State Profile | Washington

The Afterschool Investments project has developed profiles for each state to provide a snapshot of the "state of afterschool," as well as an opportunity to compare afterschool activities across the country. This profile provides key data and descriptions of the afterschool landscape, which includes a range of out-of-school time programming that can occur before and after school, on weekends, and during summer months. It is designed to serve as a resource for policymakers, administrators, and providers.

• Quick Facts
• Statewide Initiatives
• Notable Local Initiatives
• Statewide Organizations
• Additional Resources
• Notes and Sources

Quick Facts

Demographics

For more demographic information, visit http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/statepro/index.html

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

CCDF Administrative Overview

Settings

Where CCDF-Subsidy school age-children are served:

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool

"Resource and referral and school-age" targeted funds:
Funds may be used to provide assistance for but not limited to parents, child care providers, and communities. School's Out Washington is a statewide organization focused on building community based systems for improving the quality and availability of afterschool programs. In particular these funds can be used to provide training and technical assistance to programs for school-age children, to sponsor and plan an annual statewide professional development event, and to educate and engage communities through participation in local, regional, and statewide groups. Additionally, the funds can be used to provide funding to local out of school programs in order for them to meet or maintain licensing requirements.

Other quality activities:
Funds may be used for Comprehensive consumer education, for Grants or loans to providers to assist in meeting State and local standards, and to monitor licensing and regulatory requirements. They may also be used for professional development, improving childcare providers' salaries, activities promoting early language, literacy, reading and math development, activities promoting inclusive childcare, and for youth focused health programs. Other programs focused on increasing parental choice and availability of childcare may also be funded.

Provider Reimbursement Rates

Tiered Reimbursement Rate System: 
There is a three year Tiered Reimbursement Pilot Project that provides incentives to licensed child care providers by enhancing the quality of child care services. The eligible providers must be working towards or maintaining accreditation with the National Association for the Education of Young Children or the National Association for Family Child Care, and maintain a minimum enrollment of 25 percent if children are receiving state subsidies.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

Program Licensing Policies

Exemptions apply to schools that are engaged primarily in education, operate on a definite school year schedule, follow a stated academic curriculum, accept only school-age children and do not accept custody of children.

Systems/Quality Supports

21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)

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Statewide Initiatives

• School's Out Washington provides services and guidance for organizations to ensure all young people have safe places to learn and grow when not in school.  As a statewide leader, School's Out is dedicated to building community systems to support quality out-of-school time programs for Washington's 5-14 year olds through training, advocacy and leadership. School's Out Washington has played a key leadership role and collaborated with other statewide entities including the Department of Early Learning; the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; the Washington Afterschool Alliance; and The Collaborative to improve the quality and expand the state's capacity to serve school-age children and youth. 

  For more information, see www.schoolsoutwashington.org

• Washington Afterschool Network. . In 2003, School’s Out Washington received a grant from the C.S. Mott Foundation to expand the Washington Afterschool Network (WAN). The network serves as a vehicle for bringing together policymakers, educators, childcare providers, youth development workers, program developers, advocates, parents, and others interested in improving outcomes for children and youth through school-based / school-linked afterschool programs. The network seeks to create partnerships at all levels, secure needed resources, and ensure the high quality of afterschool programs throughout the state. WAN has had a particular focus on engaging school and community leaders to raise awareness around the important role afterschool programs play in supporting academic success. The WAN secured an investment of $3 million for afterschool in the 2007-09 biennial Washington state budget. Funding for afterschool was discontinued in the 2009-11 session due to a large state budget deficit.

  For more information, see www.schoolsoutwashington.org

• The Washington Regional Afterschool Project (WRAP) is a collaborative partnership to increase the quality and availability of programs for school-age children and youth in Washington state. School's Out Washington, the lead agency for this project, works with five other organizations to link communities with resources, provide professional development opportunities for program staff, and broaden involvement in planning for regional youth services and building a system of afterschool. There are six WRAP geographic regions and each is served by a WRAP specialist who supports the community's efforts in afterschool.  
• Improving Program Quality (IPQ) Project. Each WRAP region is participating in the Improving Program Quality project to support afterschool programs across the state in the process of self-evaluation and quality improvement. Through the IPQ Project, WRAP Specialists provide free ongoing on-site training to licensed or certified programs by region.  Specialists assist programs in thinking about their current needs and strengths, setting goals to move them along the continuum of quality, and reaching those goals through training, resources, and connections to others in the community.  WRAP Specialists are also increasing the information available to all afterschool programs in Washington about best practices, program evaluation, and accreditation through continuing community education about the importance of high-quality afterschool programs.
• The Washington State Training and Registry System (STARS) was created in 1997 through a legislative statute to improve child care through basic and on-going training for child care providers, including school-age directors. The Department of Early Learning is the regulatory authority for child care licensing requirements and administers the STARS Registry, a web-based database that tracks provider records. Washington STARS requires all licensed family child care providers and licensed child care center school-age directors, program supervisors, site coordinators, and lead teachers to complete professional development trainings each year. Providers are required to complete 20-hours of basic training within the first six months of licensure or employment as well as ten clock hours or one college credit of approved in-service training.

  For more information, see http://www.waeyc.org

• Washington is a Quality Counts Site. School's Out Washington is participating in Ready by 21 Quality Counts, a national effort to improve the quality and reach of youth programs and policies in communities across the country. SOWA is working with the national partners, the Forum for Youth Investment (the Forum), High/Scope Educational Research Foundation (High/Scope) and the AED National Training Institute for Community Youth Work (NTI) on this initiative.
  
  SOWA's participation in Quality Counts will help bring a set of valuable resources to our state to help increase the quality and level of investments in our children and youth. Our national partners will be able to offer us resources and tools to help our state improve the quality of youth-serving programs; strengthen overall capacity to support the youth-serving provider community; assess and address the needs of the workforce; and increase our ability to leverage policies and funding resources in support of children and youth.
  
  For more information about Ready by 21 Quality Counts, visit http://forumforyouthinvestment.org/qc/home.

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Notable Local Initiatives

• SOAR, formerly known as Project Lift-Off,is building a network of high-quality, affordable early education and afterschool programs for all children and youth in Seattle and King County. Business and community leaders, grantmakers, organizations, schools, governments, parents, and faith-based groups all have joined in this effort. The effort is now being led by the United Way. Through its partnerships, SOAR has developed a strategic plan of action for early learning and afterschool that include increasing the quality and quantity of programs and enhancing out-of-school time activities in Seattle Public Schools and other communities in King County.

  For more information, see http://www.childrenandyouth.org

• The Spanish Literacy Project Since March of 2007, the Spanish Literacy Project has provided literacy training to Spanish-speaking licensed home child care providers in Pasco, Washington. Thirty women meet two nights a week and two Saturdays a month to improve their literacy skills and obtain STARS hours through instruction on child care best practices. While learning how to read and write, the women also learn how to help the children that they care for with their homework, how to plan developmentally appropriate activity schedules, and how to build relationships with schools and other community agencies. The program motivates women to become better role models and better teachers for their children, to earn their GED, learn English, and eventually graduate with a college degree.
• Community Initiatives Several communities are beginning to build local efforts and create specific action plans to meet their unique afterschool program needs. WAN has been working for the past few years with organizers in Vancouver, Shoreline, Tacoma and Spokane as they develop coalitions and action plans. In the past, both Spokane and Vancouver have received additional technical assistance from the National League of Cities (NLC). Both of these sites have been looking at innovative funding strategies and methods for raising awareness of the importance of quality afterschool programs. In Vancouver, a group of local program leaders and the City of Vancouver came together to develop a sustainable, coordinated system of out-of-school programs. To date, the Vancouver Coalition has created a formal structure for the organization, developed a set of quality standards for afterschool programs, and completed a survey of programs available in the greater Vancouver metro-area.

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Statewide Organizations

National AfterSchool Association Affiliate:

Washington Afterschool Association
P.O. Box 31971
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone: 206-783-0851

Statewide Child Care Resource & Referral Network:

Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network
917 Pacific Avenue, Suite 600
Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: 253-383-1735 or 800-446-1114
Web: http://www.childcarenet.org

Statewide Afterschool Network:

School's Out Washington
801 23rd Avenue, South
Seattle, Washington 98144
Phone: 206-323-2396
Web: http://www.schoolsoutwashington.org/

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Additional Resources

State Child Care Administrators:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=ccdf

State TANF Contacts:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/states/tanf-dr.htm

21st Century Community Learning Centers Contacts:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/contacts.html

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Notes and Sources

Demographics

Total population, 2008: Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008, U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of children ages 5-12, 2008: Estimates of the Resident Population by Single-Year of Age and Sex for the United States and States: July 1, 2007, U.S. Census Bureau.

Percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch rate, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Note: Most recent data.

Percent of K-12 students in Title I "schoolwide" schools, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Schools enrolling at least 40 percent of students from poor families are eligible to use Title I funds for schoolwide programs that serve all children in the school. Note: Most recent data.

Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the largest federal funding source for child care. States receive a funding allocation determined by formula and have broad flexibility to design programs that provide child care subsidies for low-income children under the age of 13 and to enhance the quality of child care for all children. Federal CCDF funding consists of mandatory, matching, and discretionary funds. Federal law requires that states spend at least 4 percent of their CCDF funds as well as additional targeted funds on activities to improve the quality and availability of child care. CCDF administrative data in this and the following sections is from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Care Bureau, as reported by States, unless otherwise noted.

FFY09 CCDF Allocation: Funding allocations are based on appropriation and do not reflect any reallotted or redistributed funds that may occur at a later date.

FFY09 state MOE plus match: In order to receive Federal matching funds, a state must expend Maintenance of Effort funds. Note that this does not capture actual expenditures, only the minimum required to draw down all available federal funds.

FFY09 Tribal CCDF Allocation: Federal CCDF Funds are awarded directly to Federally-recognized Indian Tribes.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funding: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) appropriates an additional $2 billion in one-time CCDF Discretionary funding available to State, Territory and Tribal Lead Agencies in FY09 as part of the economic stimulus package.

FFY07 total quality expenditures: This data includes FY07 and prior year funds expended for quality from each of the CCDF funding streams (mandatory, matching, and discretionary) and expenditures under targeted funds for infant and toddler, school-age care and resource and referral. This figure provides information obtained from state financial reports submitted for FY07.

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool: Portions of CCDF discretionary funds are targeted specifically for resource and referral and school-age child care activities as well as for quality expansion. (These funds are in addition to the required 4 percent minimum quality expenditure.)

Maximum rate for school-age category: Rates are listed for center-based care, family child care, and license exempt programs; where rates vary by region or county, the rate for the most populated urban area is given.

Standardized monthly school-age rate: Monthly rate for a child, age 8, in care after school during the school year at a center in the most costly district for four hours per day, 20 days per month. Calculated (in the lowest tier of a tiered system) using information from the FY2008-2009 State CCDF Plan, including rate structures, as submitted to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

Separate subsidy rates for different age ranges and Tiered Reimbursement Rate Systems: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Care Bureau. Report of State Plans FY2008-2009.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/2007/tanf_2007.html.

Program Licensing and Accreditation Policies

States with separate school-age licensing standards and states with specialized requirements for child care centers serving school-age children: National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) and National Association for Regulatory Administration, 2007 Child Care Licensing Study, see: http://www.naralicensing.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=160.

Ratio of children to adults in school-age setting: Data from the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), available at: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov.

School-based, school-age programs exempt from licensing: Research conducted by Afterschool Investments, March 2008.

Systems/Quality Supports

School-age credential: NCCIC, State Professional Development System Credentials for Individuals, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/pd-credentials.html.

Statewide quality rating system: NCCIC, Quality Rating Systems: Definitions and Statewide Systems, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/qrs-defsystems.html.

Statewide afterschool network: National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks, see: http://www.statewideafterschoolnetworks.net/.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is a state formula grant. Funds flow to states based on their share of Title I, Part A funds. Data from the U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers Office and the 21st CCLC Profile and Performance Information Collection System as of July 2009.

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The Child Care Bureau awarded a technical assistance contract to The Finance Project for the Afterschool Investments project. The goals of the Afterschool Investments project include:

• Identifying ways that state and communities are using Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidy and quality dollars to support out-of-school time programs, and sharing these practices and approaches with other states;
• Identifying administrative and implementation issues related to CCDF investments in out-of-school time programs, and providing information and context (about barriers, problems, opportunities) as well as practical tools that will help CCDF administrators make decisions; and
• Identifying other major programs and sectors that are potential partners for CCDF in supporting out-of-school time programs and providing models, strategies, and tools for coordination with other programs and sectors.

Contact Us:

Email:
afterschool@financeproject.org

Web:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/

The Finance Project
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-587-1000
Web: www.financeproject.org

The Afterschool Investments project’s State Profiles are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of noteworthy State and local initiatives across the country. Inclusion of an initiative in the Profiles does not represent an endorsement of a particular policy or practice.