Early childhood educators at KinderCare Capitol Childcare Center in Olympia filed a formal petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to unionize with SEIU 925.
KinderCare is the largest child care center company in the United States, and operates an estimated 70 child care centers in Washington. Two years ago KinderCare became a publicly traded corporation with private equity investors intent on maximizing profit for shareholders.
Capitol Childcare Center KinderCare workers will be the first KinderCare location in the nation to elect to have union representation. Early educators at the child care center say low wages, lack of benefits, inadequate staffing, and disrespectful treatment of staff are some of the drivers behind their decision to unionize.
According to a 2025 survey of hundreds of non-union early educators across the state, low wages, inadequate health insurance, and having to work while sick or skipping legally mandated breaks, are driving high turnover and impacting quality of care.
KinderCare Capitol Campus opened in 2023. There are 20 early educators at this child care center serving more than 80 young children.