The bill to eliminate a Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) charge for background checks is only step one in fixing Washington’s significant background check problem for Early Learning Teachers and Staff.
DCYF still needs to solve its problem of under-serving the early learning industry with enough fingerprinting locations despite having a road map laid out by the K12 system. Teachers drive for hours, have to go during their workday due to limited hours, and then wait to receive their clearance for months.
Advocacy groups have focused on fixing background checks in Washington, with only small gains.
If you are interested in legislation impacting early learning, please link to DCYF’s Legislative Update.
