On Election Day, Washington state voters passed a ballot initiative to raise the statewide minimum wage to $13.50 an hour by 2020, higher than any state’s current minimum wage. Washington’s current minimum wage is $9.47. The initiative passed with 58 percent in favor.
Of course, the minimum wage hike doesn’t come cheap, especially for parents. According to KXLY in Spokane, Wash., child care costs across the state are set to “skyrocket.”
One mother said she’ll have to pay an extra $300 a month for child care.
KXLY reported on Advent Lutheran Child Center, a local nonprofit daycare. The daycare is now raising its tuition by $140 a month per child.
Advent Lutheran’s director says she spoke with one parent who voted in favor of the minimum wage hike without realizing the effect it would have on child care.
KXLY says another local daycare mentioned that a tuition increase is “inevitable.”
The ballot initiative also requires employers to provide a minimum level of paid sick leave for employees starting in 2018, another added labor cost that’s sure to drive up prices.
Jason Russell is the contributors editor for the Washington Examiner.
