WA awards nearly $56M to boost child care access

Washington is awarding nearly $56 million in grants to child care providers to maintain, renovate and create new early learning spaces.

The funding is expected to pave the way for about 2,000 new child care slots, according to the governor's office.

Capacity in the system has steadily grown in recent years, according to Child Care Aware of Washington, and there are nearly 217,000 child care slots in the state. Still, about half of Washington residents live in areas considered extreme child care access deserts.

"With these grants, we are working to build more capacity - literally - for our child care and early learning providers," said Gov. Bob Ferguson in a statement.

But the grants follow a legislative session where lawmakers cut funding for some key early learning programs, including the subsidy for working parents and the Transition to Kindergarten program offered in some public schools.

Because of a donation from Ballmer Group, the state will add slots in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, which primarily serves low-income children. (The Seattle Times receives funding from Ballmer Group to support coverage of early childhood education.)

The $56 million in grant money announced this week, awarded through the state Department of Commerce's Early Learning Facilities program, will go to 74 child care providers in the state.

The recipients include Pomeroy Community Connection, which is working to build a child care facility in rural Garfield County, the state's only county without a licensed child care facility. The nonprofit was awarded about $2 million to renovate a former funeral home into a child care center that will serve children up to age 12. Organizers hope to open the center next summer.

Washington families struggling to access or afford child care are part of a nationwide trend, in a country where such care is expensive and can be hard to find.

The state's commerce department received 325 applications asking for $277 million to improve or expand child care facilities. These awards can provide a boost in an industry that faces thin margins, high staffing costs and significant regulations.

The state chose recipients based on the number of slots providers can offer for children from low-income families, distance from other early learning facilities and other factors.

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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 5:01 PM.