Licensed Centers subcommittee holds first meeting

The members of the Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee (LCAS) met for the first time last month in Renton. The full-day meeting was held February 20.

LCAS is a subcommittee of the Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC), which addresses the overarching topic of early learning in Washington state. This subcommittee is tasked with identifying and addressing the unique needs and concerns of licensed child care centers in Washington state.

About 30 people, including subcommittee members and DEL staff, attended the first meeting. Among the key concerns for licensed center representatives were recognizing the diversity of child care centers and supporting centers as small businesses.

“As we move forward in this industry we have to ensure we do everything we can to support small businesses,” said Perry Langston, an LCAS member who has been in the child care industry for 30 years. Langston also serves as vice president of the Washington Childcare Centers Association (WCCA).

“We want to be part of the solution,” he said. “If we are willing to adapt to change, to work and collaborate, then I see all kinds of success coming down the pike.”

At the same time, he emphasized that the main focus should be on the children.

“We watch the most precious thing in people’s lives – their children,” he said. “They need to be in an environment where they can live, laugh, love, and learn.”

The primary goal of the meeting was for members to introduce themselves, discuss the subcommittee’s purpose, and develop shared norms and a mission.

With that in mind, one of the first tasks of the LCAS is to develop a work plan for 2018. Some of their tentative priorities include improving communications about regulations changes, building a resource network for at-risk kids, and addressing new education requirements.

“We live and die by the rules being made,” said center representative Renee Hernandez. Hernandez also noted the importance of meeting the individual needs of different centers.

“We don’t want to be reactive anymore,” agreed fellow subcommittee member Julie Schroath. “We want to be involved.”

The group also heard an update from DEL Assistant Director Frank Ordway, who discussed the current legislative session and the upcoming Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

The next in-person LCAS meeting will be held in May. The location has not yet been determined.

The LCAS is currently recruiting members from the following regions: North Central, Olympic-Kitsap Peninsulas, and Southeast (for the regional map, click here). If you are interested in joining the subcommittee, contact slc@del.wa.gov.

New ELAC subcommittee focuses on licensed centers

A new subcommittee will advise the Department of Early Learning (DEL) on issues specific to licensed child care centers in Washington state. This Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee (LCAS), a subcommittee of the Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC), will address matters ranging from regulation improvement to staffing challenges, as well as region-specific concerns.

“We decided to support you in a different way by forming this subcommittee primarily out of the recognition that centers deliver the vast majority of our quality early learning service, in particular in service of families that are on the Working Connections Child Care system,” said DEL Assistant Director Frank Ordway at the subcommittee’s first meeting. The meeting was held online in November.

“It’s very exciting to finally see this coming together,” Ordway said.

ELAC has been discussing the formation of this subcommittee for at least two years as a way to give licensed centers more input into proposed policies that affect them, according to Lois Martin, a member of both ELAC and LCAS. This will be particularly important as DEL transitions to the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

“We want to make sure that all of our voices are still solicited, as well as heard, as we make this transition,” said Martin, who is the director of the Community Day Center for Children in Seattle. “We want to ensure that no one in any of these subgroups (at DCYF) is left behind.”

The new subcommittee will partner with DEL to have conversations about ongoing regulation improvement, rates and rate structures, staffing and professional development, and specific regional challenges, among other topics.

“Overall availability of [licensed centers] in your communities is critical to community health and to economic opportunity for families and so we need more of you,” Ordway told the committee. In particular, he stressed the importance of supporting an environment that is friendly to child care businesses so more providers stay in the market and new providers join.

“We need advice from [licensed centers] on how to do that better,” Ordway said.

For licensed centers, the new subcommittee will give them the opportunity for regular, focused conversations with DEL staff and leadership.

“I represent a lot of centers as well as my own in the Eastern Washington region and also statewide,” said Luc Jasmin, LCAS member and owner and director of Parkview Early Learning Center in Spokane. “It’s a way to really be able to bring thoughts, comments, and concerns to DEL and have that voice.”

Jasmin, who is also president and founder of the Washington Childcare Centers Association, pushed for the formation of the subcommittee to improve communication between licensed centers and DEL.

“My specific goals are to really be able to effectively communicate with the department and also with our membership base in a way that bridges that communication gap so that we’re streamlined and we’re on the same page,” he said.

At the first meeting of the Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee, members also discussed some of the DEL’s requests for the upcoming 2018 legislative session. Among the DEL’s priorities are to ask for investments in infant and toddler resources and in support for licensed care around the state.

The subcommittee currently has 26 members and 10 unfilled seats. The DEL seeks to find members from underrepresented regions of the state, including north central, southwest, southeast, and Olympic-Kitsap Peninsulas.

The first in-person meeting for the Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee will take place February 20. If you are interested in becoming a member of the subcommittee, contact slc@del.wa.gov. 

Lawmakers and Early Learning Advocates Tour SW Licensed Care

Yesterday, Representative Ruth Kagi, staff from Child Care Aware of Washington and members of DEL staff visited licensed child care centers and family child care homes in both Tacoma and Olympia.

DEL licensed child care regions.

The event is what is known as a "DEL legislative tour" as it is a time to invite lawmakers and advocates of early learning to view the conditions of licensed child care in specific areas. This tour was dedicated to ECEAP classrooms, child care centers and homes to get a variety of perspectives from various providers.

The group got a view of licensed child care in the state's Southwest Region which currently holds:

• 3,786 licensed family home child care programs
• 1,533 licensed child care centers 
• 424 school-age programs

The Southwest Region is unique in that:

• Staff includes one Regional Administrator, four Licensing Supervisors, 23 Licensors, a Licensing Analyst, a Health Specialist, an Administrative Assistant, and four administrative support staff. 

• It has three satellite offices located away from the larger metropolitan areas: Aberdeen, Kelso, and Port Angeles. Each of these offices is staffed by a single licensor who carries a combined caseload of family homes, child care centers, and school age programs. Additionally, there is a Bremerton office that houses two licensors for Kitsap County.

• Many of the Southwest office staff have strong working relationships with area community colleges, early learning coalitions, family home child care associations, directors’ groups, Child Care Aware, and other early learning community partners.

Rep. Ruth Kagi looks in on a classroom at snack time in Lacey, WA.

• The Southwest Region works closely with military early childhood programs that are licensed by the Department of Defense. Bangor Naval Base has two child care centers and Kitsap Naval Base has three child care centers that DEL certifies for payment only. Joint Base Lewis-McChord has twelve child care centers that DEL certifies for payment only. Additionally, there are 19 family child care homes that are licensed by the military that DEL certifies for payment only. 

• There are several tribes in the Southwest Region that DEL works with. Some of the tribes are certified for payment only and some are certified. Agencies that are certified by DEL are governed by their own set of rules and must request to be certified.

Overall, touring the Southwest Region's licensed facilities was a successful and educational where experts in the field voiced their view on child care subsidy, ECEAP and successful STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) lessons that are happening now in licensed facilities. Early Achievers and the Early Start Act (passage in July 2015) were also on the minds of licensed providers. 

DEL Releases Results of 2014 Licensed Child Care Survey

The Department of Early Learning and the University of Washington did a survey on licensed child care in Washington state and these were some of the interesting results:

Findings about the Child Care Population:

An estimated 157,047 children in Washington were enrolled in licensed child care in the spring of 2014. About 85 percent of these children were in child care centers and the remaining 15 percent were in licensed family homes.

Information from the child care survey was combined with the population data from Washington’s Office of Financial Management to estimate the proportion of children of various ages in licensed care at the time of the child care surveys. Roughly 14 percent of children in Washington were estimated to be in care, with the proportions of children in care varying substantially by age group. Just over 9 percent of infants, 21 percent of toddlers, 26 percent of preschoolers, 14 percent of kindergartners and 7 percent of school‐age children were estimated to be in licensed care at the time of the survey in 2014.

Findings about Child Care Centers:

• The total capacity for centers was 131,846 children. A total of 133,059 children were cared for in centers. The average capacity for centers was 67 children.
• The number of vacancies for centers was 17,721. Among centers with at least one vacancy, the average vacancy rate was 13.44 percent.
• Average hourly wage for employees at child care centers was $10.67 for assistants,
• $12.82 for teachers, $15.48 for supervisors, and $17.08 for directors.
• Staff turnover rates varied among different staff positions. The proportion of assistants newly hired was about 1.8 the proportion for teachers, which was 23 percent. Eleven percent of supervisors were newly hired compared to 12 percent of directors newly hired after September 1, 2013.
• Overall, the staff turnover rates of assistants, teachers and supervisors were higher than those of 2012.
• Less than 7 percent of survey participants from centers indicated they were uncomfortable calling their licensors.
• Thirty‐five percent of center participants reported they received timely information on changes to licensing policies; 54 percent agreed that the licensor clearly explained the reasons behind the licensing regulations at the most recent licensing visit; and 60 percent believed that the licensor clearly explained what the center needed to do to comply with regulations.

Findings about Licensed Family Home Child Care:

• In 2014, 66.7 percent of family homes received assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program.
• More than a half (51.8 percent) of participants from family homes reported having liability insurance.
• Forty‐three percent of family home providers had a high school diploma or GED. Twenty‐two percent of family home owners reported having an associate degree in child development or a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential; 10 percent had a Bachelor’s degree, and 2 percent had either a Master’s or Doctorate degree.
• On average, a licensed family home provider’s gross income was $37,203. For 54 percent of family home providers, child care earnings were their households’ primary source of income; their average income ($42,826) was considerably higher than family home providers with other income sources ($30,425).
• Overall family home participants had positive experiences with their licensors and said they had no hesitation in calling their licensors (44 percent), reported they received timely information on licensing policy changes (29 percent) and clear explanations (37 percent) and suggestions from their licensors (49 percent). At the same time, 48 percent of participants didn’t feel that they were regarded as knowledgeable about and a professional in, the field of child care by their licensors.

Findings about Special Needs Care:

• At the time of the survey, 57 percent of centers and 20.4 percent of family homes either were providing or had provided care for children with special needs at the time of the survey. 22.7 percent of centers that weren’t providing special needs care had provided care for children with special needs previously.
• Six percent of centers and 3.3 percent of family homes applied for the special needs rate since January 1, 2014. Four percent of centers and 1.4 percent of homes received special need rate. Two percent of centers and 3 percent of homes requested a rate above the special needs rate since January 1, 2014, and 1.4 percent of centers and 1.8 percent of homes received a rate above the special need rate.

Findings about Children with Subsidized Child Care:

• In 2014, an estimated 40,718 children received subsidizes for licensed child care in Washington: 9,127 children in licensed family homes, representing 38 percent of all children in family homes; and 31,591 children in child care centers, representing 24 percent of all children in centers.
• Seventy‐nine percent of centers and 62 percent of family homes cared for children with child care subsidies.
• Thirty‐eight percent of children in family homes and about 24 percent of children in centers received subsidized child care. On average, a family home cared for 3.85 children receiving subsidized child care, and centers cared for 22.19 children with subsidized child care over the last typical week of operation.

To read the entire survey, go here: 2014 Licensed Child Care Survey.

Child Care Emergency Preparedness in the Washington Wildfires

Called a "slow-motion disaster" by Governor J. Inslee, this summer's wildfires have claimed hundreds of thousands of acres of land and three lives.

Among the affected areas in Washington is the city of Omak and among the many families who experienced loss and property damage are child care providers in that area.

Brianne Gates is a fairly new family home child care provider in Omak.

"I started my business in April," said Gates. "But I grew up helping at my aunt's day care. If you were going to be there, you were going to help. I've been around child care for a long time."

Today, Bree's Child Care (Gates' business) welcomes six children ranging in age from eight months to six years old. Gates herself is currently expecting her second child, and experienced the fires while approaching her eighth month of pregnancy.

"I got a phone call from a friend at the fire department at 12:20 in the afternoon. The kids were finishing lunch," said Gates.

The community in which Gates lives had been on alert since early-mid August as a fire across the river from her home had started due to lightning. On this day in particular, the winds had increased at a dangerous rate.

Gates' contact at the fire department told her that the fire had jumped the river and was now on a road very close to her home.

Thankfully, Gates has a clear policy and procedure for emergency situations, and she is careful to communicate this with parents.

"When I first consider accepting a new child into my care, I invite both a parent and the child to my home," said Gates. "I spend the meeting time getting to know their child, interacting with them, and following along as the parent reads my policies."

Gates is available to answer questions, as well as point out highlighted portions of her policies such as her emergency preparedness and evacuation policies. Gates also holds periodic drills for earthquakes and other disasters.

"After I got the call from the fire department, I issued a group text to the parents telling them we were planning to evacuate for the safety of the children," said Gates. 

Within minutes every parent had responded, asking if Gates and the children were already at the designated space (a department store's large concrete parking lot, about one mile from the home--where much of the community stayed the night in campers).

"I was amazed that the parents remembered the place we were supposed to go, and even more amazed at how fast they responded to the situation," said Gates. "There are other providers in my community that experienced property damage and did not have the same good luck with parents."

According to Gates, the evacuation process took around 10 minutes and was very successful. Bree's Child Care was out of business for several days following the evacuation.

"When it was bad, you could see this red cloud coming at us--filled with hot embers. We were close to losing our house, but we didn't," said Gates. "By the following week, we were back down to a [alert] level 1."

With the support of her community and the help of parents, no child was harmed and Gates did not experience property loss.

Gates' experience is a great example of how important consistent communication is for parents and providers. Having an emergency preparedness plan is just one of the ways Washington's child care providers promote child health and safety. To find out about emergency preparedness levels, go here: Wildfire Levels.

To learn more about licensed child care in Washington, go here: Licensed Child Care.

A Day in the Life of a Center Child Care Licensor

At the beginning of July, DEL featured a blog post entitled “A Day in the Life of a Family Home Child Care Licensor.” The article featured an in-depth description of what a family home licensor encounters on an average day at work.

While family home child care is common throughout the state, there are licensors that specialize in monitoring and working with child care centers as well. The following post was written after spending an afternoon shadowing a DEL licensor while she visited a licensed child care center in Spokane. 

“Centers are another world,” said Helen Cramer, DEL Center Licensor in Spokane. “There are generally more children and more space to regulate, as well as different standards.”

Center classroom coat and book bag area.

The Department of Early Learning (DEL) is responsible for licensing and monitoring child care facilities around the state to ensure providers meet the health and safety requirements necessary for children to receive safe, healthy and quality care while parents are working or away.

DEL's licensing work is guided by state laws, state rules, which are also called WACs (Washington Administrative Codes), and internal DEL policies and procedures. 

Not unlike family home licensors, center licensors spend a large amount of their time on the road and "in the field."

All DEL licensors (homes and centers) are currently equipped with tablets that can connect to the Internet when needed to ensure open and consistent dialogue with supervisors, licensees and colleagues. Tablets are also used so licensors have constant access to WAC documents and guidelines, as well as the electronic forms used for inspections. 

“One of the reasons for the tablet is that licensors are now able to provide forms, resources and licensing checklists to providers via email while on the premises,” said Licensing Supervisor, Karen Christensen. “We also use our tablets to bring up the MERIT system, background checks and other sites that are of use to the provider and can be viewed by the provider during the site visit.”

MERIT is a system used by early childhood education professionals and child care providers across the entire state. For more information about MERIT, go here: MERIT.

“The first thing I do is walk through the entire center,” said Cramer. “This allows me to get a general feel for the surroundings—see if anything stands out right off the bat.”

Center sizes vary greatly—this one in particular had around 120 children ranging in ages from infant to school-age. In a center, there is usually a larger staff dedicated to different age groups.

Classroom and play area at Spokane center.

At this center, the rooms were designated by color and age group (e.g. the Teal Room for preschoolers).

The licensor made notes and asked the center director questions about the general first impressions of the center. She paid special attention to each room’s functionality and safety—marking the placement of cleaning products, inquiring about medications for each child, and checking the cleanliness of each space.

Not unlike licensed homes, licensed centers are held to a set of standards and can receive violation notices that need to be addressed by the center administration.

“Child safety is our number one priority,” said Cramer. “We [center licensors] work with administrators to achieve the best possible standard of care for the kids.”

Sample of a Center curriculum posting.

During the bulk of the visit, Cramer surveyed the nap areas, play spaces (this center has its own gym!), and bathrooms. She notes status of fire alarms, placement of epi-pens for children with allergies, pays attention to the layout of the play areas (both indoor and outdoor), and reviews each staff member’s curriculum (which was posted in each room).

All licensors are required to conduct monitoring visits each year using an in-depth checklist of requirements. Center licensors may need to take more than one day to complete a monitoring visit—depending on the size of the center.

If a licensor finds that certain areas of the center checklist are not up to code (according to the WACs), the provider and the licensor develop a compliance agreement with a plan of correction stating that they will fix the issues in a certain amount of time. 

Violations are available for anyone to view online at DEL's Child Care Check. These violations range in severity. A violation could be failure of reporting or record keeping - failure to keep record of a child's vaccination history, or a violation could involve lack of supervision.  

Working with large centers is unique and it can be challenging to regulate. There are usually multiple staff files that licensors have to monitor. For example, staff members are required to have current CPR and First Aid training while caring for kids in a center, licensors must take note of this.

Licensors take the health and safety of children seriously--and are fast to act if they feel a provider is putting children at risk. Summary suspensions are served to centers that have allegations that pose imminent risk to children.

“One of the topics I try to bring up with each center I visit lately is Safe Sleep,” said Cramer. “We are rolling out new rules about this and we want to make sure centers are aware of the changes.”

This particular center had a well-established curriculum, caring, motivated staff members, and had the look and organizational feel of a school.

"Families who choose child care in a center setting usually choose programs because they see a close connection between a center and a school-like atmosphere," said Cramer. "There is also the opportunity for diverse interactions with multiple staff members and children of varying ages."

Her day usually ends after she has surveyed the center, spent a lot of time with administration, and reviewed files of all staff thoroughly.

Centers often have a lot of positive resources for children and offer different organized curricula for children of all ages. For example, it is common for centers to offer well-organized and well-chaperoned field trips--this may be an opportunity for children to bond and travel to new and interesting places in the care of qualified staff. 

If you are looking for child care, don't be afraid to ask questions of potential providers or to visit. All of DEL's WACs and policies and procedures are available online, and their subject matter ranges from safe outdoor play equipment to safe sleeping practices in child care settings. A good place to start learning about licensed child care in WA is here.  

DEL's Safe Sleep Update: Ways to Give Feedback

On Tuesday July 14, DEL released it's plan to update current licensing regulations regarding infant safe sleep practices in licensed child care settings.

At the beginning of February,  DEL filed a pre-proposal statement of inquiry requesting consideration of changes  needed to update licensing rules related to infant safe sleep practices for licensed family home child care providers and child care centers. 

DEL is able to consult the American Academy of Pediatrics as they have developed several recommendations for safe sleep guides. The latest research and best practices have identified the need for:

• additional licensee and staff training,
• changes to record-keeping documentation and violation notification requirements,
• updates to program policy handbooks and
• new rules for infant sleeping equipment and bedding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics refers parents to healthychildren.org, specifically this article, last updated in May, regarding safe sleep.

DEL is proposing rule changes to update health and safety standards related to infant safe sleep practices for licensed family home child care providers (WAC 170-296A) and child care centers (WAC 170-295). Click the previous links to see the suggested changes to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC)--the standard by which licensors monitor providers in Washington State.

Ways to Give Feedback 

Below are the methods available to the public for comment on proposed rules. 

1. Attend a Public Hearing: 

For: Licensed Family Home Child Care Providers 

When: Tuesday, August 4, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. 

Where:Department of Early Learning - State Office 1110 Jefferson Street SE Olympia, WA 98501 

For: Licensed Child Care Centers 

When: Wednesday, August 5, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. 

Where:Department of Early Learning - State Office 1110 Jefferson Street SE Olympia, WA 98501 

2. Give your input in writing by midnight Wednesday, August 5, 2015: 

Online: DEL Rules Comment Webpage 

Email: Rules@del.wa.gov Fax: 360-725-4925 

Mail: DEL Rules Coordinator PO Box 40970 Olympia, WA 98504-0970 

Only input received at the public hearings or in writing as noted above will become part of the official record. Everyone who provides input on this proposal will receive the DEL’s combined written response known as the Concise Explanatory Statement. The statement will also be posted on the DEL website and is available to anyone who asks for it by writing to the DEL.

DEL to Issue Updated Safe Sleep Guidelines

The Washington State Department of Early Learning (DEL) is in the process of updating safe sleep guidelines, policies and procedures for licensors to use when licensing child care centers and family home providers.

“We are happy to revisit our current policy and procedures regarding safe sleep, and to consistently apply the most effective guidelines possible to our licensing work,” said Mary Kay Quinlan, DEL’s Early Learning and Child Care Statewide Licensing Administrator. “We want licensed care providers, parents and the public to have access to training and to continually practice safe sleep guidelines to promote the safety of children throughout Washington.”

DEL’s website was recently updated with safe sleep training modules (in both English and Spanish), and new Washington Administrative Code (WAC) sections regarding safe sleep in child care have been drafted  and filed to reflect the most up-to-date guidelines for safe sleep. After public input, the new WAC regarding safe sleep should be approved by the end of the summer.

DEL’s training explains the importance of protecting infants during a crucial time of their development, and also allows providers, parents and the public to learn about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and what you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS with recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, focusing on a safe sleep environment. Resources to print out are included in these training modules.

The updated guidelines will state that infant safe sleep practices must be followed when infants are napping or sleeping. In child care (either at a center or at a family home setting), staff must do the following when practicing safe sleep in accordance with the updated WAC:

• Place an infant to sleep on his or her back. If the infant has turned over while sleeping, the infant does not need to be returned to his or her back;
• Not allow blankets, stuffed toys, pillows, crib bumpers and similar items in the infant sleeping equipment, or allow a blanket to cover or drape over the sleeping equipment;
• Not cover an infant’s head and face during sleep;
• Take steps so infants do not get too warm during sleep with the infant’s arms free; and
• Not place the infant in another sleeping position other than on their back, or use a sleep positioning device unless required by a written directive or medical order from the infant’s health care provider. This directive or medical order must be in the infant’s file.

In the proposed WAC update, child care staff at a licensed facility who work with infants must complete annual safe sleep training and document this training annually. If a violation occurs, the provider must post notice of the violation in the licensed space and within five working days of receiving the notice, provide parents and guardians of the enrolled child with a letter describing the sleep violation and written information on safe sleep practices.  

To read the full listing of current child care licensing requirements, click here. To view the portion of DEL's site dedicated to public commentary on safe sleep policy update, click here.

A Day in the Life of a Family Home Child Care Licensor

The Department of Early Learning (DEL) is responsible for licensing and monitoring child care facilities around the state to ensure  providers meet the health and safety requirements necessary for children to receive safe, healthy and quality care while parents are working or away.

DEL's licensing work is guided by state laws, state rules, which are also called WACs (Washington Administrative Codes), and internal DEL policies and procedures. 

Enforcing Washington's laws in child care across the state is a demanding and challenging job--it is practiced by many DEL employees each day. The following post was written after spending a full day shadowing a DEL licensor while she worked in the field. 

The average day for a licensor begins like any other state employee's--coffee, checking email, answering phone calls. For a licensor, however, much of their job occurs "in the field." Many people in this position spend a large percent of their work day driving to various provider homes. Licensors may work from one's car or in a coffee shop when not in the field office. Using a provider's kitchen table or the roof of a playhouse as a desk while on a visit is not uncommon.

Play space at a family home child care setting.

All DEL licensors are currently equipped with tablets that can connect to the Internet when needed to ensure open and consistent dialogue with supervisors, licensees and colleagues. Tablets are also used so licensors have constant access to WAC documents and guidelines, as well as the electronic forms used for inspections. 

"No day is the same because a big part of my job is spent out and about, visiting licensees," said Cindy Anstiss, Tacoma licensor. "We [family home licensors] have between approximately 80 and 120 providers in each of our case load."

Being a licensor means building relationships with child care providers. This allows for a level of trust to develop that both the provider and the licensor have the best interests of children at heart.

In any home visit, Cindy starts by noting the outside of the family home. She raises questions about the general first impressions of the home business. Questions like: Does it have new paint? How are the doors and windows? Is the lawn mowed? (Just to name a few).

DEL licensing visits are generally unannounced so licensors can get a feel for what an average day looks like at a home. Cindy maintains a positive, welcoming attitude and stresses that she wants to simply observe the house, the children's behavior and activities on an average day. The care and needs of the children come first.

Nap space at family home child care setting.

The initial part of her time is spent surveying the kitchen, living, play and nap areas--licensed areas of the home. She takes notes on the status of lighting fixtures and bulbs, checks that there are smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, pays attention to the layout of the play areas (both indoor and outdoor) and asks questions like: is there enough space around outdoor play equipment for a "fall zone" and does it have ground cover? Are there locks and alarms on doors? Are wading pools empty when not in use? Questions vary depending on the setting and/or visit.

"It doesn't necessarily worry me to see a little messy play area with toys on the floor," said Cindy. "It usually means the kids are active or busy."

Licensors are required to conduct monitoring visits each year using an in-depth checklist of requirements. 

If a licensor finds that certain areas of the checklist are not up to code (according to the WACs), the provider and the licensor develop a compliance agreement with a plan of correction stating that they will fix the issues in a certain amount of time. Providers are required to make the checklists available to parents upon request.

Violations are available for anyone to view online at DEL's Child Care Check. These violations range in severity. A violation could be failure of reporting or record keeping - failure to keep record of a child's vaccination history, or a violation could involve lack of supervision). Parents should take note of violations, but keep an open dialogue with their provider as some citations may not be serious health and safety issues.

After Cindy surveys the active play spaces, kitchen and nap areas, she spends time observing the children while they participate in every-day activities like playing or eating lunch. She also spends time talking with the provider--getting a sense for how the home life is going outside of business hours. 

Working with people who own a business in their homes is unique and it can be challenging to regulate. Licensors need to know if changes affect the home or household members. For example, if someone moves in to a provider's home, accurate background checks of the new individual must be obtained and the licensor must be notified. 

Licensors take the health and safety of children seriously--and are fast to act if they feel a provider is putting children at risk. Summary suspensions are served to providers who have allegations that pose imminent risk to children.

"Families who choose child care in a home setting usually choose providers with similar ideals," said Cindy. "Children in child care homes have the opportunity to build strong, lasting bonds with their provider."

Cindy's day usually ends after she has surveyed provider's homes thoroughly and come away with next steps  to ensure a home is up-to-code and safe for kids.

Homes can be warm, comforting places for children to learn and grow when parents are away. For example, it is common to find pets at family homes--this may be an opportunity for children to bond and learn to interact with animals, if done safely and in accordance with WAC.

Cindy is a good example of a licensor that values providers' time, is open for questions and supports family home providers to ensure they maintain quality care. She provides technical assistance and can act as an important resource for licensees. 

If you are looking for child care, don't be afraid to ask questions of potential providers or to visit. All of DEL's WACs and policies and procedures are available online, and their subject matter ranges from safe outdoor play equipment to safe sleeping practices in child care settings. A good place to start learning about licensed child care in WA is here.