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Dear [Lawmaker],

I work at a child care center so I see first hand how Washington's child care crisis is driven by high turnover, low wages, understaffing, and unaffordable health care for employees. You can help solve this crisis by passing HB 1128/SB 5062 to establish a Child Care Workforce Standards Board.

According to a recent statewide survey of early educators, nearly all of us (88%) make less than $29 per hour, far below what is needed to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment. Too many of us (81%) have skipped rest and lunch breaks, and worked while sick or with a serious medical condition, due to understaffing, pressure from managers, or just not having paid time off. And more than half of us are struggling with health care coverage: 11% of us are uninsured, 20% rely on taxpayer-funded Apple Health (Medicaid), and another 24% are paying high premiums with high deductibles through the state exchange or employer-provided insurance.

Together, these workforce issues lead to high turnover and inadequate staffing at child care centers across the state and Washington does not currently have a way to capture good data and address these issues. That’s where the Childcare Workforce Standards Board comes in.

I urge you to pass HB 1128/SB 5062 to establish a state Child Care Workforce Standards Board that will bring workers, employers, parents, and agencies to the table to make rules to improve the standards of this industry. Workforce standards boards have been successfully used in other states to improve working conditions for similar industries. The Board will be empowered to carry out the following duties:

- Investigate the root causes of the high costs of child care

- Investigate the underlying causes of the workforce crisis

- Identify how to reduce barriers for businesses and educators in the industry

- Set appropriate minimum compensation and professional standards

Please let me know how you will vote on HB 1128/SB 5062. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
______

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