Family Home Child Care Rules

The Department of Early Learning (DEL) has adopted final rules for licensed family home child care providers.

DEL filed the final rules on November 14, 2011; the rules take effect in March 2012. In the interim, DEL will provide training to licensed family home child care providers and licensors on key changes in the new rules.

Note: Family home licensees must continue to follow the existing
Washington Administrative Code (WAC) chapter 170-296 until March 2012, when it will be repealed and the new WAC 170-296A takes effect.

In general, the proposed rules:

  • Increase education, and training standards for licensed providers and their staff. The pre-license education and training standards generally conform to the December 2010 Professional Development Consortium recommendations.
  • Enhance standards for playground safety, food service, cribs, emergency preparedness, nurture and guidance, and screen time.
  • Provide an annual nonexpiring full license process in accordance with Senate Bill 5625, which replaces the three-year license renewals.
  • Include new background check requirements that start in July 2012 under House Bill 1903.
  • Are less prescriptive regarding how the licensee meets standards.
  • Clarify confusing fire escape provisions in the current rules.
  • Require a higher level of communication with parents regarding the child’s development and the licensed providers’s child care philosophy.
  • Provide more clarity for consistency in interpretation and application than the current family home child care rules.

Revised rules documents

Background

From January 2007 to December 2009, a Negotiated Rule-Making Team (the team) formed under RCW 43.215.350 to:

  • Review the current family home child care WAC plus related rules and laws.
  • Research national child care health and safety standards.
  • Discuss proposed alternatives to the current rules.
  • Recommend comprehensive changes to the entire WAC 170-296.

The team completed its work in January 2010 and gave DEL more than 400 recommendations for revising the current WAC, plus other suggestions for improving procedures.

In March and April 2010, DEL invited public input on the recommendations and held eight public forums around the state. More than 300 pages of comments were received from parents, child care providers, public health officials and other stakeholders.

From May through September 2010, DEL reviewed the the recommended changes, public input and other research, and began drafting the rules.

DEL filed formal proposed rules on April 20, 2011. DEL held eight public hearings statewide in June and July and also received many written comments. The Concise Explanatory Statement contains a summary of the comments and DEL’s responses, including whether the final rules were changed as a result.

Related information

Interested in learning more about DEL rules? Receive information about current rules, draft rules and notices of rule changes:

By email: Contact the DEL Rules Coordinator

Or by hard copy, write to:

Rules Coordinator
Washington State Department of Early Learning
P.O. Box 40970
Olympia, WA 98504-0970