What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Daycare Director in Washington?
A daycare director in Washington must be at least 18, have two years teaching children in an age group the program serves plus at least six months in administration or management (or a department-approved plan), and hold an ECE State Certificate or equivalent — 10, 25 or 45 college quarter credits at hire depending on licensed capacity, with the full certificate due by August 1, 2030.
DCYF sets these rules under chapter 110-300 WAC; a center must meet the director qualifications or hire a qualified director before its initial license.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), which licenses child care under chapter 110-300 WAC.
At least 18 years old.
At hire, an ECE State Certificate or equivalent, or 10, 25 or 45 college quarter credits in ECE core competencies depending on licensed capacity; the full certificate is due by August 1, 2030.
Two years teaching children in an age group the program serves, plus at least six months in administration or management — or a department-approved plan.
Washington's ECE State Certificate or an equivalent verified in the workforce registry; the State certificate totals 47-52 credits.
10 in-service hours a year after 12 months of cumulative employment.
Ways to qualify as a director in Washington
- At hire: licensed for 12 or fewer childrenRequirement
10 college quarter credits in early childhood education core competencies, or an ECE State Certificate or equivalent.
- At hire: licensed for 13 to 24 childrenRequirement
25 college quarter credits in early childhood education core competencies, or an ECE State Certificate or equivalent.
- At hire: licensed for 25 or more childrenRequirement
45 college quarter credits in early childhood education core competencies, or an ECE State Certificate or equivalent.
- By August 1, 2030Requirement
The full ECE State Certificate or equivalent, due from every center director and assistant director; someone hired or promoted after the rule took effect has five years from hire.
Who sets director rules in Washington?
Director qualifications are part of Washington's child care licensing rules.
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) licenses child care and early learning programs under chapter 110-300 WAC, the foundational quality standards covering both family home and center programs, and the director provisions sit in WAC 110-300-0100.
A center must either meet the director qualifications or hire a qualified center director before DCYF grants its initial license.
Center directors, assistant directors and program supervisors must also complete a DCYF-provided orientation for their program type.
What education and ECE credits does a Washington daycare director need?
At hire, a Washington director, assistant director or program supervisor needs either an ECE State Certificate (or an equivalent) or college quarter credits in early childhood education core competencies, scaled to the center's licensed capacity: 10 credits when the license covers 12 or fewer children, 25 credits at 13 to 24 children, and 45 credits at 25 or more.
The quarter-credit route covers the hire; the full credential is still due on a deadline.
The rule requires center directors and assistant directors to complete an ECE State Certificate or equivalent by August 1, 2030, and someone hired or promoted after the rule took effect has five years from hire to finish.
“Then the director, assistant director, or program supervisor must have completed at least this number of college quarter credits in early childhood education core competencies:”
How much experience does a Washington daycare director need?
The rule pairs classroom experience with administrative experience.
A center director must have two years of experience as a teacher of children in any age group enrolled in the early learning program, plus at least six months of experience in administration or management — or a department-approved plan.
A director must also be at least 18 years old.
“Have two years of experience as a teacher of children in any age group enrolled in the early learning program and at least six months of experience in administration or management or a department approved plan;”
Does Washington require a director credential or administration coursework?
Washington does not name a separate director credential in the director provisions our research transcribes: the qualification is the state's ECE State Certificate, or an equivalent verified in DCYF's workforce registry.
The State ECE Certificate is the largest of Washington's three stackable ECE certificates — an Initial ECE Certificate at 12 credits, a Short ECE Certificate of Specialization at 20 credits total, and the State ECE Certificate at 47-52 credits total — taught with common course numbers at colleges statewide.
An employer may also set a higher bar than the license minimum, so read each posting.
“A center director must complete an ECE state certificate or equivalent by August 1, 2030;”
What training hours and renewal rules apply to Washington directors?
Directors train on two clocks.
Washington early learning providers must complete 10 hours of annual in-service training after 12 months of cumulative employment — a requirement a director meets like any other provider in the program.
Directors hired on or after August 1, 2019 must also complete DCYF's EQEL training within 36 months — a window the rule also states for lead teachers, assistant teachers and family home licensees.
Every 36 months after finishing EQEL, directors, assistant directors and program supervisors complete at least 10 in-service hours in child development and 10 in leadership practices.
“An early learning provider must complete ten hours of annual in-service training after twelve months of cumulative employment.”
What are the assistant director and designee rules in Washington?
The anchor is an on-site rule: a center director — or a qualified designee — must be on-site for the daily operation of the program 50 percent or more of weekly operating hours, up to 40 hours per week.
If the director lacks the minimum qualifications, the center must employ a qualified assistant director or program supervisor.
Assistant directors follow the same education track as directors: the same at-hire quarter-credit tiers and the same August 1, 2030 certificate deadline.
A program supervisor must be at least 18, have two years of teaching experience, and hold an ECE State Certificate or equivalent by August 1, 2030 — and one person may serve as director, assistant director and program supervisor if qualified for all three.
“Be on-site for the daily operation of the early learning program 50 percent or more of weekly operating hours up to 40 hours per week”
Do Washington directors register in a workforce registry?
Yes.
MERIT — the Managed Education and Registry Information Tool — is DCYF's online workforce registry for early learning professionals, and staff must have current employment recorded in MERIT for licensing compliance.
The director qualification is written through that registry too: the rule requires an ECE State Certificate or equivalent verified in the workforce registry.
What changed in Washington's director rules?
Two recent changes set the deadlines on this page.
House Bill 1648 (2025) set the qualification window: staff hired before August 1, 2025 must meet the staff qualification requirements by August 1, 2030, and those with five years of experience — cumulative or consecutive — by that date may use it to meet them, while staff hired on or after August 1, 2025 have five years from hire or promotion.
The director rule itself, WAC 110-300-0100, was amended effective August 1, 2026, and that amendment carries the August 1, 2030 certificate deadline for center directors and assistant directors.
“If you have 5 years of experience (cumulative or consecutive) by that date, you may use your experience to meet staff qualifications requirements.”
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Washington licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state daycare director requirements series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) publishes. For the rest of the picture in Washington, see daycare teacher requirements in Washington, quality rating system (QRIS) in Washington, daycare licensing steps in Washington, and childcare director pay in Washington.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do you have to meet Washington's director qualifications after you are hired?
It depends on when you were hired.
Under House Bill 1648 (2025), staff hired before August 1, 2025 must meet the qualification requirements by August 1, 2030, and staff hired on or after that date have five years from hire or promotion.
The director rule (WAC 110-300-0100), amended effective August 1, 2026, gives center directors and assistant directors hired or promoted after the rule took effect five years from hire to complete an ECE State Certificate or equivalent; confirm with DCYF which timeline applies to your hire date.
Can one person be the director, assistant director and program supervisor in Washington?
Yes, if that person meets the qualifications for each role — the rule says one person may serve as director, assistant director and program supervisor.
The program supervisor must be at least 18, have two years of teaching experience, and hold an ECE State Certificate or equivalent by August 1, 2030.
The director — or a qualified designee — must be on-site 50 percent or more of weekly operating hours, up to 40 hours a week.
Can experience substitute for the ECE State Certificate in Washington?
Partly, for staff hired before August 1, 2025.
DCYF's guidance on House Bill 1648 (2025) says those staff, if they have five years of experience — cumulative or consecutive — by August 1, 2030, may use that experience to meet staff qualification requirements.
The director rule still names the ECE State Certificate or equivalent and states its own experience baseline: two years teaching plus at least six months in administration or management, or a department-approved plan.
Confirm with DCYF how the experience route applies before you rely on it.
What happens if a Washington center's director is not on site full time?
The rule measures presence against a floor, not full-time status.
A director — or a qualified designee — must be on-site for the daily operation of the program 50 percent or more of weekly operating hours, up to 40 hours per week.
If the director lacks the minimum qualifications, the center must employ a qualified assistant director or program supervisor instead.
Who has to take DCYF's EQEL training in Washington?
Directors hired on or after August 1, 2019 must complete DCYF's EQEL training within 36 months — the rule states the same window for lead teachers, assistant teachers and family home licensees.
Assistant directors and program supervisors complete EQEL too: the rule sets their follow-on training clock from finishing it.
Every 36 months after finishing EQEL, directors, assistant directors and program supervisors add at least 10 in-service hours in child development and 10 in leadership practices.
Other early learning providers still complete the 10 hours of annual in-service training after 12 months of cumulative employment.
More Washington Resources
Sources
- Washington Administrative Code, chapter 110-300 — Foundational Quality Standards for Early Learning Providers (Washington State Legislature) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Staff Qualifications guidance (Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- MERIT workforce registry (Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Washington's stackable early childhood education certificates (DCYF publication) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
Sourced from the documents listed above. Verified October 2026. This is career and employer information, not licensing or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).