WashingtonWashington

State Requirements

Licensing Standards for DayCare Centers

Licensing Standards for Family DayCare


Worker Qualifications
DayCare Staff: Must be 18 years old or older and have a high school education or equivalent or child development knowledge and experience.

Provider /Child Ratio

Age RangeRatio For Daycare Centers
Infants:(1:4)
Toddlers:(1:7)
Preschool:(1:10)
Schoolage:(1:15)
Mixed age group:ratio for youngest child in group

Age RangeRatio For Family Child Care
Infants: Providers may care for up to 12 children with a qualified assistant; provider with 1 year of experience may care for 10 children alone if none are under 5 years of age; provider with 2 years of experience, an ECE course and an assistant may care for a maximum of 4 children under 2 years of age.

May have up to 12 children including provider's own children.

Must be 2 providers when there are more than 2 children under age of 2; 7 or more children are in care and any child is under age 2; or, more than 10 children of any age.


Contact Information

Child CareLicensing Agency
Washington State Department of Early Learning
P.O. Box 40970
Olympia, WA 98504-0970
Phone: (360) 725-4665
Toll Free: (866) 482-4325
Fax: (360) 413-3482
Child Care Subsidy Agency
Washington Department of Early Learning
Department of Social and Health Services
P.O. Box 40970
Olympia, WA 98504-0970
Phone: (360) 725-4679
Toll Free: (866) 482-4325
Fax: (360) 413-3482
Head Start - State Collaboration Office
Department of Early Learning
P.O. Box 40970
Olympia, WA, 98504-0970
Phone: (360) 725-4686
Fax: (360) 413-3482
Child Care Food Program Administrator
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Post Office Box 47211
Olympia, Washington 98504-7200
Phone: (360) 725-6200
Fax: (360) 664-9397
State Child Care Resource & Referral Contact
Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network
917 Pacific Avenue, Suite 600
Tacoma, WA 98402-4437
Phone: (253) 383-1735
Toll Free: (800) 446-1114
Fax: (253) 572-2599
Office of Child Support Enforcement
Divison of Child Support
Economic Services Administration
P.O.Box 9162
Olympia, Washington 98507-9162
Phone: (360) 664-5000
Fax: (360) 664-5444

Child Abuse Reporting Hotline
To report suspected child abuse in Washington, call (800) 562-5624 or (866) END-HARM.

For national child abuse information, call the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (staffed 24 hours daily with professional crisis counselors) at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (800-422-4453) or the T.D.D. line at 1-800-2-A-CHILD (800-222-4453).

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