To: The Washington State House, The Washington State Senate, and Governor Jay Inslee

No Waiting List for Working Connections Child Care!

Working Connections Child Care bridges the gap between the high cost of care and tight family budgets. But a waiting list scheduled to start this summer will prevent thousands of children from getting positive outcomes from early childhood education and hurt parents' ability to work.

Washington State took a big step forward last year with the passage of the Early Start Act. It invests in improving the quality and stability of care for all kids. But quality early learning can’t close the opportunity gap for kids stuck on a waiting list. We should not take a step backward now in 2016. Please fully fund Working Connections Child Care in the Supplemental Budget and prevent a waiting list.

Why is this important?

Five years ago, lawmakers placed a recession-era enrollment cap on Working Connections Child Care. Unless lawmakers act now, families will face a waiting list in just a few months.

The last time there was a waiting list, it was terrible for families, providers and employers. Parents like Children's Alliance member Natasha from Bremerton went through it:

“In 2011, before my child entered kindergarten, I was constantly scrambling to find child care, while I sat on wait lists for Working Connections or struggled with the paperwork shuffle in the approval process. I used up my “get-out-of-jail-free” cards with my employer. Losing my job because of one more late arrival because my babysitter didn’t show was a very real threat to my family’s stability every day. Washington should not go backward and put parents and kids through that again.”

A recent report named Washington one of the states with the highest costs for child care. That makes it hard for families to find care that suits their kids. A waiting list for Working Connections Child Care will make it harder. Please speak up and urge your lawmakers to say NO to a waiting list!