NCW Childcare Report

A robust childcare and early learning system is critical to the fabric of our community, yet many in Okanogan County struggle to find the resources and support they need. High quality early learning helps our children develop social-emotional skills that serve them throughout their lives and is vitally important to our community and our economy.

This April, 2021 Report on the State of Care: Early Learning and Care in the North Central Washington Region (Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, and Grant Counties) provides data and research on the economic benefits of of investing in early learning and care; the challenges within the early learning workforce; and access, affordability, and quality of care. A few highlights:

• Okanogan County has approximately 2,789 children under the age of five. As of 2020, there were only a total of 40 early learning providers with a capacity to serve 683 children (24% of children ages 0-5).

• As of June 2020, COVID-19 caused 44 childcare providers in our region (Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, and Grant Counties) to close their doors temporarily, losing 900 slots. 

• An estimated 47% of children in our region with all parents in the workforce DO NOT have access to early learning in a licensed childcare, Head Start, or ECEAP program.