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State officials: Fair Start investments expanded childcare, but recent cuts shrink ECAP slots and support
Summary
State early‑learning officials and Head Start representatives told the committee that investments in recent years expanded licensed child‑care capacity and longer ECAP days, but recent budget reductions have reduced ECAP slots and some provider supports.
State early‑learning officials and Head Start representatives told the committee that investments in recent years expanded licensed child‑care capacity and longer ECAP (state pre‑K) days, but budget reductions since 2024 have reduced slots and support services and will raise family co‑payments.
Nicole Rose, assistant secretary for early learning at the Department of Children, Youth & Families, said Fair Start investments led to more licensed providers and greater participation in the Working Connections subsidy. "Access is increasing and this is just showing you, working connections usage over time," Rose said. She pointed to a May 2025 figure of more than 60,000 children served through Working Connections childcare.
Rose said state‑funded pre‑K slots increased and that the proportion of preschool‑age children using Working Connections rose, but that recent budget changes will reduce the number of ECAP slots for the 2025–26 school year by about 3,000 compared with 2024–25. She said an eligibility expansion intended to raise the income threshold to 75% of state median income has been delayed until 2029.
Katie Warren, deputy director at the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECAP, said ECAP serves children with higher developmental needs and that programs report increasing behavioral and health needs among incoming children. Warren said the 2025 reductions have already produced unintended consequences: some ECAP–school district partnerships have been scaled back, inclusion options for children with IEPs are reduced in some areas, and one program has indicated it will close if lower slot counts are enforced next year.
Officials also told the committee that family co‑payments will rise under a new formula in October 2026 and that some expanded eligibility categories (for child‑care employees and registered apprenticeships) were eliminated, affecting a defined number of families who had been able to access subsidy.
Lawmakers asked for specific co‑payment figures and officials said they would follow up. Committee members also requested further data on uptake rates for ECAP and the share of eligible families currently served.
Provenance: DCYF presentation start: "Good afternoon, Chair Burquist, members of the committee. For the record, I'm Nicole Rose, assistant secretary of early learning at DCYF." (transcript block block_221; tc 01:00:37). ECAP impacts: "In ECAP, we have about 3,000 less ECAP slots in the 25–26 school year than we did in 24–25" (transcript block block_240; tc 01:03:12).
