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Child care services
If you’re a family or provider seeking childcare supports, we have resources and options for you.
For our communities to thrive, we understand that:
- All families need access to care.
- All childcare providers deserve thriving wages.
Subsidies and resources for families
Financial supports for families seeking childcare include:
Best Starts for Kids Child Care Subsidy
Due to high demand, the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Subsidy Program is currently full. Families can complete and join the waitlist for the subsidy and will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Completing an application does not guarantee that a family will be awarded subsidy.
Veteran Student Child Care Subsidy
This is designed to help veterans pursue higher education and training programs with the support of a childcare subsidy. It provides deep subsidy and scales supports for families up to 100 percent Area Median Income (AMI) in licensed and informal care.
More resources
If you need help paying for childcare:
If you're looking for a caregiver:
Supports for informal caregivers
Child Care Resources can connect caregivers and families to a group in their community. They have lots of video resources on their YouTube channel.
Kaleidoscope Play and Learn (KPL) is a promising practice program from Child Care Resources for informal caregivers, families, and communities to brings families together to learn about early learning and healthy development while singing, reading, and playing together. In addition, KPL brings caregivers together to build social connections and promote co-learning.
The Denise Louie Center offers a Play & Learn program at Seattle Public Library locations.
Other programming
One-time retention payments for childcare workers
Through our voter approved Best Starts for Kids Initiative, King County is ramping up resources for the childcare workforce. Childcare workers are an essential workforce, so we partnered with the City of Seattle to distribute one-time retention payments to 12,000 childcare workers in 2022.
12,000 childcare workers receiving retention payments through Best Starts partnership with Seattle
Imagine Institute
The Imagine Institute provides a broad range of supports, trainings, and resources to early learning educators including a substitute pool, higher education, and trainings.
Child Care Health Program
Health promotion and disease prevention information for childcare providers in King County and Seattle.
Best Starts for Kids Child Care Health Consultation Projects
Childcare providers including family, friend, and neighbor caregivers seeking support on health, safety, nutrition, child development, and challenging behaviors can seek Child Care Health Consultation by reaching out to these consultation teams.