RFQ Overview

The King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) is pleased to release the Best Starts for Kids (Best Starts) Child Care Wage Boost Pilot Request for Qualifications (RFQ). This Pilot is funded through Best Starts with the possibility of adding additional funding sources as the program develops. The successful Respondent(s) will work as part of a Collaborative team to support the launch, design and on-going implementation of the Best Starts Child Care Wage Boost Pilot (Pilot).

King County is looking for one organization, a partnership or distinct Respondents to apply to the RFQ to build a Collaborative team to design and implement the Pilot. King County aims to work in collaboration with the selected Respondents to launch the Pilot in early 2024 and is scheduled to run through the end of 2027. The Pilot is planned to allocate approximately $5 million annually to provide a Wage Boost to Child Care Workers at selected Child Care Sites with children aged birth to twelve in King County. The Pilot will fund a wage increase to eligible Child Care Workers and study the impact of the Wage Boost on employee retention at Child Care Sites, Continuity of Care, and worker well-being with the intention to use data and learning to support the holistic health and stability of the child care sector, including goals and priorities identified by those directly working within the sector.  

This RFQ will identify and select up to three (3) distinct Respondents to Co-Design, implement, and support the Pilot, which will allocate approximately $5 million annually to provide a Wage Boost to Child Care Workers at selected Child Care Sites serving children aged birth to twelve in King County.

The following roles are hereby solicited in this RFQ:

• Role 1: Design and Implementation Lead (Please see Attachment A for details)

Design and Implementation Lead will project manage the overall Pilot and support the successful design, launch and implementation of the Pilot. This role will work closely with the DCHS project team and other Pilot leads, including the Respondents selected through this RFQ.

• Role 2: Payment Administration Lead (Please see Attachment B for details)
  

  Payment Administration Lead will work closely with the Design and Implementation Lead to develop the infrastructure and process to deliver direct payment to enrolled Child Care Workers.

  This role is responsible for tracking the overall budget for payments, ensuring that individual Child Care Workers’ data is protected, and that payments are timely administered and received by Child Care Workers on a monthly basis. This role will also engage in ongoing continuous improvement and data collection.

• Role 3: Wage Boost Work Group Lead (Please see Attachment C for details)
  

  Wage Boost Work Group Lead will design and convene a workgroup to support the goals of the Pilot, ongoing continuous improvement, key evaluation activities and dissemination and sharing of learnings. This workgroup may include Pilot participants, Child Care Workers and child care sector leaders. 

  This Role will work closely with the DCHS team, Design and Implementation Lead, and evaluation partners. This Role is responsible for recruitment of workgroup members, setting agendas and facilitating meetings, documenting the process and activities, and building relationships that will inform the direction and priorities of the group.

  King County is looking for one organization, a partnership or distinct Respondents to apply to the RFQ to build a Collaborative team to design and implement the Pilot. 

The successful Respondent(s) will work with DCHS staff members and an additional evaluation partner. King County will solicit an evaluation partner through a separate RFQ process.

Child Care Wage Boost Pilot Overview

The Pilot will allocate approximately $5 million annually to provide a Wage Boost to Child Care Workers working at selected Child Care Sites serving children aged birth to twelve in King County.

Child Care Sites will apply to participate in the Pilot through an Application process to be determined by the Design and Implementation Lead. Applicants that meet the initial eligibility criteria as detailed below, which will be reevaluated on an annual basis, or as needed, are able to apply to participate in the Pilot. Eligible Child Care Sites will apply to participate in the Pilot on behalf of all Child Care Workers at the Child Care Site. Child Care Sites will be selected into the Pilot through a weighted lottery, selecting a proportion of Child Care Sites that are based in or serve Priority Populations.

All Child Care Workers within Child Care Sites selected to participate in the Pilot are eligible for the Wage Boost regardless of their position. Child Care Workers from each selected Child Care Site may enroll individually in the Pilot, or they may choose not to participate. Pilot participants will receive benefits counseling and an opportunity to understand the tax implication of receiving the Wage Boost to ensure that individuals are able to make informed decisions to participating in the Pilot. Participating Child Care Workers will receive direct payments, which will be administered by the Payment Administration Lead on a monthly basis throughout the term of the Pilot as long as they remain employed at a selected Child Care Site.

Complete submission packages will include the following:

• Responses to Summary Questions
• Responses to General and Role-Specific Narrative Questions
• Budget and Budget Narrative
• Names, titles, and resumes for key staff
• Technical Requirements Assessment (Role 2: Payment Administration Lead only)