Drafter

Clerk 07/25/2019

Title

A MOTION establishing a King County children and families strategy task force to explore policy recommendations related to child care affordability and access in King County

Body

                     WHEREAS, in 2017, the King County women's advisory board adopted the topic of improving child care access and affordability in King County identifying lack of access to child care as a stark problem that not only affects King County's families, but also its employers and economy, and

                     WHEREAS, King County has been a leader in partnering with families to ensure babies, children and their families are healthy, thriving and able to establish a strong foundation for life, and

                     WHEREAS, the Washington state legislature has established the Washington Child Care Collaborative Task Force to develop policies and recommendations to incentivize employer-supported child care and improve child care access and affordability for employees and King County will be a nonvoting member of the Washington State Child Care Collaborative task force to better inform our policies, and

                     WHEREAS, King County has an institutional commitment to advancing equity and social justice for county employees and the residents who call this place home.  With that, there are racial inequities in access to quality child care that meets the cultural and linguistic needs of our residents and enables parents to work.  At the same time, child care workers are disproportionately people of color and are often paid low wages, and

                     WHEREAS, under the leadership of Executive Dow Constantine, King County developed and implemented the best starts for kids levy that was approved by King County voters in 2015.  Best starts for kids is considered the most comprehensive approach to child development in the nation.  Best starts for kids invests an average of $65 million per year to support King County families and children so that babies are born healthy, children thrive and young people grow into happy, healthy adults, and

                     WHEREAS, SEIU Local 925 has been a leader in advancing the dialogue with state and local governments concerning health care affordability, maintaining an adequate supply of licensed providers and facilities, and ensuring worker protections for child care professionals, and

                     WHEREAS, the King County Coalition of Unions and the county executed a Memorandum of Agreement in Total Compensation bargaining for 2019-20 to study and issue recommendations by December 31, 2019, regarding implementing a child care voucher program for King County employees;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:

                     A.  The executive shall establish a King County children and families strategy task force, to be appointed by the Executive and approved by the County Council by October 25, 2019, in order to prepare a report that makes recommendations for addressing access and affordability issues related to child care in King County.  The Executive shall also establish a staff working group to prepare for and assist the task force, including lead staff from the Executive’s office. The task force's analysis shall include, but not be limited to, potential creation of a King County child care assistance program, including, but not limited to:

                         a.  a voucher program for King County employees and residents;

                         b.  opportunities for increasing the number of available child care facilities, including in home care facilities, and employer partnerships related to those facilities; and

                         c.  identifying potential opportunities within county policies, such as telecommuting and the infants at work pilot program, to address the shortage of infant care.

                       2.  The task force shall also convene a roundtable with businesses and other identified stakeholders to raise awareness of the challenges King County employees, residents, and providers face in accessing and providing child care and identify policies at the state and local levels that might help address those issues. The task force should consider consulting with members of the public, King County employees, members of the King County Women’s Advisory Board, and experts on early learning and child care access and affordability as it works to develop recommendations.  The task force shall provide a report to the executive and the King County council with its recommendations by September 30, 2020, at which point the task force shall expire.  The report to the council shall be filed in the form of a paper original and an electronic copy with the clerk of the council, who shall retain the original and provide an electronic copy to all councilmembers.

                     B.  The task force shall include, but not be limited to, one representative from the following:

                       1.  An organization representing the interests of licensed child care centers;

                       2.  An organization representing the interests of licensed in-home child care providers;

                       3.  An organization providing childcare services as a family, friend, and/or neighbor child care provider in King County;

                       4.  An organization or individual representing parents who utilize child care on a regular basis;

                       5.  An organization representing the interests of philanthropy;

                       6.  An organization representing the interests of labor;

                       7.  An organization providing child care services in rural or unincorporated King County;

                       8.  An organization providing multicultural, bilingual curriculum in either the preschool care program setting or the after-school care program setting, or both, in King County

                       9.  An organization representing the interests of immigrant or refugee communities in King County;

                       10.  A nonprofit organization providing training and professional development for family child care providers and family, friend and neighbor child care providers in King County;

                       11.  An organization representing the needs of children with developmental delays or disabilities;

                       12.  A representative from the King County best starts for kids team in the department of community and human services or the department of public health;

                       13.  An advocacy organization representing parents, early learning, foster care youth and expanded learning opportunity interests in King County;

                       14.  An organization whose mission is to stem the level of child care expulsions in King County;

                       15.  The King County department of human resources;

                       16.  The King County women's advisory board;

                       17.  The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning;

                       18.  The King County office of the executive; and

                       19.  The King County council.