FFN childcare subsidies

Family, Friends, Neighbors provide childcare

Washington State offers subsidies

Bingen, WA (December 10, 2025) - Nearly 75 percent of children in Washington under age five are cared for by parents, family, friends, and neighbors who may be eligible to apply for subsidies. This is according to the Child Care Aware of Washington website. 

“It is very typical for the people closest to young parents to pitch in and help them bridge childcare, especially when their children are little,” said Johanna Roe, Klickitat County Childcare Committee (KCCC) project coordinator and grant writer. “In fact, the most common care providers for infants and toddlers, and for school-age children before and after school care, are immediate family members like grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, friends, and neighbors.”

Roe and KCCC help people navigate systems to help create more childcare options in Klickitat County. So far, the group has supported six people in completing the licensing process to open their own childcare businesses, adding 48 new slots in Klickitat County. 

Another modified option is the Family, Friends, and Neighbor Care program (FFN), which helps parents and providers qualify for subsidies under the Working Connections Child Care program. 

“FFN providers are unlicensed and not regulated by the State,” Roe said, “but the advantage is parents can rely on people they trust to provide safe, stable care for their children. To receive subsidies for this classification of childcare, it’s important to become aware of the eligibility requirements.”

The FFN provider wanting to obtain subsidies has to be registered with the State. Health and safety requirements must be met in accordance with WAC 110-16-0015. State law governs FFN provider responsibilities, including allowing parents access to their children at all times, having a working telephone line available for 911 emergency calls and other inbound and outbound calls, and not caring for more than six children at a time, including the provider’s own children. Providers related by marriage or blood can care for children in either the provider's home or the child’s home; providers not related must give care in the child’s home. All FFN providers must have an annual technical assistance visit in the home where care is provided.

This type of child care is considered licensed-exempt by the State of Washington. Providers still need to navigate forms and receive some training to qualify for the current $4.50-per-hour subsidy rate. Roe noted that most trainings must be completed within 90 days of the subsidy authorization date. She said that KCCC liaisons are available to help FFN providers connect with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to begin the application process, or an FFN provider can call 1-844-626-8687 directly to reach the customer service center. 

“In rural areas such as ours, the network of FFN providers needs to be recognized as extremely important,” Roe said. “It's also a way to meet the needs of families or single parents who work non-traditional schedules. Often, there are few options, so this is one way parents can navigate childcare. Families who choose this type of care really have to know and trust the caregiver.”

Some other advantages of FFN childcare include acknowledging existing bonds between the children and family members, friends, or neighbors, as well as supporting shared language, culture, and values. Raising a child with special health or behavioral needs may also benefit from FFN caregivers who are already familiar with the child’s care plan.

“This FFN program provides caregivers the opportunity to gain some very basic but essential health and safety training,” Roe said. “I encourage FFN providers to make use of the subsidy programs available to lower the cost of childcare for local families.”

More information about the Family, Friends, and Neighbors (FFN) care program and regulations can be found online at tinyurl.com/FFNReqs, by phone 866-482-4325, option 8, or by email at dcyf.ffn@dcyf.wa.gov.

Learn more about the Klickitat County Childcare Committee at https://www.wagap.org/klickitat-county-childcare-committee. The site includes helpful links and a quick resource guide for someone starting their journey to become a licensed childcare provider. For questions, email kccc@wagap.org.