ELAC discusses Market Rate Survey, DCYF proposals during February meeting

The Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) held its first meeting of 2018 on February 6. Using the K-20 Education Network, ELAC members participated via video conference from nine sites around the state.

The full-day meeting included updates on DEL’s Quality Practice and Professional Growth (QPPG) division, the 2018 Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) plan, the current legislative session, and the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

DEL Assistant Director Nicole Rose provided ELAC members with an update on the Market Rate Survey, which was made available to Washington providers in January. ELAC helped revise the survey for the current year and learned during the meeting how their feedback was implemented before the survey was released.

The council was also invited to participate in a webinar next month to review the Cost of Quality survey, which will be released this spring. This survey will help DEL better understand the operating costs of child care facilities.

The QPPG presentation included information on the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) expansion and on efforts to encourage inclusion of children with disabilities in early learning settings. The QPPG division is also working to address issues with provider professional development, including compensation, career pathways, and evaluations of the current workforce.

ELAC members received an update on the CCDF 3-year plan that will be submitted to the federal government by July 1, 2018. The plan will outline the state’s current child care subsidy programs, which are partially funded by federal CCDF grants. Once DEL has drafted a plan, the department will seek input from the community, including from ELAC, on the plan’s contents, repercussions, and changes from the previous plan.

DEL Director Heather Moss also discussed the proposed DCYF regional structure, which was adapted from a six-region map used by the Department of Social and Health Services. Council members expressed a desire to maintain sub-regional identities during the transition. DEL Assistant Director Frank Ordway described the proposed organizational structure for the new department.

The next ELAC meeting will be held April 3 in Tukwila. To keep updated on ELAC’s meetings, DEL's ELAC meeting page. 

Help us set subsidy rates by taking the Market Rate Survey

The Department of Early Learning needs your help to better serve the needs of licensed child care providers. We have just launched this year’s leaner, simplified Market Rate Survey. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete and is open to all licensed providers in Washington state. DEL is required by the federal government to conduct this Market Rate Survey. The results from the survey will be used to inform child care subsidy rates. You can help by taking the survey if you are a licensed provider, and if not, you can help promote it!

DEL has conducted Washington State’s Market Rate Survey since 2007, as the lead agency for the Child Care Development Fund. The survey asks questions about licensed providers' child care and the children they serve. Topics covered include enrollment, private tuition rates, staff education and compensation, and support services offered. The survey includes several important updates this year:

• DEL is partnering with Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG) to deploy the survey.
• Shorter and more concise format than previous years.
• Web-based format with email, telephone, and postcard contacts planned.
• Translations available for providers who speak Spanish and Somali.
• Telephone interpreters available for additional languages.

To inform subsidy rates, your participation is very important! To reach our response rate goal of 75 percent for licensed centers and licensed family homes, we need your help. DEL would appreciate if you could take the survey, help promote it to other child care providers, or both! Providers can check their email for a link to the survey, subject line “Market Rate Survey.” Or, providers can access the survey at this link: http://surveys.pcgus.com/s3/WADELMRS.

The survey will close April 20 or after we receive our response rate goal, whichever comes first. You can also contact PCG at wamarketratesurvey@pcgus.com or (844) 880-8714 with any questions. Thank you!

Taking Steps to Understand the Child Care Market in Washington

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!