This bill amends RCW 43.216.828 to change how state child care subsidy rates are set. It requires child care subsidy base rates for licensed or certified providers to reach the 85th percentile of the market by July 1, 2026, using the most recent market rate survey published before May 20, 2025, and directs the state and the exclusive representative for family child care providers to bargain over implementation of that rate increase. The bill directs the (unnamed) department to develop and implement a child care cost estimate model, building on prior work by the child care collaborative task force, and to use the completed model to recommend subsidy rates sufficient to compensate licensed or certified providers for the full costs of providing high quality child care. In developing the model the department must consider cost-of-living adjustments (for example area median income, zip code, and rural/suburban/urban groupings), incorporate a previously developed nonstandard hours rate model, and evaluate options to support access to affordable health insurance for providers. The bill also requires that subsidy base rates for licensed or certified providers in Franklin County be set equal to rates paid in Benton and Walla Walla counties. The text provided leaves out some details: the department responsible is not named, the specifics of the collective bargaining process and its timeline are not described, the mechanism or timing for setting Franklin County parity is not specified, and no funding, appropriation, enforcement mechanisms, or formal definitions for terms used are included in the extracted text.

If enacted, subsidized child care payments to licensed and certified providers would be pushed up so base rates reach the 85th percentile of the market by July 1, 2026 using the most recent market survey before May 20, 2025, and the state would have to negotiate with the exclusive representative for family child care providers about how to implement that increase. The responsible state department must also build a child care cost model to recommend rates that cover the full cost of high‑quality care, factor in local cost-of-living differences and nonstandard hours, and study ways to help providers access affordable health insurance; Franklin County providers must receive rates equal to those paid in Benton and Walla Walla counties. The people most affected are licensed, certified, and family child care providers, who are likely to see higher public payments and possibly new health insurance support options, and the state agency tasked with modeling and bargaining, which will take on new analytical and negotiation duties and likely face pressure for larger budget commitments (though the bill text does not specify funding or enforcement details). Key implementation details—such as which department is responsible, how the bargaining will proceed, the exact timing and mechanism for matching Franklin County rates, and where the additional dollars will come from—are not stated in the provided facts.