News @ the 112

Community leaders in early learning, business and workforce development gathered at Educational Service District 112 on August 18 for a regional conversation about a challenge affecting families and employers across Southwest Washington: access to affordable, high-quality child care.

Representative Monica Stonier, Representative Kevin Waters and Senator Adrian Cortes discussed child care access, affordability challenges and potential solutions. At the center of the conversation was ReadyNation Washington’s 2026 report, “The Child Care Crisis for Children Aged Birth to 5 Costs the Washington State Economy $6.3 Billion Each Year.”

Representative Monica Stonier, Representative Kevin Waters and Senator Adrian Cortes

The event was facilitated by ESD 112 Executive Director of Early Care & Education Jodi Wall, Executive Director at Support for Early Learning & Families (SELF) Debbie Ham and ReadyNation Washington State Director Kristin Wiggins.

“When families can access reliable, high-quality child care, the benefits extend far beyond the classroom. It gives parents the stability they need to work and build their careers, supports employers in retaining a strong workforce, and gives young children a strong start,” said Wiggins.

The report identifies Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania, Wahkiakum and King counties as having the state’s greatest challenges with child care availability. Statewide, more than two-thirds of surveyed parents reported some challenge with child care availability.

“Child care challenges impact young kids, older siblings, parents, businesses and taxpayers. We often think about what harm is done by doing something, but harm is also done by doing nothing,” said Stonier.

“We brought this group together because child care affects so many parts of our community. It’s important to look at the data, hear what families and employers are seeing locally, and talk about what we can do together to make child care more accessible,” said Wall.

The discussion also highlighted the role quality child care plays in giving young children a strong foundation. “It’s important that every child has the opportunity for a strong start. That’s why conversations like this about access to quality child care matter,” said Ham.

The conversation underscored that improving access to child care will take continued collaboration across sectors. ESD 112 hopes to collaborate with policymakers and local leaders to build on the shared understanding of the challenges facing families and identify solutions that support children, families and the Southwest Washington workforce.