Child Care Licensing Information
Individuals and agencies that offer child care must be licensed through the State of Washington with few exceptions. You need to be licensed if:
- You are caring for a child or children who are not related to you (except a close relative);
- The care is on an ongoing, regularly scheduled basis for the purpose of engaging in business.
- Persons who care for a relative’s, neighbor’s or friend’s child or children (known as Family, Friend and Neighbor {FFN}) with or without compensation, where the person providing care for periods of less than twenty-four hours does not conduct such an activity on an ongoing, regularly scheduled basis for the purpose of engaging business, which includes but is not limited to, advertising. Such care is not required to be licensed but is an option for FFN providers.
For more information about licensing, visit the Department of Children, Youth, and Families Licensing web page.
Provider Consultation and Coaching
Once you are licensed and registered with Early Achievers, CCA of Northwest offers consultation and coaching on all topics related to your child care environment, including: child guidance, circle time, parent communication, working with children’s special needs, lesson planning, curriculum and administration. CCA of NW Washington offers individual orientation sessions once you are signed up for Early Achievers through your MERIT account.
Early Achievers Service Agreement: English
Early Achievers Service Agreement: Spanish
Department of Children, Youth, and Family Services: Early Achievers
- Early Achievers for Families
- Learn more about DCYF’s Early Achievers Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
- Child Care Aware of Washington’s Early Achievers web page here: English, Spanish
- Training library for early learning professionals
- MERIT (Managed Education and Registry Information Tool): CCAC classes provide STARS hours that are tracked for providers in MERIT, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families system for managing provider information. For more information on MERIT.
STARS training & Customized Training for Programs
As a member of CCA of NW, you will have the opportunity to participate in professional development activities designed to improve your professional knowledge, competence, skill, and effectiveness.
We offer you a variety of opportunities to obtain your STARS hours, such as in-person trainings, virtual trainings, workshops, customized training at early learning programs, or our training rooms. Our professional development opportunities meet Washington State’s requirements for training programs for early childhood providers.
Our training calendar is updated quarterly: visit here.
Provider Resources
- Infant Toddler Coaching & Consultation
- Child Care Aware of WA
- Child Care Check
- USDA Food Program
- Department of Children, Youth, and Families
- Scholarship opportunities for early learning professionals
- Child Care Business Edge