This story was initially posted on MyNorthwest.com
Extra low-income kids will quickly have entry to pre-kindergarten in Washington.
Ballmer Group is placing up $170 million per yr for the subsequent 10 years for the state’s Early Childhood Training and Help Program (ECEAP), which supplies free preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds.
Governor Bob Ferguson held a joint press convention with Ballmer Group and state officers on Wednesday morning to make the announcement.
Ferguson mentioned this assist comes throughout a really difficult financial time.
“Clearly, we’re experiencing important funds challenges, and that’s an understatement,” Ferguson mentioned at Wednesday’s press convention. “That’s what makes this announcement so fantastic and so transformative…within the face of that as a state, not merely be treading water in making an attempt our greatest to keep up the restricted slots we’ve, however to be ready we can’t simply broaden, however broaden dramatically, the variety of kids and households who can profit from what is actually probably the greatest packages we’ve as a state is one thing I’m deeply appreciative of.”
The cash pays for as much as 10,000 kids’s preschools every year, beginning in 2026, pending legislative approval.
“We at Ballmer Group have been impressed by Washington state’s dedication to make sure that each eligible kiddo has entry to high-quality early studying,” mentioned Andi Smith, Government Director of Ballmer Group in Washington. “Ballmer Group’s position is easy — to assist that imaginative and prescient transfer quicker.”
In 5 years, the group will start to think about whether or not it needs to resume the grant, Smith mentioned.