WA lawmakers weigh further delay to early learning expansion
Nearly 15 years ago, Washington state lawmakers approved a plan to make a state-funded early learning program an entitlement for all low-income families who qualify.
Since then, that plan has been delayed three times.
As lawmakers face a multibillion-dollar budget hole over the next four years, it’s becoming clearer that they will likely need to again push off the expansion — currently set to take effect in the 2026-2027 school year.
“I am not thrilled to bring this to your attention,” House Appropriations Committee Chair Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, said in a public hearing earlier this month. “It is a response to the fiscal reality that we are in.”
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/02/24/wa-lawmakers-weigh-further-delay-to-early-learning-expansion/