OLYMPIA, Wash. — Governor Bob Ferguson and the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families announced Monday the addition of 42 new Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program sites, adding approximately 2,400 preschool slots across the state for the 2026–27 school year.
The newly added 2,400 slots will prioritize three- and four-year-old children from households earning at or below 110 percent of the federal poverty level, alongside children experiencing homelessness, foster care placement, or diagnosed developmental delays.
The inclusion of an endowment-scale private partner creates unprecedented cash reserves for pilot programs, but it simultaneously links core public education infrastructure to private philanthropic governance.
Several approved provider organizations declined initial contract awards or surrendered portions of their allocated classroom capacity after determining they could not recruit sufficient certified lead teachers prior to autumn enrollment deadlines.
Commercial daycare centers frequently charge monthly tuitions exceeding $1,600 per child, absorbing substantial shares of median family household incomes.
Governor Bob Ferguson and DCYF announced 42 new preschool sites adding 2,400 slots across Washington under a public-private partnership with the Ballmer Group.