Awards will go to businesses across Washington
The Washington State Department of Commerce, in partnership with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), awarded $55.8 million in grants to 74 early learning providers across the state. The funds will create 2,056 new child care spaces and advance high-quality child care opportunities statewide. The awards are through Commerce’s Early Learning Facilities (ELF) program.
View the updated list of awarded projects. List has been updated to include business names.
Read the full press release on Gov. Bob Ferguson’s website.
The certified providers awarded funding include local governments and school districts, at-home facilities and commercial properties, among others. Key award criteria included the number of early learning spaces for kids from low-income families, the project location relative to other early learning facilities, and projects located in rural locations and low-income neighborhoods, among other factors.
ELF investments are already making a difference in community. Learning to Grow, with three facilities in Grays Harbor County, has received three ELF grants in previous award cycles. Thanks to the awards, the provider has expanded its capacity by more than 300%.
“The Early Learning Facilities Program has been a life changing partner for our community,” said Learning to Grow Executive Director Stephanie Smith. “Our ELF grant awards created two beautiful early learning centers that expanded our services to include infants through school age and increased our capacity from 46 slots to more than 200! The ELF grant greatly impacted local employment recruitment and retention efforts, child care access for working families, employment of more than 40 staff, and most importantly, the quality of early learning and care for the generations to come.”
Pictured is a Learning to Grow classroom in Montesano.
About the ELF program
Early Learning Facilities grants provide financial assistance to Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) contractors and Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) providers to plan, expand, remodel, purchase, or construct early learning facilities and classrooms. Projects in this funding round received awards in expansion and maintenance categories. Expansion investments are considered within three subcategories: pre-design, pre-development, and acquisition/major renovation/construction.
Visit the Early Learning Facilities webpage for a list of all the awarded projects and more information about the program. The list is under the “Funding rounds awardees and reports” heading. The names and locations of in-home care providers not operating under a commercial license have been simplified to protect sensitive personal information.
The Early Learning Facilities Program, which Commerce administers, has awarded more than $235 million to create nearly 15,000 childcare slots statewide since 2017. The ELF grant program funds new construction, renovation and acquisition projects that increase or retain early learning capacity at in-home and child care center facilities with a focus on child care deserts and children from low-income households.