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Balmer gift launches ECAP expansion; DCYF opens first contractor RFA for 2026‑27
Summary
DCYF announced a 10‑year private investment (the 'prek promise') expected to bring roughly $170 million annually to expand ECAP across Washington, and released an initial RFA to add school‑day ECAP slots for 2026‑27 with office hours and a saturation study for community planning.
DCYF on March 25 briefed providers on a large philanthropic investment to expand the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECAP) statewide and invited contractor applications for the 2026‑27 school year.
Kim Burgess Sims, ECAP senior administrator, said a 10‑year Balmer Group commitment will fund an ambitious scaling plan designed to create roughly 10,000 new school‑day seats over time and serve nearly 25,000 eligible children when fully implemented. The funding will flow into a new ‘‘prek promise’’ account established by the legislature and administered by DCYF.
DCYF published a Request for Applications (RFA) for the first expansion round and is hosting office hours (including sessions co‑hosted with the office of tribal relations). The RFA includes a strong encouragement for a minimum of 75 new slots per contractor but does not require that threshold. DCYF also released an updated saturation study to help communities evaluate local needs.
Burgess Sims said Balmer funds will pay direct ECAP services, quality support, and curriculum and complex‑needs supports; the money is not intended to fund scholarships or new facility construction. She said the Balmer funding structure includes incentives that increase private funding as the state maintains and expands ECAP slot levels.
Providers raised common barriers to expansion — insufficient slot rates, staff recruitment and compensation, facilities and transportation — and urged DCYF to prioritize collaborative, community‑level expansion planning and startup supports. DCYF aims for a significant first‑year expansion (the agency cited a 2,000‑slot goal for year one) but acknowledged the four‑week RFA window is compressed to allow awardees time to set up slots before the school year.
DCYF encouraged providers who cannot be lead contractors to pursue subcontracting arrangements with existing ECAP contractors and said it will publish office‑hour FAQs on the ECAP website during the application period.
