Edition 2026-Q2

Childcare safety & supply in Washington

Washington has 2,501 licensed childcare facilities with 176,742 licensed slots41.6 for every 100 children under five. State inspectors have recorded 1.2 high-severity findings per 100 facilities, and 99% of facilities carry none at all.

89.9Safety score (0–100)3rd of 52
99%No high-severity findings8th of 52
41.6Licensed slots per 100 children under 535th of 38
176,742Licensed child slotsacross 2,501 facilities

Washington vs. the national picture

MeasureWashingtonNational
Licensed slots per 100 children under 541.663.4
Mean facility safety rating4.49 / 54.03 / 5
Facilities with no high-severity findings99%79.7%
High-severity findings per 100 facilities1.2107.8
Median facility size (licensed capacity)6030
Median years in operation11.64.3

Use this data

Free to republish and cite with attribution. The full national dataset is available as a CSV download, and we prepare custom extracts — county level, care type, longer time series — for journalists and researchers on request.

Cite this pageDaycareAlert Childcare Safety & Supply Index, 2026-Q2: Washington. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21545571

Look up an individual Washington facility

These are state-level aggregates. To see one daycare's actual inspection history and safety rating, browse Washington by city or search by name, city, or ZIP. Our guide to reading inspection reports explains what the findings mean.

Methodology and caveats on cross-state comparison are published on the main index page. Edition generated 2026-07-25.