Committee hears bipartisan support to expand preschool access for military families
Summary
Senate Bill 5907 would allow military families to enroll children in ECAP as allowable slots and add prioritization for deployed or single‑parent military families; sponsors and military‑adjacent districts said the change would ease childcare access without creating entitlement slot impacts.
Olympia — The Senate Early Learning and K–12 Education Committee heard strong support on Jan. 20 for Senate Bill 5907, which would expand allowable enrollment in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECAP) to include some military families and add prioritization factors for deployments and single custodial military parents.
Committee staff outlined the bill and said a fiscal note indicates no fiscal impact to the state’s entitlement slots because the enrollments are allowable (space‑available) rather than entitlement. Senator Tawanna Nobles (28th Legislative District), who represents Joint Base Lewis–McChord, described the bill as a modest change that reflects military life realities: frequent moves, deployments and unpredictable schedules that make steady childcare access difficult.
Several district and provider witnesses urged passage. Laurie Pittman of Puget Sound Educational Service District, which runs many ECAP slots in King and Pierce counties, said the change would be positive "without a fiscal impact to the state" and would help leverage philanthropic resources. Kimberly Hedrick, superintendent in the Medical Lake School District, said her district serves many children associated with Fairchild Air Force Base and that expanded ECAP access would stabilize families and the local workforce; she noted Fairchild has hundreds of members on rotating deployments.
Why it matters: Supporters argued the bill responds to workforce and family stability needs around military installations and would preserve entitlement slots for lowest‑income children while enabling military families to enroll as space permits. Advocates including Head Start and veterans groups highlighted research and service‑provider experience showing military families face higher instability and food insecurity and that early‑childhood access supports readiness and family economic participation.
What’s next: The committee did not take a final vote that day. Sponsors and witnesses asked the committee to advance the bill with continued attention to implementation details and coordination with ECAP providers.
