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HB 1873

Increasing access to the working connections child care program for graduate and professional students.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Liz Berry and 15 co-sponsors

HB 1873 expands Washington's Working Connections Child Care Program to cover graduate and professional students, increasing access to subsidized child care for advanced degree-pursuing parents.

First reading, referred to Early Learning & Human Services.
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Bill Summary · HB 1873

Legislative bill overview

HB 1873 expands Washington's Working Connections Child Care Program to include graduate and professional students, currently limited to parents in workforce training, education, or employment programs. The bill aims to remove eligibility barriers that prevent advanced students from accessing subsidized child care assistance while pursuing their degrees.

Why is this important

Graduate and professional students often face significant financial constraints while pursuing advanced education, and child care costs can be prohibitive barriers to degree completion. Expanding this program could increase enrollment and completion rates among graduate students while reducing work-life balance pressures for this population. This directly affects workforce development in specialized fields requiring advanced credentials.

Potential points of contention

  • Program cost and budget impact: Expanding eligibility could significantly increase state expenditures on child care subsidies; fiscal analysis will be crucial for determining feasibility
  • Definition of "graduate and professional students": Ambiguity around which programs qualify (MBA, law school, medical school, master's degrees, doctoral programs) and whether part-time students are included could create implementation challenges
  • Prioritization concerns: Expansion might redirect limited program resources away from lower-income workforce participants or families with immediate employment needs, raising equity questions about who benefits most

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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