So Many Waitlists, So Little Time: A 2024 Update on Finding Childcare in Seattle

By Annie Garrett, PEPS Contributor (Estimated reading time: 8 minutes)

As a Seattle parent, I watch the childcare market the same way some people watch the stock market. I’ve run every analysis, I’ve gawked, I’ve cried at times. While my family has survived it for seven years (and counting), some of my experiences seem like something out of The Onion… “Seattle Parent Excited to Pay Just Twice Her Mortgage on Childcare”…“Seattle Parent Rejoices When Child’s Fourth Toddler Teacher Quits in Three Months, Not Weeks”. You get the picture. 

All that said, I have access to the (unwritten) playbook on finding childcare. I’ve worked on the higher education side of early childhood education for nearly a decade, running programs, teaching classes, networking city and statewide. And yet, finding quality, affordable childcare has been a struggle for my family, despite our many (admitted) privileges. I know that my family is not alone. When PEPS parents recently told me they’d be paying $3,500 per month for infant care at a center that charged $2,100 per month when I toured in 2017, and one said they were at spot #451 on a waitlist, I had to ask: how are new parents making it in Seattle today? To find out, I posted the question on my local Seattle Stroller Brigade Facebook page. Within 24 hours, I had 100+ impassioned responses. Here, a fresh take on the market, and tips for finding childcare, straight from the front lines.  

Market Update: What has changed in the past few years? 

This is not the first time I have explored this topic for PEPS. My first piece, published in 2021, described a post-pandemic “childcare desert” environment in Seattle. So what has changed since then? Are we in a so-called “desert”?  

It depends on who you ask and where you look. Here, updates from varying perspectives: 

• Good news, say the stats: According to childcaredeserts.org, much of the Central, South, and Eastside areas are reported to have “adequate” levels of childcare. North Seattle and various corners of Seattle (ie Magnolia and Madrona) have more scarcity, but at moderate levels relative to the rest of the state. This has improved and stabilized slightly since 2021, when we were still feeling the reverberations of record pandemic closures. 

• Yet middle income parents continue to describe a stressful environment: Anecdotally speaking, most of the middle and upper income parents responding to an informal survey I put out (middle income being $73,847 to $221,562 in Seattle, per the US Census Bureau) described the environment as “stressful,” “overwhelming,” and “exhausting.” One parent reported being on ten waitlists – spot #451 on one.  

• Average prices have skyrocketed: A parent who is currently expecting her first child reported that the average cost for infant care was $2,700 per month, with an anticipated 3%-15% annual price increase. Another parent reported that their center had increased $200 monthly per year since 2018. The overall reported price range for a full-time infant was $1,900-$3,500 per month, and for a full-time toddler/preschooler was $1,200-$2,200 monthly. Home-based care is typically at the lower end of the price range, and corporate chains (which have to turn a profit for shareholders) are at the higher end of the price range. Some chains partner with private companies to subsidize care for employees, and then charge the full cost of care for “community” families. For example, a Starbucks headquarters employee may pay $2,500 per month compared with $3,500 per month for a non-employee at the on-site childcare center.  

• Families with lower incomes suggest progress: While respondents in households with lower incomes were few, all reported success with using government childcare subsidies, with only one parent describing the experience as stressful starting out. Parents mentioned finding financial support through DCYF, CCAP, and SPP. My analysis, based upon input from a longtime preschool owner in the Central District: gentrification has pushed so many families with lower incomes out of the city that the few who remain experience less competition for subsidy spots here than they might experience in places with a higher concentration of poverty. Although my sample size was small and informal, let’s celebrate that these local families report finding what they need, while also recognizing that overall, our state’s early childhood education outcomes are greatly lacking in equity.  

• Nanny supply ebbs and flows; may be more abundant at present: A direct quote from a local nanny: “My experience finding families to work for has varied throughout the years. During the pandemic nannies were in high demand and were being offered a much higher rate of pay and benefits than ever before. In the past year or so, from what I read in the nanny groups online, the market has shifted considerably. The market is very saturated with nannies looking for positions. They are being offered less pay and less benefits. It is hard to make less after gaining a few more years of experience. Nannies are saying that it is harder than ever to even have someone respond to them when they submit interest in a position.”  

• Other pain points were abundant: Themes included the expense of (often ineffective) waitlists, rising costs of after-care for elementary-aged children, great difficulty finding a “single drop off” option for 2+ children, and hours that are mismatched with work schedules, particularly at affordable programs like SPP.  

Where do we go from here? How are families making it work? 

Respondents shared insight on how they are making it work. These are the latest tips; for tried and true tips (i.e., ‘ waitlists 101’), check out my last piece on the topic.  

• The City’s Seattle Preschool Program has opened more spots: Many families reported going with the Seattle Preschool Program once their child is 3, which offers high-quality, affordable care on a sliding scale. The Seattle Preschool Program has increased its offerings over time and is a “mixed income” model. Learn more and find a map on their website. Families said to plan ahead, as SPP runs on an academic calendar. Holiday/vacation closures are frequent, SPP subsidy is not available in the summer, and full day care is only modestly subsidized. 

• Do the switcheroo: Many families are now using the state’s increased Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) combined with employer parental leave to keep baby at home for the first 6-12 months, the most expensive phase with the lowest supply. ICYMI, Washington is now one of just 12 states to offer PFML; learn more about local parents’ recent experiences with it right here. Lower to middle income families might then switch to home-based care for the toddler phase; higher income families might shift to nanny or au pair care. From there, families then switch to preschool at age 3, which tends to cost significantly less than infant/toddler care. 

• To find a nanny, look beyond care.com: Families are having more success with select Facebook pages (i.e. Seattle Nanny Parent Connection and Seattle Parent Nanny Village) rather than care.com due to the phishing scams on the website. One nanny explains why nanny shares continue to be a popular option: “I prefer nanny shares, in part because it benefits the families by lowering their costs but provides me with a higher wage. But there are so many more benefits to it. It is a great opportunity to grow aside another child of the same age. It’s like getting the good parts of daycare as far as socialization, but without the less desirable parts.” 

• Juggle schedules: Parents are juggling schedules with their spouse/extended family and then using part-time care in a center, home childcare, or with a nanny or babysitter.  

• Last but not least, persistence and relationships matter. Don’t take it personally if your calls and emails aren’t initially answered. The small profit margin for childcare businesses does not provide for adequate clerical support. Persist, and don’t underestimate the value of a referral. Childcare centers are communities and communities are built upon relationships. As such, a referral from another parent currently or previously enrolled in the program tends to have more value than a spot on a waitlist. For more related tips, read my previous piece on this topic.   

But why? Why is this so hard on families, and what to do about it? 

The current early childhood funding model was built on the expectation that women – particularly those from working class and BIPOC backgrounds – would provide care cheaply. In a city as expensive as ours, this is not possible, and it is not equitable here or anywhere. The system is broken, and I would argue that it should be. It is a system built upon misogyny, classism, and racism. If we parents don’t call upon this system to be fixed, no one will. All young children deserve and benefit from quality care and education provided by well-trained, well-respected and well-compensated educarers/educators. What’s best for young children is what’s best for all of us — families included. By voting for programs like the Seattle Preschool Program and pushing for expansion to cover infant/toddler and full day care, we can move toward a universal public option. By advocating for employers to subsidize care, the private sector can be held accountable for funding the care it relies upon to keep itself running. Childcare is one of the issues that the PEPS advocacy arm focuses on. Sign up for advocacy alerts and learn more here. And until the system is fundamentally fixed, may you find community — PEPS and beyond — to help your family through.  

---