State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Washington

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Washington could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $36,624 (200 percent of poverty, 56 percent of state median income).

•    Waiting list: Washington had no waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010.     

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $50 per month, or 3 percent of its income in copayments. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $134 per month, or 6 percent of its income in copayments.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Washington’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were below the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.¹ 
o    Washington’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in the King County/Seattle area was $296, or 31 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Washington’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old in the King County/Seattle area was $404, or 30 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Washington did not pay higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care. 

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Washington allowed parents to continue receiving child care for up to 56 days while searching for a job.²  However, Washington did not allow parents to qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.³  

¹Reimbursement rates for some types of care in some regions are above the 75th percentile of market rates. 
²Parents receiving child care assistance can continue to receive it while searching for a job for up to a 28-day period twice per year or a total of 56 days once per year.
³Only Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants can qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job and it must be part of the family’s plan.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.