Washington among nationwide leaders in childcare safety

The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (NACCRRA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring quality and affordable childcare for families across the country. NACCRRA provides statistics, referrals, and other resources to parents in need of a safe place to take their children during the workday. Among those resources, is the “Leaving Children to Chance” report that ranks each of the fifty states, plus the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense, based on their childcare oversight and standards.

According to NACCRRA’s latest report, Washington ranks second in the nation for childcare standards and oversight. Using sixteen different benchmarks, Washington earned 119 points out of a possible 150. Our state is one of seven states that ranked in the top ten for both oversight and program standards, and is one of only nine states that conduct a comprehensive background check for childcare providers. These background checks include fingerprint and sex offender registry checks. Washington saw an improvement in their ranking from NACCRRA’s last report back in 2010.

Other states didn’t fare as well. Only four states, Washington included, earned above a seventy percent or higher on basic requirements for childcare safety. Eight states scored a zero because they allow for six children in a childcare home before requiring a license or don’t require a license for small operations at all. Eight additional states scored a zero because they don’t inspect childcare homes before licensing.
For more information on NACCRRA and the most recent “Leaving Children to Chance” report click here.

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