Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Early Achievers Offers Quality Improvement Awards


Beginning July 1, 2016, the Early Achievers Quality Improvement Awards policy will change to reflect requirements outlined in the Early Start Act of 2015.Under the new guidelines, these awards will offer recognition and support to qualifying facilities that serve families receiving state child care subsidy.

To be eligible for these awards, participants must:
  • Serve an enrollment population of which at least 5% of total licensed capacity consists of non-school-age children receiving state subsidy.* 
  • Be an active Early Achievers participant with a rating of Level 3 or higher (family home providers may qualify at a Level 2). 
  • Register as a vendor of Washington State by submitting the Statewide Payee Registration form and W-9 to the Department of Early Learning. Registration should be completed in the facility name, as funds will not be awarded to individuals. All facilities must submit their payee registration and W-9 prior to receiving a monetary award. 

Quality Improvement Awards will be distributed approximately 90 days after the facility’s rating release date. 

Those who qualify will be eligible for the new Quality Improvement Award amounts, as follows:

Family Home Child Care QI Awards:

  • Level 2 - $1000 
  • Level 3 - $2250 
  • Level 4 - $2500 
  • Level 5 - $2750 
Child Care Center QI Awards:
  • Level 3 - $5000 
  • Level 4 - $7500 
  • Level 5 - $9000 
More information about the awards and how to qualify can be found in Early Achievers Quality Improvement Awards--Frequently Asked Questions document on the DEL website.

*The Department of Early Learning (DEL) calculates the percentage of children receiving subsidies by adding the number of non-school-age children on subsidy served each month for the 12 months preceding the rating release date. The total will be divided by the number of months children were present in the facility to determine the average number of children on subsidy served per month. This average will then be divided by the total licensed capacity of the provider to receive the final percentage of children on subsidy served. Invoices should be submitted promptly to ensure an accurate calculation. See more information here: Early Achievers Quality Improvement Awards--Frequently Asked Questions.


For questions regarding Early Achievers, contact qris@del.wa.gov.

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