New report highlights child care challenges in Snohomish County

EVERETT — A new survey released Monday showed both parents and providers in Snohomish County are struggling under a child care system marred by high costs and low availability.

The report, written by the Early Learning Leadership Council of Snohomish County, said the child care system in the county is “under immense strain.”

Many families can’t afford care, even if they do find an open slot, it found. Some providers are barely staying afloat, facing tight margins, low pay for workers and high employee turnover. Some parents who speak languages other than English have difficulty accessing subsidies or are unaware of them in the first place. Families face long wait lists to get children into licensed programs, even as some providers themselves are unable to fill all their slots, due to high costs or a lack of sufficient outreach.

The fact that the county’s child care network is in rough shape wasn’t necessarily a surprise to the leadership council, a body the Snohomish County Early Learning Coalition formed in late 2024.

Families, providers and elected officials have known for years that finding child care in the county can be a struggle. State reports have called the industry “broken” due to high costs for parents and low revenue for providers. As of February, the state designated 19 of the 29 zip codes in Snohomish County as “extreme child care access deserts.”

The report’s release came just days after the Everett Community College Board of Trustees voted to close its Early Learning Center serving more than 70 children, citing funding challenges.

The report, which surveyed nearly 500 parents and providers across the county, found that more than two-thirds of families utilize informal care, either providing child care themselves or relying on families and neighbors for help. Out of families surveyed, 40 percent had reduced their hours at work to care for children, and 20 percent had quit their jobs entirely.

That data points to the problem being more than just a social issue, but an economic development issue as well, said State Rep. Julio Cortes, D-Everett. In 2024, Cortes helped provide state funding to form the Early Learning Leadership Council.

“When those families face that, one of the parents has to stay back in the home, and then they lose our on that career or retirement ability,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “Then we, as a community, lose that workforce.”

Families with lower incomes also face challenges accessing subsidies intended to provide assistance to those needing child care, the report found. A total of 41 percent of respondents said they were aware of subsidy programs, but did not qualify. A disproportionate number of immigrants and people of color earn too much for the subsidies but not enough to afford care, according to the report.

Another 31 percent of families were unaware subsidy programs were available.

“There’s definitely barriers that need to be addressed in helping families access subsidies so they can afford child care,” said Debbie Carlsen, the director of the Snohomish County Early Learning Coalition, in an interview Tuesday. “But there isn’t a system right now that’s in place in the county to really fully take that on.”

The report lists a number of recommendations both local organizations and local governments could take to improve outcomes for families and providers within the county. Some include funding navigators to assist providers with the county permitting process, or helping trusted community members share information with local families about how to access available child care slots and subsidies.

Snohomish County already operates similar community navigator programs through its health department to share information about COVID-19 vaccines, a model the report says could be replicated. Some similar work is also being done already by local organizations, said County Council member Megan Dunn, who co-chaired the Early Learning Leadership Council, but the data shows those efforts need to be expanded.

“We know some of this work is being done, but we need more of this,” she said. “We need more spaces, we need more early learning, we need more mentorship, we need more support.”

To help pay for expanded early learning programs, the report recommends conducting a review of the Puget Sound Taxpayer Accountability Account, a funding source that directs some revenue from the $53.8 billion Sound Transit 3 ballot measure toward improving educational outcomes. Snohomish County will receive those dollars through 2036.

Much of the spending goes toward early education, funneled through school districts and higher education institutions. But Dunn said the council could take a look at other options as to how to use the funding.

“It might be time to take a review and look at not just how the dollars are being allocated, but are they working?” she said. “… Is there any reason to kind of pivot or look at better ways to implement those dollars?”

The report also recommends creating a dedicated early learning endowment fund, partnering with local nonprofits, private funders and public agencies. It cited a similar program in Nebraska known as Sixpence, which combines private investment with matching public dollars to provide grant funds to early learning providers.

“We were really trying to think outside the box,” Carlsen said.

Local officials and organizations have also taken some steps recently toward addressing some aspects of the issue. In March, the County Council approved an ordinance to speed up the permit process for child care centers in unincorporated areas and allow them in more places. Everett’s latest comprehensive plan update also opens the door for small-scale day care centers to be built on corner lots of some residential areas across the city.

A Seattle nonprofit, the Machinists Institute, also began construction this week on a child care facility that is set to serve nearly 500 children when open, focusing on shift workers in Everett who need extended hours of care.

“We know that these recommendations won’t solve all the problems, but it’s a step forward,” Carlsen said. “We’re excited about these findings and really shedding light and giving voice to those families and providers.”

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.