quality care or create a future mandate to do so but puts the tool in place to be revisited by lawmakers in future biennia.

This bill is a priority for the Child Care for WA Roundtable.

A Senate companion bill will be forthcoming.

What’s on Deck for Next Week?

While Monday is a national holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., the Washington State Legislature will be in session. Both the Senate and House of Representatives will hold special floor sessions to honor Dr. King. In past years, bills that typically generated a lot of public testimony would be scheduled for hearing on these federal holidays to allow for maximum public participation. If you are heading to campus next week, be sure to read below about the shuttle services!

Monday, Jan. 20: Workforce Standards Board Public Hearing and Tax Structure Work Session

• On Monday, January 20, the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee will hold a Public Hearing on SB 5062, the Senate vehicle for the Child Care Workforce Standards Board, at 10:30 a.m.
• Later that day at 4:00 p.m., the Senate Ways and Means Committee will hold a work session looking at our state’s tax structure.

Tuesday, Jan. 21: Child Care/Early Learning Work Session

• On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Senate Ways and Means Committee will hold a work session looking at developments in child care and other early learning programs at 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 22: Executive Session (Vote) on House Workforce Standards Board and House Early Learning and Human Services Public Hearing on Early Learning Provider Qualifications

• At 8:00 a.m., the House Labor and Workforce Standards Committee is scheduled to vote on HB 1128, the Child Care Workforce Standards Board bill that was heard earlier this week.
• At 1:30 p.m., the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee will hold a Public Hearing on HB 1082 relating to child care provider qualifications. This bill would give providers until at least August 1, 2028, to demonstrate experience-based competency as an alternative pathway to satisfying qualification requirements.

Visiting the Capital Campus – Shuttle/Bus Service is Here to Help!

Life on the Capital campus is a bit crowded this year with the temporary closure of the Pritchard Building due to construction (more about that in a future newsletter). A long standing problem around Olympia has been parking and if you have been lamenting the demise of the Dash shuttle service, fear not. It is coming back!

If you’ve been on the ground in Olympia the past few years, you may recall Intercity Transit provided the Dash shuttle service between the Olympia Farmers Market and the State Capitol Campus. The shuttle has become a new service route, Route 14, effective January 6th, 2025. Route 14 buses will run from 6:30am to 6:30pm on weekdays, with service every 30 minutes. As a bonus, it’s free, as Intercity Transit does not collect fares from passengers on fixed-route bus lines as part of the agency’s Zero Fare project.

Additionally, the Department of Enterprise Services operates a shuttle service Monday through Friday (including holidays), 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., every 18-20 minutes. The shuttle is a seven-passenger van clearly identified with the DES logo that picks up and drops off state employees and visitors at the following locations:

• South doors of the Legislative Building
• Legislative Modular Building
• General Administration Building visitor parking lot
• Natural Resources Building visitor parking lot

The Capitol building on a mild Winter day.

(Photo Credit: Erica Hallock)

Trivia is Back!

How many balls did former Washington Governor Dixy Lee Ray hold to commemorate her inauguration in 1977?

Breaking News – Governor-Elect Ferguson Releases Budget Priorities for 2025-27

As we were going to “press,” Governor-Elect Ferguson released a 14-page document outlining his budget priorities for 2025-27. We will be reviewing the proposals in detail and provide a thorough review in next week’s Notes from Olympia, but did want to share highlights of his proposal for Working Connections Child Care.

Per the Fair Start for Kids Act of 2021, income eligibility for Working Connections Child Care is slated to rise from 60% of the State Median Income to 75% of the State Median Income on July 1, 2025. In his proposed budget, Governor Inslee proposed delaying that expansion until the 2029-31 biennium to save $296 million.

Governor-Elect Ferguson proposes a modified approach to this expansion at a cost of $100 million. Under the Ferguson proposal, families with a household income up to 75 percent of the State Median Income and where one parent works for a small business would be eligible for Working Connections Child Care. The proposal does not define small business.

What’s on Deck for Week One?

The first week of the legislative session will be a mix of pomp and circumstance; grounding and orientation; and getting down to business! Simply put – no one is easing gently into the 2025 legislative session.

Saying Goodbye and Welcoming New Leaders

Starting out the week, newly elected (and re-elected) legislators will be sworn in on Monday, Jan. 13th at 12:00 p.m.

Incoming Governor Ferguson will be officially sworn in on Wednesday, Jan. 15th at 11:30, followed by his inaugural address. (And, per this week’s Trivia, the party celebrating his inauguration will be Wednesday evening).

Before the incoming Governor assumes the office on the second floor of the Legislative Building, outgoing Governor Jay Inslee will provide his final State of the State Address on Tuesday, Jan. 14th at 10:30 a.m. Both of these addresses will be made before a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Legislative Committee Work Begins

Legislative committees released their schedules for the first week and they are getting down to business right out of the gate.

Budget Hearings

Senate Ways and Means, House Appropriations and the House Capital Committee will accept public testimony on Governor Inslee’s proposed Operating and Capital budgets throughout the week. The respective Transportation Committees will also be accepting public testimony on the proposed Transportation budget. Note that these budget hearings are very full, so testimony is typically limited to 60 seconds. Virtual testimony is available, and written testimony is accepted up to 24 hours after the start of the hearing.

• Operating Budget: Senate Ways and Means Committee will hear testimony on the proposed Operating Budget on Tuesday, Jan. 14th starting at 4:00 p.m. You can sign up to provide oral or written testimony here. The House Appropriations Committee will hold its public hearing on Monday, Jan. 13th starting at 4:00 p.m. You can sign-up to provide oral or written testimony here.
• Capital Budget: Senate Ways and Means Committee will hear testimony on the proposed Capital Budget on Monday, Jan. 13th starting at 4:00 p.m. You can sign-up to provide oral or written testimony here. The House Capital Budget Committee will hold its public hearing on Thursday, Jan. 16th starting at 1:30 p.m. You can sign-up to provide oral or written testimony here.

Here is a refresher as to what was included in Governor Inslee’s budget as related to early learning.

Work Sessions

Both the Senate and House early learning related policy committees are scheduled to hold early learning related work sessions on Tuesday, Jan. 14th. Work sessions are informational presentations where invited guests come before committees to educate committee members on specific topics. Public testimony is not accepted at work sessions, and the committees do not take any action on the topic.

On Jan 14th, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee is holding a work session at 8:00 a.m. focused on updates on implementation of the Fair Start for Kids Act and an overview of the Cost of Quality Care Rate Model. At 1:30 the same day, the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee will hold a work session providing an overview of child care and early learning programs.

We will recap these work sessions in next week’s Notes from Olympia.

Bill Action

Finally, some committees will be not only holding public hearings, but also executive sessions (votes) on bills. For example, on Jan. 14th, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee will hold a public hearing on SB 5130 (Sen. Claire Wilson) which would permanently eliminate child care licensing fees. Want to provide oral or written testimony on this bill? Sign in here.

Bills, Bills, Bills

In our state, legislators can “pre-file” bills the month before the legislative session begins. These pre-filed bills are then introduced – and considered “real” bills – on the first day of the legislative session.

It is always interesting going through the pre-filed bills. Here’s one that caught my eye – SB 5159 by Sen. Sharon Shewmake would establish a “Trick or Treat Day.” In essence, Sen. Shewmake is trying to get our state to collectively trick or treat on a Friday or Saturday evening. Fascinating, right??? Even though my children are grown, I can see the appeal.

Start Early Washington will produce an updated bill tracker on a weekly basis containing relevant early learning and other bills of interest. This bill tracker lives on our website so you can reference it at any time, it will be updated every Thursday, and it will be linked weekly in this newsletter. Feel free to flag if there are any bills we are missing.

We will provide a more thorough review of pertinent legislation in upcoming editions of this newsletter.

Each year the Illinois General Assembly passes legislation that can have an impact on families, or the organizations in our communities providing early childhood or related supportive services to families. Start Early leads on some of these legislative changes, often in coalition with others, and in other cases we contribute our early childhood lens and expertise to support the efforts of another lead organization. The 2024 Legislative Summary provides a listing of those bills that became law in the spring 2024 session that we thought would be relevant to families with young children and the field.  We hope that this is a resource you will download and share with colleagues and families alike. We are happy to provide additional information about any of these initiatives or connect you with other advocates where needed. Initiatives that were led by Start Early are marked “*”. 

Illinois’ Early Intervention (EI) system is currently in crisis, resulting in thousands of families of eligible infants and toddlers with delays or disabilities across the state experiencing long waitlists for services, with service delays having nearly doubled in just the past two years. EI providers, many of whom have advanced degrees, are choosing to leave EI and work instead in hospitals, school, private practice or other settings with better benefits and higher pay. The state has invested in cross-state research and cost modeling that shows Illinois provider reimbursement rates are significantly lower than other states, and far below the true cost of delivering services. This provider shortage, combined with high caseloads and low compensation have led to high turnover within the field and unfilled vacancies, all of which have a substantial impact on the children and families waiting for EI services to begin. 

To address this crisis, this October, Start Early and Raising Illinois launched the Babies Can’t Wait: We Need Early Intervention campaign with a virtual kick-off event and held nine local rallies and press conferences across the state over ten days. In partnership with our hosting organizations (Advance Preschool, Autism Society, Champaign County Home Visiting Consortium, COFI, Early Childhood Forum of Central IL, Good Shepherd Center, Illinois Developmental Therapy Association, SAL Community Services, Southern IL Coalition for Children and Families, SPARK, and United Palatine Coalition), we were able to bring over 1,000 advocates together in-person and virtually to call for the urgent need for a $60M additional investment to address the current crisis in our state’s Early Intervention program. In addition to making their voices heard at the rallies, EI families have started an online petition which has garnered over 2,100 signatures in support of the $60M increase for EI in the FY26 state budget, and many families and providers have been featured in media coverage of the campaign in outlets like Capitol News, Chicago Tonight and Chronicle Illinois. 

With just a few months left before Governor Pritzker shares his budget proposal, we aren’t slowing down! We’re proud to share that over 40 organizations have signed onto our fact sheet calling for a $60 million budget increase for EI in FY26. We urge you to join us in taking action for Early Intervention by signing the parent-led petition and by sharing your EI story. Together, we can make a better EI system for our providers and the families they serve. Our #babiescantwait. 

Holiday tree displayed in the Capitol building.

(Photo Credit: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

The newest reconstructed building on the Capitol Campus is named after former State Senator Irving R. Newhouse. What was the building’s original name and what is former Sen. Newhouse’s political legacy in Washington State?

Tana Senn Announced as New DCYF Secretary

Governor-elect Ferguson has selected a familiar face to lead Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families with today’s announcement of State Representative Tana Senn as the incoming Secretary. Representative Senn is the current Chair of the Human Services, Youth, and Early Learning Committee and was the key architect of the Fair Start for Kids Act. I’m sure I speak for all of us when I wish her the very best at leading a complex state agency that oversees not only early learning but also Child Welfare and Juvenile Rehabilitation – we are very excited to work with her in this new role!

Release of Governor Inslee’s Proposed Budgets

On December 17th, Governor Jay Inslee released his final proposed biennial budgets. In what may be his final press conference as Washington’s Governor, Governor Inslee laid out the strategy behind his final budgets given the state’s fiscal challenges. (As a reminder, our state has a total of three budgets – Operating, Capital and Transportation). These comments were made after he bestowed a special honor to his wife, Trudi, by gifting her with his official Washington pin honoring her as the inspirational Washingtonian for the day. Governor Inslee said he had been waiting to do this for 12 years.

• Proposed New Revenue. Governor Inslee started his remarks by reflecting that when he assumed office in 2013 the state was still recovering from a recession that resulted in deep and painful cuts, particularly to human services programs. The Governor contrasted the situation today that while our state’s costs are up, we are not in a recession and our economy is booming. He then laid out his plan to adopt a wealth tax that would place a 1% tax on Washingtonians with assets over $100 million. According to the Governor, this would impact approximately 3,400 individuals and would generate $10.3B in revenue over four years (2025-2029).The Governor’s budget also includes an assumed $2.6B in revenue from increased Business and Occupations Tax Revenues, among other proposals. In all, the Governor’s released budget assumes $12.9B in new revenue over the four-year (2025-2029).
• “Book One and Book Two Budgets.” Our state’s governor is required to propose a balanced budget. Typically, during tough financial times, a “Book One” budget achieves that balance with an “all-cuts” approach and a “Book Two” budget typically contains proposed revenue to “buy back” some of the cuts. The budget released publicly this week is the “Book Two” budget in that it contains revenue – and a significant amount at that. Governor Inslee’s “Book One” budget was not released publicly, so it is not clear what his proposed “all-cuts” budget would look like.
• What about our incoming Governor? Great question! Come January 15, 2025, we will have a new Governor when Bob Ferguson is sworn in, and he will have an opportunity to put his mark on the budget. We do not expect him to submit a line-by-line “replacement” budget. Instead, the expectation is that he will submit to the Legislature his own priorities, which he has signaled to be around increased funding for local law enforcement and housing. More to come…

Proposed Early Learning Investments

• Working Connections Child Care.
  • Fund Working Connections Child Care Subsidy at the 85^th Percentile of the 2024 Market Rate Survey ($272.81M for child care centers and $183.54M to fund the Family Child Care Collective Bargaining Agreement for the 2025-27 biennium – for a total of $456.35M).
  • Delay Expansion of Working Connections Child Care Eligibility to the 75% of State Median Income until State Fiscal Year 2031 (Savings of $119.5M for the 2025-27 biennium).
  • Working Connections Child Care Outreach ($4.8M for the 2025-27 biennium).
  • Child Care and Development Fund Compliance ($67.49M State General Fund + $20.53M Federal for the 2025-27 biennium – for a total of $88.02M). Funding would support enrollment-based payments, prospective payments, 12 months of full eligibility, adding additional children during the eligibility period and restricting overpayments in certain circumstances.
  • Consolidation of Seasonal Child Care (Savings of $3.12M over the 2025-27 biennium). Program deemed longer needed because it has been absorbed into Working Connections Child Care.
• Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP)
  • Delay Implementation of Entitlement Until the 2030-31 school year (Savings of $145.89M over the 2025-27 biennium).
  • Rate Increase of 18% for School-Day Programs Starting in State Fiscal Year 2026 ($55.68M for the 2025-27 biennium).
  • Slot Conversion/Expansion – Convert 250 Part-Day Slots to School-Day and add 500 School-Day Slots ($9.39M over the 2025-27 biennium).
  • ECEAP Underspend – Sweep funding for 845 currently unfilled part-day slots (Savings of $17.04M for the 2025-27 biennium).
• Early Learning Facilities
  • $50M for competitive grants through the Early Learning Facilities (ELF) Fund – including $45M for eligible organization grants and $5M for health and safety minor renovations.
  • $8.629M for 9 school district projects recommended by the Department of Commerce.
  • Additionally, the Department of Commerce’s Local Community Projects budget includes $5M for Willard Early Learning Center (Tacoma) and the Department of Commerce’s Building Communities budget includes $1.57M for Jefferson County Early Learning & Family Support Center (Sequim).
• Additional Early Learning Investments
  • Home Visiting
    • The proposed 2025 Supplemental Budget (the current fiscal year we are in) presumes $400,000 in savings from the Home Visiting Services Account underspend.
  • Transition to Kindergarten
    • Funding to OSPI to distribute grants – in collaboration with DCYF – to support school districts in blending ECEAP and Transition to Kindergarten classrooms ($2M for the 2025-27 biennium).
  • Professional Development
    • Funding for DCYF to continue contracting with an organization that provides “relationship-based professional development support” to child care providers in various settings to establish and support new child care programs. Funding to support the opening of approximately nine new child care businesses per year. ($500,000 for the 2025-2027 biennium)
  • Continue Pierce County Pilot
    • Continued funding to support efforts in Pierce County to implement a countywide resource and referral linkage system and a voluntary newborn support program ($2.5M for the 2025-27 biennium).

Washington State Standard State Budget Resource

On December 9th, the Washington State Standard featured an excellent overview detailing the state’s budget situation. The article described the contributing factors of stagnant revenues and increasing costs, including expenses slated to come on-line in the next biennium such as the next steps of the Fair Start for Kids Act. It also included potential options on the table for raising new revenue. Worth a read!

2024 Legislative Committee Days

Olympia was a flurry of activity during the week of December 9^th for the annual rite of passage known as “Committee Days.” During Committee Days, current, future and soon to be former Senate and House members gather at the Capitol campus for a busy week of work sessions, meetings and fundraisers sprinkled in.

It is an intense week followed by an immediate reprieve – kind of like if the first day of school was immediately followed by winter break! Newly elected legislators received a taste of what awaits them in January – lobbyists chasing them down, their days blocked out in 15-minute increments, and jumping constantly from one topic to another. It is fair to say every Committee Days participant left exhausted and maybe a tad nervous about their session stamina!

Legislative Changes. As we wrote in our November Notes From Olympia, changes in the legislative make-up did not stop after the election. Last week, the King County Council appointed Tina Orwall to fill the seat of retiring Senator Karen Keiser of the 33rd Legislative District and also appointed Edwin Obras to fill Orwall’s House seat.

Over in the 26th Legislative District, Deborah Krishnadasan was appointed to fill the Senate seat of departing Senator Emily Randall who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Senator Patty Kuderer of the 48th Legislative District is expected to resign her Senate seat early in the new year to assume the elected position of Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Reportedly, her two seatmates, Representatives Vandana Slatter and Amy Walen, are both interested in that Senate seat. Should one of them receive the appointment, their House seat would also need to be filled by appointment.

Making matters even more interesting, the rumor mill is also going strong that some sitting legislators could be heading to the Ferguson administration to lead state agencies. If that occurs, of course their legislative seats would need to be filled by appointment.

If you are one of those people that select an inspirational word for a new year, perhaps you might want to select “change” or “patience.”

Committee Work Sessions. The work sessions during Committee Days often provide insight into 2025 priorities. Given the state’s precarious budget situation, it was not a surprise that both the Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations Committees dedicated time to briefing their committee members on the budget situation.

• House Appropriations Committee. On Monday, December 9th, the House Appropriations Committee held a full work session. Related to child care, the Department of Children, Youth and Families’ Allison Krutsinger and Nicole Rose presented to the Committee on “Child Care Access and Affordability” (their presentation begins at 48:50). Their accompanying PowerPoint includes helpful data about subsidy utilization and provider capacity.
  • Additionally, the Committee’s Budget Coordinator Mary Munroe presented a helpful budget overview that provides an excellent primer on the state budget process. This is one I am keeping as a resource!

• Senate Ways and Means Committee. Over in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, on December 12th, the Committee heard the latest updates about our state’s caseloads and revenue forecasts (these two presentations started out the work session). This information was included in our November Notes from Olympia, but for reference, the caseload forecast information is here and the revenue forecast information is here.

Prefiled Bills

At the start of December, legislators can “prefile” bills with the Code Reviser’s Office. The Code Reviser’s Office is a critical support to the legislative process. For an inside look at how the Code Reviser’s Office helps with bill drafting, check out TVW’s behind the scenes explainer. (On a side note about the Capitol campus construction, with the Pritchard library construction underway, the amazing staff of the Code Reviser have been moved to the modular building on the northwest part of campus, the former temporary home of the Senate Republicans).

Prefiling opened on December 2nd for the 2025 session. Prefiled bills will be introduced the first day of session, Jan. 13th, and will then be assigned to a committee to proceed through the legislative process.

Related to early learning, three bills have been introduced to date. We’ll cover them briefly in this edition and dive deeper into their detail at the start of session:

• HB 1033. Sponsored by Rep. Couture, HB 1033 would allow counties to opt to act as the regulatory and licensing authority for child care centers and family home providers. The bill would also require DCYF to complete a study on the rate of utilization of this new local licensing and regulation option, and analysis of perceptions from providers, local governments, and DCYF of the local and state licensing and regulatory options. Effective 7/1/26.
• HB 1082. Sponsored by Reps. Senn and Eslick, this bill would allow licensed child care providers until August 1, 2028 to demonstrate experience-based competency as an alternative to comply with current child care licensing rules. It would also direct DCYF to convene a stakeholder group to improve early learning and school-age staff qualification requirements and verification processes.
• SB 5062. Sponsored by Senator Stanford, this bill would create the Washington State Child Care Workforce Standards Board with specific designated members and would requires the Board to adopt statewide rules every four years establishing minimum child care employment standards relating to compensation, health and safety, and other working conditions. The bill would exclude the licensing of child care facilities from the Board’s purview.

Start Early is excited to announce the launch of Every Child Ready Chicago’s (ECRC) Strategic Framework, a living document that will guide our work for the next several years. Building this Framework was made possible by the insights and expertise of those on the ECRC Executive and Advisory Committees. Almost a full calendar year’s worth of multiple rounds of brainstorming and feedback sessions allowed us to identify the most salient areas of work to focus our actions over the next several years in pursuit of strengthening Chicago’s early childhood system to allow it to meet the needs of all families. We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of our community and city partners who contributed their time to making this Framework a reality. 

Every Child Ready Chicago is a public-private partnership led by the Mayor’s Office in partnership with Start Early working to ensure all children in Chicago enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and life. ECRC is guided by a vision of a coherent prenatal-to-five system that provides equitable access to supports and services that ensure the highest outcomes for our city’s youngest learners. This initiative first launched in 2019 and has continued working to build on Chicago’s robust history of investing in early learning opportunities.  

The ECRC Strategic Framework describes the next phase of our work together and the strategic action we plan to take that will be supported by Working Groups that will launch in 2025. The three inaugural Work Groups will be a Governance & Funding Work Group, a Data Work Group, and a Family & Community Engagement Work Group.