SEATTLE (AP) — A national child care organization says Washington state is one of the best states in the nation for overseeing in-home child care.
The National Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies says Washington is one of only nine states that run a comprehensive background check on the people who run home child care centers. Washington checks child care providers against a sex offender registry and does fingerprint checks.
Washington is also one of only seven states in the top 10 for both oversight and program standards. The organization gave Washington state a No. 2 ranking overall, just behind Oklahoma.
Sixteen states scored zero points out of 150 because they do not regulate family home child care or do not inspect before licensing.