Headlines have been running coast-to-coast about the rising
cost of child care. Parents all across Washington are feeling the burden. If we are going to find solutions to this issue as a state, we need to
have a clear picture of the problem. A few big questions for DEL to explore: how
much does it really cost to run a child care in this state, and what does this
mean for the rates child cares are charging families?
DEL is gathering tuition rate and operating cost information
from licensed providers in order to be a more effective advocate for
improvements in the early childhood education market. The Cost of Quality
project and Market Rate Survey are opportunities for providers to share their input about their experiences in the child care market.
Invitation emails started going out last week to
approximately 350 centers to take part in a survey that asks about the costs of
operating a center and investments in quality. The survey will run through July
2017 with a report due out this fall. For in-home family child care providers, DEL plans on launching a survey next summer.
In addition, the Market Rate Survey is getting a makeover
this year. Look for a trimmer simplified survey of child care rates coming this
fall. We will include all licensed providers this year and will gather the
same information from both centers and family homes.
Want to learn more? Visit our research
page to view past Market Rate Surveys, and keep an eye out there for future
information about this work!
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