DCYF unveils Access & Living Wage plan and facilities study; Commerce outlines $47M early learning facilities grant round

DCYF and the Washington Department of Commerce briefed ELAC on Aug. 5 on an integrated plan to increase access to early care and education, raise provider compensation toward a living‑wage standard, and expand facilities.

DCYF access and living‑wage manager Diana Stokes presented the agency’s implementation plan framework, which organizes recommendations under four goals: expanding family access, supporting a thriving workforce, leveraging aligned data systems, and ensuring adequate facilities for system expansion. Stokes said the plan is phased, contingent on legislative investments, and that detailed cost modeling is available on request.

Facilities study and next steps DCYF commissioned Berg Consulting to analyze facility needs, investment options and policy recommendations; Berg is cataloguing past investments, reviewing other states’ approaches and preparing a facility‑need and financial analysis with recommendations to be available in draft later this fiscal year and finalized by June 2026. Stokes said the study will identify technical‑assistance needs, startup supports and strategies to preserve and expand capacity.

Commerce Early Learning Facilities (ELF) grant round Kristen Ramos of the Department of Commerce outlined the ELF program for capital funding: - Funding available: roughly $47 million for capacity expansion and about $7 million set aside for maintenance and preserving existing slots. - Timeline: Commerce will open the notice of funding opportunity Sept. 1, 2025, and close applications Oct. 31, 2025; public school district and tribal compact school rounds are planned for spring 2026. - Key features: No local match required; grants under $250,000 will not be securitized; applicants must commit to a 10‑year slot preservation period; there is no hard cap on award size but large requests must be supported by bids/estimates. - Program supports: Commerce will provide office‑hours webinars, translated materials (Spanish and Somali), and individualized program managers to guide successful applicants through compliance, prevailing‑wage considerations and historic‑preservation review (Governor’s Executive Order 21‑02).

Examples and guidance Commerce shared previously funded projects (including a 100%‑subsidized program for high‑school students’ children and a Yakima family‑home renovation of roughly $76,000) to illustrate typical scopes and budgets. The department emphasized project readiness in scoring and noted that past rounds were oversubscribed; Commerce holds debrief webinars after each round to help unsuccessful applicants understand common weaknesses.

Why it matters: DCYF’s implementation plan sets a policy direction that ties subsidy rates and workforce compensation to access goals. Commerce’s capital round is a near‑term funding opportunity intended to finance the facility side of those access goals.

Next steps DCYF will publish the implementation report and make cost modeling available on request. Berg Consulting will continue interviews and workgroup engagement. Commerce will publish application materials, host office hours and accept proposals from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31.

Ending: DCYF and Commerce invited ELAC and providers to participate in the facilities study, apply for ELF grants, and to use available technical assistance to improve readiness.