Nearly half of an $8 million Birth Through Five Preschool Development Grant (PDG B-5) awarded to DCYF will provide for an increase of 75 slots to the state’s B-3 Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) for infants and toddlers, as well as support delivery of no-cost classroom curriculum, professional development, and mental health services to providers.
“DCYF is pleased Washington is again receiving the Preschool Development Grant,” said DCYF Assistant Secretary of Early Learning Nicole Rose. “We are excited to partner with communities to expand early care and education supports for children and families and the providers that serve them, including those furthest from opportunity, and advance racial equity and social justice in our state.”
The three-year renewal grant is guaranteed only for federal Fiscal Year 2025, which began Oct. 1, 2024 and will run through Sept. 30, 2025. Appropriation for the $8 million for years two and three, which would sustain the 75 ECEAP slots, would be at the discretion of Congress. Funding is administered jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education.
Over the past five years, DCYF has received multiple PDG B-5 awards resulting in $52 million, benefiting child care initiatives in Washington state. DCYF was awarded an initial grant for $5,270,656, in 2018, and a three-year renewal grant for $33,527,307, in 2019. In 2023, the agency was awarded a planning grant for $4.86 million.
For additional information on PDG B-5 activities, visit the PDG B-5 webpage.