Will a $170 million boost to the state’s free preschool program impact Northwest Washington?
A free, statewide preschool program may experience big expansions in coming years. It could help fill gaps in Northwest Washington, though providers say it’s too early to know the full impact.
The state recently announced that a commitment for $170 million annual donations over the next decade could pave the way to expand the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program.
ECEAP, as it is commonly known, is a state-funded program serving children ages 3 and 4 from low-income families. The free program prepares toddlers for kindergarten through education, nutrition and family support.
State leaders hope the money will be enough to fund 10,000 new ECEAP slots in coming years, but it’s still unclear whether individual providers locally will have the capacity to meet that goal.
“The Ballmer Foundation’s investment is a major opportunity for Washington, but the real impact will depend on statewide decisions about workforce, facilities and how expanded slots are rolled out,” Opportunity Council spokesperson Emily Martens said over email. “It’s promising, but too early to know what it means for our region.”
High demand
In Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties, demand for early childcare and preschool is high, according to service providers and community groups.
Kaleidoscope, a year-round preschool and child care center in Orcas Island’s Eastsound, is seeing that need firsthand. The center’s ECEAP program has 30 slots, but that’s not enough to meet demand, said Executive Director Amber Paulsen.
“This is the first year in a long time that Kaleidoscope has not been able to fulfill all of the ECAEP need in our community,” she said, adding that all the kids on the school’s waitlist would qualify for the program today if spots were available.
That’s partially due to ECEAP programs opening up on San Juan Island. While Paulsen said those slots are critical for the island’s community, the addition of programs on San Juan didn’t add any slots to the total pool available. Instead, the same number of slots now has to sustain programs across Lopez, Orcas and San Juan. As populations grow, Paulsen said she expects the disparity to grow over time.
In Skagit County, the demand is also too high for providers to meet, said Laura Ortiz, regional director of Inspire Development Centers. Likewise, in Whatcom County nearly two-thirds of lower-income preschoolers aren’t enrolled in formal early learning, according to the Opportunity Council.
“That means many children are missing out on the routines and relationships that make the transition to kindergarten easier,” Martens said. “Families in our region consistently face a shortage of affordable preschool options. The need far exceeds the number of available slots.”
Whatcom County has nine providers and 249 slots, Skagit has four providers and 114 slots and San Juan has four providers and 81 slots, according to data from the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Providing a lifeline
For low-income families, programs like ECEAP and its federal counterpart, Head Start, are often a lifeline.
“Our community doesn’t have enough affordable childcare to meet the need for working families — not even close,” Martens said. “ECEAP and Head Start offer more than early learning — they give parents the breathing room to work, pay rent and keep their families steady while their children grow.”
Beyond preschool and child care, the program also offers free wraparound services that range from health and developmental screenings to family coaching. Ortiz said the program improves children’s language skills and social-emotional development, which in turn helps reduce achievement gaps.
About half of Paulsen’s ECEAP students have Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, which are for students with disabilities. She said the ECEAP program is especially critical for those kids.
“Our ECEAP family support can really help them maneuver that special education system, which can sometimes feel intimidating,” Paulsen said.
Anticipating support
There are still a few hurdles before the pledged money has a tangible impact for families.
The state needs to pass legislation creating an account for the funds and fulfilling a commitment to not reduce the number of ECEAP slots, a requirement the Ballmer Group set for the donation.
The number of ECEAP slots are set and funded by the state legislature, and the state’s strained budget made the program a target for budget cuts.
And once things are sorted out on the state’s end, there may still be barriers to getting the slots brought online. Staffing shortages and facility availability have not been uncommon among providers.
Nicole Rose, DCYF Assistant Secretary of early learning, said families can expect to see additional slots opening up in August or September and that children who can start next school year will get priority.
The department is developing a plan to distribute the slots based on areas with the greatest need. That includes looking at other early-learning options — like the availability of Head Start slots, child care and transition to kindergarten programs.
“We’re trying to look broadly about where are those 3- and 4-year-olds going? Where are the opportunities for them to go?” Rose said in an interview. “Because we don’t want to oversaturate an area.”
The funding won’t address many of those barriers, but Rose said the state is working to address them in other ways ranging from scholarships for ECEAP staff and funding opportunities for early-learning facilities.
Also read in Salish Current:
•. “Child care, housing costs hamper business recruitment,” Oct. 16, 2025
• “Initiative to repeal Whatcom County child care tax goes to court,” July 18, 2024
• “Child care crisis requires creative thinking, new ideas,” July 10, 2024
• “Mind the gap: Whatcom providers face challenges in meeting need for child care,” April 21, 2023
• “Voters asked to approve child care support as demand exceeds supply,” Sept. 29, 2022