Best Starts for Kids Child Care Subsidy
Subsidy Terms and Conditions
1. Authorization:
🔷Eligibility and authorization for the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Subsidy (“Best Starts Subsidy” or “the Program”) is based on your family’s residence in King County, your gross household income and your household size.
🔷After you are approved, you do not need to report changes to these items until it’s time to renew—unless you move out of King County permanently.
🔷If you have a decrease in income, a new child in your family, or other change that may increase your subsidy amount, you may report these at any time. If this change makes you eligible for the Working Connections Child Care program, we will ask you to apply for that program.
🔷If you are approved for another subsidy, this must be reported to the Best Starts Subsidy Team. Depending on the particular subsidy, this may or may not impact your eligibility or award amount for the Best Starts Subsidy.
🔷If your contact information changes, please notify us as soon as possible.
To report any of these changes call or text 206-208-6865, email support@bskchildcare.org, or submit this information via the Family Portal
2. Authorization Period:
🔷Your child’s Best Starts Subsidy is only valid for the authorization period listed in your Subsidy Payment Authorization (SPA); each child will have a separate SPA.
🔷To extend your Best Starts Subsidy beyond the end date listed, you must re-prove your eligibility for the subsidy.
🔷We will send you an invitation to the renewal application at least 60 days before the end date, by email.
🔷You must submit the renewal application by the due date, or your subsidy will not continue after the end of your current authorization period (date listed in your SPA).
🔷Best Starts Subsidy staff can help you during the renewal application and language interpretation services over the phone are provided for free.
Call or text 206-208-6865, email support@bskchildcare.org to request help.
3. Payments: The Best Starts subsidy amount often does NOT cover the full cost of your child care.
🔷If your Best Starts Subsidy does not pay the full amount that your provider charges, you must pay the difference each month directly to your provider.
For example, if your subsidy is $500 per month and your provider charges $1000 per month for the care, you must pay the provider $500 per month.
🔷You and your provider must agree on the amount and due date for your payments.
🔷If you do not pay the provider the difference between what they charge and the amount of your Best Starts Subsidy, you may lose your subsidy.
🔷If the subsidy payment is more than the provider’s tuition for that month, the provider must use the extra funds to cover any unpaid fees or balances for that child for that same month (e.g., registration or program fees). They do NOT have to refund you this additional amount.
4. Enrollment and Attendance:
🔷Your Best Starts Subsidy requires that your child is enrolled in and attending care.
🔷You and your provider set your child’s schedule when your child enrolls. You must follow your provider’s attendance policy.
🔷The amount of the subsidy payment is based upon several factors, including the amount of care requested by the family (and in some circumstances, as approved by the program).
🔷However, if your child is enrolled for less time than noted in your Best Starts Subsidy, your subsidy amount may be adjusted.
For example, if your child is authorized for full-time care (25-50 hours per week), but your child is only enrolled for 15 hours per week (part-time care), we will pay your provider for part-time care.
🔷Your provider reports on your child’s enrollment and attendance each month during your Best Starts Subsidy period.
🔷Too many absences may result in reduced hours or termination of your Best Starts Subsidy.
🔷If your child does not attend care for two (2) full months in a row and you are not in contact with the program, your child’s Best Starts Subsidy will end and your provider will not receive payment for the second month. You must notify the Best Starts Subsidy team of any absences longer than 30 calendar days.
5. Adjustments: In some cases we may adjust your Best Starts Subsidy amount
🔷For school-age children, Best Starts subsidy approves full-time care for breaks during the school year (November Thanksgiving week, December Winter Break, February Mid-Winter Break, and April Spring Break).
🔷If your child needs increased care during summer break, you must request this change from Best Starts Subsidy.
6. Changing providers:
🔷If you want to change your child’s provider, you must give the Best Starts Subsidy at least two (2) weeks’ notice by completing the form in the Family Portal.
🔷If you choose to leave your current provider but haven’t selected a new one, you must still notify the Best Starts Subsidy Program. Your subsidy may be paused for up to 60 days, and your child must begin care again within that time to keep your subsidy. This pause counts as one of the two allowed during your approval period.
🔷If your child is staying with the same provider but changing locations, you must inform the Best Starts Subsidy.
For example: if they are changing from ChildcareABC at Renton location to ChildcareABC at Seattle location, you must notify the Best Starts Team.
🔷You must also give your current provider the notice required in their provider handbook.
🔷If you do not give us at least two (2) weeks notice of the change, we may require you to pay the full cost at the new provider until your Best Starts Subsidy is updated.
🔷We will send your Best Starts Subsidy payment to your new provider ONLY when you have either paid any outstanding charges (and/or unresolved fees) to your previous provider OR have a payment plan, in good standing, in place with them.
🔷Please note that your child’s subsidy rate may change when you change providers, as the Program’s rate table changes annually.
7. Requesting an increase or decrease in care hours needed
🔷If your care needs change, for example from part-time to full time, you must give us at least two (2) weeks’ notice by completing the form in the Family Portal.
🔷If you are requesting an increase in care hours, you may be required to show why you need the additional hours (for example your work hours increased)
8. Subsidy Termination: your subsidy may end if you:
🔷Give false or misleading information or fail to provide all information required to determine your eligibility
🔷Are approved for another subsidy program, such as Working Connections Child Care.
🔷Fail to follow the rules of the program (such as not reporting changes or missing deadlines).
🔷Do not pay your share of child care costs to your provider
9. Important:
🔷The Best Starts for Kids Child Care Subsidy Program can only pay providers who are licensed by Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF)
🔷We do not recommend or endorse any providers. The program may provide a list of child care providers to a family, however the ultimate choice of provider is your sole responsibility.
🔷You are urged to carefully interview and check references before leaving a child in care. To review DCYF licensing history on a child care provider including any complaints, you can complete a provider search at: https://www.findchildcarewa.org/
1. Provider Eligibility:
🔷To participate in the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Subsidy Program (Best Starts Subsidy or the Program), child care providers (“providers”) must be licensed by and in good standing with the Washington State Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF).
🔷Best Starts Subsidy will verify this information upon enrollment and periodically after that.
2. Subsidy Payment Authorization:
🔷The Subsidy Payment Authorization (SPA) is the agreement between the Program, the family, and the provider.
🔷The SPA shows the approved subsidy amount for each month of authorized care.
🔷Each child authorized for Best Starts Subsidy has their own SPA that is valid for the period listed in the SPA.
🔷To extend the Best Starts Subsidy beyond the end date listed, the family must re-prove their eligibility for the subsidy.
3. Provider vendor enrollment:
🔷To receive Best Starts Subsidy payments, providers must provide a copy of their W-9, their Washington State Child Care License and the details of the bank account where they want their payments to be deposited.
🔷Providers can request paper checks from Best Starts Subsidy.
4. Enrollment and Attendance:
🔷The Program will pay the agreed upon subsidy amount when a child is both enrolled in and attending the provider’s child care program.
🔷The family and provider set the child’s schedule, and the family must follow the provider’s stated attendance policies.
🔷Providers must report monthly enrollment and attendance to the Best Starts Subsidy Program in order to receive payment. These are due no later than 30 days after the end of the month care was provided.
🔷If a child is enrolled for fewer hours than authorized, Best Starts Subsidy may adjust the subsidy amount.
For example, if the child is authorized for full-time care (25-50 hours per week), but is only enrolled for 15 hours per week (part-time care), then the Program will pay the rate for part time care.
🔷Best Starts Subsidy will not pay for more hours than listed in the Subsidy Payment Authorization without prior written approval.
🔷If a child does not attend care for two (2) consecutive months and has not received prior written approval from the program, their subsidy will end and the provider will not receive payment for the second month.
5. How and when payments are made:
🔷For each month listed in the SPA, the Program will send the provider a Payment Request Form (PRF) via their Provider Portal. The PRFs will be available on or after the 17th of the month of care.
🔷The provider must complete and submit the PRF within 30 days of the end of the month of care to receive payment for that child for that month.
🔷If the provider reports that the child is currently enrolled and attending regularly, the Program will pay the subsidy amount listed in the SPA for that month. (Please see the exceptions below).
🔷If the child has unenrolled prior to the release of the PRF or has not attended in that month of service, please see section 9b below.
🔷The Program will make a payment to the provider via ACH transfer (direct deposit) within two (2) weeks of receiving a completed PRF, unless the provider has previously requested a paper check.
🔷The Program may make separate payments for each child each month.
6. Other payment related policies:
🔷If the Best Starts Subsidy payment does not cover the full cost of care, the provider may charge the family for the remaining amount.
🔷If families do not pay their balance, please contact the Program. Family payment of the tuition balance is a requirement for family participation.
🔷If the subsidy payment is more than the provider’s child care tuition for that month, the provider must apply the extra funds to any unpaid fees or balances for that child for the same month (e.g., registration or program fees).
Providers are not required to refund any subsidy payments that exceed their tuition. However, the family’s balance for that month must be at $0 before the provider can use the remaining funds for other purposes.
Best Starts Subsidy will not increase the payment amount to cover additional costs beyond child care tuition.
7. Mid-Month Changes:
🔷A family may not participate in the Best Starts Subsidy if they owe a balance to a previous provider and do not have a payment plan in place which is in good standing.
🔷If a child un-enrolls from care mid-month, the provider is responsible for telling the Program the date the child left care. The Program will pay the provider for two weeks after the un-enrollment date or until the end of the month of service, whichever is shorter.
🔷If a child does not attend care for two (2) full months and they have not received prior written approval for the absence, the child’s subsidy will be closed and the provider will not receive payment for the second month.
🔷If a child begins in a provider’s care mid-month, subsidy payments may be adjusted (prorated) based on enrollment dates.
8. Adjustments:
🔷In some cases, the subsidy amount may be reduced.
🔷The Program reserves the right to not pay for scheduled closure days.
🔷For school-age children with part-time authorization, subsidy increases to full-time care during school breaks (November’s Thanksgiving break, December’s winter holiday break, February’s winter break, and March/April spring break). This does not include summer break.
🔷If a child needs increased care during summer break, the family must request this change from Best Starts Subsidy.
Terms and conditions are subject to change periodically.
Last updated: June 2025
