Enrollment & Waitlist

Starting in September 2025, the Hutch Kids school year will run September-August

Waitlist Applications

Waitlist Applications will be considered without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, marital or military status, sexual-orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, political ideology, genetic information, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

Typically, we enroll children from our waiting list. If you are interested in placing your child on our waiting list, please read the Hutch Kids Waiting List information and Enrollment Procedure.

Hutch Kids Waitlist Application Fees are non-refundable. The current waitlist application fee is $77.55.

Priority Enrollment

1. Sibling(s) of currently enrolled children at Hutch Kids
2. Employees of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
3. Affiliates of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: Hutch Kids, University of Washington, and Seattle Children’s Hospital
4. Community

Tuition

Tuition is set by the Board of Directors of Hutch Kids, rates are typically reviewed in April, fees for the coming fiscal year are approved in July. Tuition is based on the child’s age, classroom assignment. and child to teacher ratio. Typically tuition rates change July 1.

When a family enrolls, there is a one time, non-refundable registration fee of $300. This fee is not applied to tuition, but covers the extra processing of paperwork and this is a fee, not a deposit.

2024-2025 Tuition Rates

The following community programs provide financial support for childcare:

Assistance for military families: Families with active military members may be eligible for assistance with childcare fees. Visit Child Care Aware of America for more information.

Best Starts for Kids childcare subsidy: Best Starts for Kids is a King County voter-approved initiative to support every baby born or child raised in King County to reach adulthood happy, healthy, safe and thriving. Starting in 2022, these investments include $20 million per year for a new child care subsidy program.

King County Veteran Student Childcare Subsidy: Child Care Resources administers a subsidy program for veteran students in partnership with the King County Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy.

Seattle Childcare Assistance Program: Seattle’s CCAP program helps working families, or a parent going to school, who are eligible and live within the Seattle city limits pay for child care services for children up to 13 years old. Eligibility guidelines and application information are on the Seattle CCAP website. (Pending Approval)

Snoqualmie Tribe Childcare and Development Fund: This program is open to all Native American families that meet eligibility criteria and provides financial support for childcare and early learning services. Eligibility and application information is available on the Snoqualmie Tribe website.

Washington State Working Connections Childcare Subsidy: Financial assistance is available for eligible families while they work, look for work, or go to school. When a family qualifies for childcare subsidy benefits and chooses an eligible provider, the state pays a portion of the cost of childcare. Parents may be responsible for a copayment to their provider each month. More information and eligibility requirements can be found here. Visit Washington Connectio n to apply.

Enrollment & Waitlist FAQs

How do I enroll?

The first step toward enrollment at Hutch Kids is to add your child to the waitlist by submitting a waitlist application and the application fee. While adding your name to the waitlist does not guarantee enrollment for your child, it is the only way an enrollment opportunity can be offered to your family.

When can I apply to the waitlist?

We recommend applying to the waitlist as soon as a pregnancy has been confirmed, adoption paperwork has been filed, or fostering has been approved. The sooner, the better.

When do openings occur?

The majority of our openings occur at our annual transition which will be changing for the 2025-2026 year to a September 2025 start, when the oldest children are “graduating” and entering kindergarten, creating vacancies throughout the center, primarily in the infant classrooms. As soon as we have determined where the vacancies are in the center, we review the waitlist and enrollment opportunities are offered to families with children who are of the appropriate age range to fill each vacancy. We typically have 18-30 vacancies at transition each year.

Do openings occur outside of the start of the school year?

Other vacancies can occur mid-year on a smaller scale when a family withdraws from the program. When these openings occur, families on the waiting list who have a child of the appropriate age for that classroom are contacted and offered the opportunity to enroll.

What is the typical wait time on the waiting list?

There is no way to accurately predict wait times as they vary from year to year and from classroom to classroom. It is possible for a family to join the waiting list and immediately be offered enrollment, while other families may never be contacted.

I’m a Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center employee, am I guaranteed a spot in your program?

While Hutch Kids is a benefit to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center employees, we have limited capacity and therefore do not have a spot for every employee who is looking for care for their child. We highly recommend that all families add their children to waitlists at multiple child care centers.

Do I have to reapply to the waitlist each school year?

No, families are automatically rolled over to the age appropriate waitlist for the next school year without renewal of application or additional feed.

Please Note: Infants born between October and June will not be eligible for enrollment until the following school year starting in September because they will not fit within the age ranges of the current infant classrooms. For example, a child born in December 2025 will not be eligible for a spot at Hutch Kids until September 2026.