Establishing a child care workforce standards board.

Child care workers get standards board

Beginning June 11, 2026, Washington creates a board to study child care jobs and recommend pay and work standards. It covers workers providing care at state-licensed or certified providers, including family child care, but excludes administrative staff and approved private schools. Recommendations can vary by region or job, but do not themselves require employers to change practices. They cannot address facility licensing or weaken protections under existing laws, rules, or prior board standards. The board first focuses on staffing, hiring, keeping workers, and staffing ratios. Its 10 members include three worker representatives, three employer representatives, one training representative, one parent representative, and two state-agency leaders. Employer seats must include family home providers and a business with 15 or fewer employees. Initial appointments are due September 1, 2026; the first meeting and an agency data-sharing agreement are due October 1, 2026. The board must hold public hearings and publish reports with vote counts and each member’s vote; requested minority reports are allowed. Recommendations need six affirmative votes, and members receive compensation and travel reimbursement. Washington’s labor and child care departments must share information needed to carry out the law. This law does not directly change household benefits or impose new duties on workers or employers.