DCYF outlines $3 million biennial reduction to home‑visiting account; performance payments removed, three local programs end services

Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) officials told the Home Visiting Advisory Committee during a June meeting that the legislature reduced state funding for the Home Visiting Services Account, resulting in roughly $3 million in general‑fund reductions over the coming biennium and immediate implementation actions by the agency.

Erica Hallock, who led a legislative overview for the meeting, said lawmakers entered the session facing a long‑range budget gap and used a mix of cuts and revenue changes to close it. "Washington state is 1 of the only states that requires a 4 year balanced budget," Hallock said, describing how that constraint shaped decisions by the Legislature and led to reductions and delays in early learning and home visiting funding.

Julie Watts, who introduced herself as "the new deputy director for government affairs for DCYF," explained how the cuts land in the home visiting account. DCYF reported the legislature took a $1,250,000 underspend from the current fiscal year, applied a $1,500,000 general‑fund reduction in state fiscal year 2026, and carried the same assumptions into fiscal year 2027 — yielding about a $3,000,000 reduction over the two‑year period. The Legislature also applied a 10% cut…