Free preschool across WA is expanding. Here’s how families can apply
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State law creates PreK Promise Account to accept donations and grants.
- Ballmer Group pledge could add up to 10,000 ECEAP seats over ten years.
- Officials expect at least 2,000 ECEAP slots added this fall.
Washington’s free preschool program for low-income and at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds is on its way to getting a big boost thanks to a new state law.
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5872 this month, creating the PreK Promise Account to accept donations, grants and gifts to support the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP).
The move allows the state to receive investments that could total more than $1 billion over 10 years from the Ballmer Group, a philanthropic organization founded by Microsoft’s former CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie. That early-learning windfall, first announced last November, aims to add up to 10,000 seats to the program over a decade.
Ferguson signed the governor-requested bill on March 14 at the state Capitol in Olympia. He said ECEAP currently serves about 14,000 Washington kids, broadcasting the effort as a step toward making life more affordable for working families.
The Legislature slashed some 2,000 ECEAP slots last year, a cut that Katy Warren, deputy director of the Washington State Association of Head Start & ECEAP, called “a huge blow.” Lawmakers have also delayed program entitlement, whereby any qualifying kid would be guaranteed a seat, multiple times.
Thanks to the new law and funding, Warren anticipates being able to add at least 2,000 more ECEAP slots this fall.
“This is going to be a game changer for those families,” she said in a call.
Warren added that the state needs to think about its child-care infrastructure moving forward, both in terms of staffing and facilities.
The money going into the new account will ensure “we won’t have to focus on scarcity, but on expanding,” said Tana Senn, director of the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), at a January public hearing on the bill.
This comes as Washington faces substantial budget challenges, Mary Sprute Garlant, a Ferguson policy adviser, said at the hearing. Those budget woes are intensified by the freezing of federal dollars and the Trump administration’s threats to withhold early-learning funding, she added.
Sen. Claire Wilson, SB 5872’s prime sponsor, cited data showing 42% of kids in early-intervention services such as ECEAP “don’t need special education by kindergarten.”
“If we’re talking about our investments in special ed — regardless of whether we’re talking early care and education or whether we’re talking K-12 — the best thing we can do is use this investment that will save us dollars later on for those kids that are moving into K-12,” the Auburn Democrat said at the hearing.
Who qualifies for ECEAP?
Washingtonians with earnings up to 36% of the state median income (SMI) can qualify for ECEAP. For a family of four, the state median income is $139,313 per year, meaning families of four making $50,152 or less annually would qualify, according to an eligibility chart from DCYF.
Some others can join, including kids experiencing homelessness or who have an Individualized Education Plan for a developmental disability or delay, Warren said. ECEAP intake workers will ask prospective enrollees about family situations, too.
Families with a slightly higher income, like up to 50% SMI, can qualify under certain circumstances such as domestic violence, a family health issue or if they’re a single mom, she said.
How can you apply for ECEAP?
Eligible Washingtonians can apply for ECEAP by contacting their local provider, DCYF’s website states.
To look up providers online, visit dcyf.wa.gov/practice/oiaa/reports/early-learning-dashboards/eceap-early-eceap-wa-communities. Then navigate to the ECEAP dashboard’s “site contact information” tab to search by city and slot type, such as part day, school day and working day.
“After eligibility is determined, children are prioritized for enrollment as space is available in their local community,” according to DCYF’s site.
Classes range in length from two-and-a-half to 10 hours a day and are offered four or five days a week.
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 5:15 AM.
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