Washington is pouring $55.8 million into early learning facilities across the state, including $3.6 million in Pasco.

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the competitive grant awards April 16. The funds will create about 2,000 new child care spaces and support renovation projects in over 50 jurisdictions, according to the governor’s office. The three grants awarded in Pasco will add nearly 100 child care spaces, most of them through an expansion of an existing childcare provider.

The grants are from the state’s Early Learning Facilities program, administered by the Department of Commerce. The 74 recipients include local governments, school districts, commercial properties and in-home child care facilities. 

“With these grants, we are working to build more capacity — literally — for our child care and early learning providers,” the governor said.

The grants provide funding to plan, expand, remodel, purchase, or build early learning facilities and classrooms.

Recipients include Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program contractors and Working Connections Child Care providers — two programs open to lower-income families.

In November, the Ballmer Group committed to funding up to 10,000 more Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program slots over the next decade. The investment could end up totaling more than $1 billion. The philanthropic group was founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie. 

“Thanks to the generosity of the Ballmer Group, we’re on track to provide early learning to thousands more kids over the next decade,” said Ferguson.

The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program serves students from families who earn less than 36% of the state median income, students who are homeless and students with disabilities. 

The Department of Commerce received 325 applications for the Early Learning Facilities grants, requesting a total of $277 million. Priority was given to facilities that serve children from low-income families and that are located in rural areas.

Rise & Shine Early Childhood Center at 820 N. 20th Ave. in Pasco received the bulk of the local funding at $3.2 million. The remainder will go toward two in-home care providers.

Commerce has awarded more than $235 million from the Early Learning Facilities Program since 2017.

Release of the grant funding follows a cut to another early learning program, Transition to Kindergarten. Designed to prepare students in need of extra support for kindergarten, the program took a 25% reduction in funding under legislation that state lawmakers and Ferguson approved this year. 

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said last week that in his 30 years in education, he has never seen “a more ill-advised and damaging cut to education.” That reduction in funding will lead to about 2,000 fewer Transition to Kindergarten spots.

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business contributed to this report.

This story is republished from the Washington State Standard, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet that provides original reporting, analysis and commentary on Washington state government and politics.