This bill amends RCW 43.216.085 to set out requirements and procedures for the Early Achievers quality rating and improvement system for early learning programs. It specifies that the department, working with tribal governments and partners, shall implement Early Achievers for licensed or certified child care centers, family home child care, outdoor nature‑based child care, and early learning programs such as Working Connections Child Care and ECEAP. The statute establishes program objectives, a five‑level rating structure with an added intermediate level between levels 3 and 4, expectations that participants engage and advance, and procedural rules for rating cycles, updates, and fees (including that the first rating in each cycle is free and optional reratings may be charged up to the department’s cost). The amendment creates participation rules and other procedural changes: mandatory participation for providers receiving state subsidy and for approved ECEAP providers (subject to deadlines in other RCW sections), voluntary participation for providers not receiving state funds, and an exemption for school‑age child care providers with a referenced plan and pilot. It imposes publishing and public‑information requirements (a single source listing program rating levels, limited licensing history, and other quality indicators), requires ratings to be published accessibly and for linguistic needs, allows small marketing descriptions with department approval, and requires the department to consult the Early Achievers review subcommittee on substantial policy changes. It also requires a professional development pathway to support education and credentials, reserves certain quality improvement awards for programs serving at least 5% subsidized or ECEAP/Head Start children, and establishes rules for limited extensions (exceptional circumstances, up to six months, one per participant). The bill also provides procedural rules on accreditation and tribal participation: the department must accept national accreditation that meets specified standards and, subject to appropriation, submit a cross‑accreditation plan (deadline referenced as December 1, 2019); accredited programs may receive credit toward Early Achievers ratings; tribal programs receiving state funds must participate but may use interlocal agreements preserving tribal sovereignty and may opt out of department licensing and having ratings published on the department website while making rating information available to parents on request. The text repeatedly refers to “the department” without identifying which state agency, and it references other RCW sections for deadlines and details; those referenced provisions and any other parts of the bill (including funding or additional amendments) are not included in the extracted facts provided.

If enacted, these changes make participation in Washington’s Early Achievers rating system compulsory for child care and early learning programs that receive state subsidy or ECEAP funding, require the agency running the program to publish program ratings and select licensing history online within 30 days of licensing or a rating, and allow optional paid reratings outside the normal cycle while keeping the first rating and routine cycle ratings free. Programs that want credit for national accreditation can get it if standards match state requirements, and the agency must create a professional development pathway, reserve quality awards for programs serving a minimum share of subsidized children, and allow limited, one-time extensions for good cause; tribal providers receiving state funds must participate but can use interlocal agreements to preserve certain tribal choices about licensing and public posting. The most affected groups are licensed or certified child care centers, family home and outdoor nature-based providers, ECEAP and other subsidized programs, and tribes receiving state funds. Providers taking state subsidy will face new mandatory participation, public posting of ratings, and possible costs for optional reratings or meeting higher standards, but they may also gain access to training, scholarship pathways, and eligibility for improvement awards. The state department named in the statute takes on added duties to manage ratings, publish accessible information, coordinate with tribes and a review subcommittee, and accept or design cross-accreditation pathways; it is unclear from these facts which specific state department is responsible and whether past deadlines and the cross-accreditation plan mentioned were already completed.