Daycare Licensing in Washington: Violations, Inspections & License Lookup
How child care licensing works in Washington: who regulates it, the rules providers answer to, how often they are inspected, and the exact steps to look up a daycare's violations and verify its license. Sourced from Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Licensing Division.
Last verified 2026-08-03
How do I look up daycare violations in Washington?
- Open Child Care Check at https://www.findchildcarewa.org/ (linked from dcyf.wa.gov/services/earlylearning-childcare/child-care-check).
- Search by provider name, city, or ZIP code to find the licensed program.
- Open the provider's profile to see licensing inspections from the last three years.
- Review the valid complaint findings and any non-complaint inspection results listed for that provider.
- If you need older records or full reports, call 1-866-482-4325 or email check@dcyf.wa.gov to request them.
State portal: Washington child care search
How do I verify a Washingtondaycare's license?
- Go to Child Care Check at https://www.findchildcarewa.org/.
- Search for the provider by name or location.
- Confirm the provider is listed as Licensed or Certified and check the license status shown.
- Review the profile for the program type, address, and employees cleared to work at the facility.
- Call 1-866-482-4325 (1-866-48-CHECK) to confirm current status if a listing looks out of date.
State portal: Washington license search
Who regulates daycares in Washington?
Child care licensing in Washington is administered by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Licensing Division, under WAC 110-300. It licenses providers, inspects them, and records the violations found.
How often are Washington daycares inspected?
Washington's Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Licensing Division conducts routine licensing inspections and monitoring visits of licensed child care centers and licensed family homes under WAC 110-300. Providers receive at least one licensing or monitoring visit per year, and Child Care Check publishes inspections from the past three years. Complaints reported to DCYF trigger additional unannounced investigation visits.
Washington does not publish a public severity scale for its violations.
What our Washingtondata covers, and what it doesn't
We track Washington's licensed providers from the state's public records: license number, status, and capacity. For a provider's full inspection and violation history, follow the steps above at the state's own source.
| Washington child care data | On record |
|---|---|
| Licensed providers tracked | 1,418 |
| Independently scorable (Confidence Index) | Not yet scorable |
| Inspection history on this site | Roster only, use state source |
Washington daycare licensing: common questions
- How do I look up daycare violations in Washington?
- Use the state's free Child Care Check tool at findchildcarewa.org. Search for the provider, then open its profile to view licensing inspections and valid complaint findings from the last three years. You can also call 1-866-482-4325 or email check@dcyf.wa.gov.
- How often does Washington inspect licensed daycares?
- DCYF conducts routine licensing inspections and monitoring visits of licensed centers and family homes under WAC 110-300. Providers generally get at least one visit per year, and Child Care Check shows inspections from the past three years. Complaints trigger extra unannounced visits.
- How do I verify a Washington daycare's license?
- Search the provider on Child Care Check at findchildcarewa.org and confirm it shows a Licensed or Certified status. The profile lists the program type, address, and staff cleared to work there. Call DCYF at 1-866-482-4325 to confirm a current license.
- What does Washington's Child Care Check show about a provider?
- Child Care Check shows whether a provider is licensed, its licensing inspections from the last three years, valid complaint findings, and employees cleared to work at the facility. DCYF operates the tool and collects the information. It is meant to help families make an informed choice.
This page republishes the public licensing record and labels every absent field plainly. Primary source: https://dcyf.wa.gov/services/earlylearning-childcare/child-care-check. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.