All In WA Child Care Initiative
An initiative to ensure affordable and accessible child care for Washington’s working families.
In response to the pandemic, the Child Care Initiative will provide vital resources to expand access to affordable child care for working parents with the greatest need while also sustaining the industry of child care providers across Washington.
Child care providers and organizations serving the child care field: click here to download guidelines to apply to the Child Care Initiative.
The Child Care Initiative will provide vital resources to expand access to affordable child care for working parents with the greatest need while also sustaining the industry of child care providers across Washington.
All Donations Matched Dollar for Dollar
ABOUT THE CHILD CARE INITIATIVE
Families across Washington rely on child care to support the learning and developmental needs of their children while they work. Even before the pandemic, more than half a million of Washington’s children lacked access to licensed care. Although 61% of young children lived in households where all parents work, Washington only had licensed child care capacity for 41% of young children and 5% of school-age children. In addition to exploring options of licensed care, many families rely on relatives, friends, and neighbors to provide consistent care for their children during work. Finding affordable, quality care has long been a widespread problem, particularly for low-income and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) families, as well as people living in rural and remote communities. The pandemic has exacerbated this persistent challenge.
As families grapple with the challenge of access and affordability, the child care industry is under unprecedented strain. Known for its low profit margins and low paid workforce, many child care providers were already operating month-to-month before COVID. Now, social distancing guidelines have reduced the capacity of child care programs, whether they are child care centers, family child care or school-age care. This is resulting in significant reductions in available slots, with enrollment plunging by 47% across sites in Washington. With fewer children under their care, revenue for child care owners has decreased. At the same time, costs have increased as business owners must take on new expenses to comply with new health and safety standards due to COVID. Since the pandemic started, 16% of providers have closed their operations and 48% report that they are at risk of closure.
Donate to the Childcare Initiative using the form below – your individual donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to $1 million.
Other Ways to Donate:
By text: Text ‘ALLINWA’ to 243725
By mail: Send a check made out to “All In Washington” to the following address:
LB#1069
Seattle Foundation
PO Box 35146
Seattle, WA 98124-5146
To make a donation by other assets, or to direct an IRA Qualified Charitable Deduction (QCD) to All In Washington, contact Seattle Foundation’s Philanthropic Services team at ps@seattlefoundation.org or 206.515.2111.