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Council adopts 2026 legislative agenda, adds $150,000 request for five in‑home daycare start‑ups
Summary
The council approved its 2026 state legislative agenda and added a friendly amendment requesting $150,000 to support start‑up costs for five in‑home daycares in Federal Way, a program modeled on recent local efforts that cost about $27,000 per site.
The City Council adopted its 2026 legislative agenda on Dec. 2 after staff presented transportation, emergency‑operations and housing priorities. Councilmembers discussed keeping long‑standing transportation asks in the queue (including a roundabout and City Center access projects) and added new policy priorities for affordable housing and childcare supports.
During debate Councilmember Assefa Dawson moved to include funding to support five in‑home daycares, citing a city pilot that helped open three daycares at a cost of about $27,000 each (roughly $80,000 total). Council amended the agenda to request $150,000 from the state to support start‑ups for five more in‑home providers; council considered that figure a modest, targeted capital ask to aid openings and training rather than an ongoing operating subsidy.
The adopted agenda maintains larger transportation funding requests in the state queue (some projects were noted as part of multi‑year regionally funded efforts) and adds the policy language supporting regulatory streamlining, partnerships to expand affordable housing and child‑care access, workforce supports and capital funding to grow child‑care capacity in underserved areas. Council directed staff to vet specific program opportunities with the Department of Commerce and to coordinate presentation materials with lobbyists for the upcoming legislative breakfast.
Vote: The legislative agenda with the $150,000 daycare start‑up request was approved by the council in open session.
