The Half-Way Point of the Legislative Session

(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

Which current State Senator’s relative served in the House of Representatives in the early 1900s?

Highlights of the Week

State Budget Updates

On February 27, Governor Ferguson released a total of $4 billion in proposed reductions to state spending to help address the state’s estimated $15 billion four-year budget gap. The Governor proposed $254.8 million in savings for the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).

The Governor’s recommended reductions were informed by state agency proposals that were posted on the Office of Financial Management website on February 28. It is important to note that Governor Ferguson did not include all of the state agency proposals in his final recommendations list. He estimated the totality of state agency proposals he did not advance to equal about $1 billion.

DCYF’s recommended reductions total $248.8 million. Again, it is important to remember that Governor Ferguson did not accept and advance all of these recommendations and, as part of the Executive Branch, DCYF must align its position with that of the Governor’s.

In terms of what’s next for the state budget, the updated revenue forecast will be released on March 18 and the Senate and House budget proposals will be shared shortly thereafter.

Action Shifts to the Legislative Building

While week seven activity was in the fiscal committees, week eight was concentrated on the third floor of the Legislative Building, where the Senate and House of Representatives were either on the Floor debating on or voting on bills, or in their respective caucuses being briefed on or discussing bills that would be up for debate.

A lot of bills died in fiscal committees due to the state’s fiscal realities, which may have contributed to the intensity that built throughout the week as legislators and lobbyists were eager to get their remaining bills passed by the March 12 House of Origin cutoff. The fiscal realities continue to become clearer and bills with what would be considered a minimal fiscal impact in more typical years are not advancing.

Updates on Specific Legislation

Each Thursday, Start Early Washington updates its bill tracker with the latest information on bills we are following. As we reach each cutoff, we transfer the bills that are not “moving” into a separate chart below to make the active bills easier to identify. Please note that some bills in the “dead” or “not moving” category may end up becoming “Necessary to Implement the Budget” (NTIB) as deemed by legislative leadership. This work is an art, not a science and no bill or idea is truly dead until the final gavel goes down on Sine Die on April 27.

Early Learning Facilities Bills Moving

Late in the evening on March 5, the House passed HB 1314 (Callan and Abbarno) on a 97-0 vote. The bill sponsors Representatives Callan and Abbarno spoke to the bill’s aims to continue to refine and improve the Early Learning Facilities Fund so that it can continue to support capital investments for providers.

Earlier that day, Senate Rules Committee Member Senator Claire Wilson “pulled” HB 1314’s companion SB 5297 (Trudeau) so the Senate bill is now eligible for consideration on the Senate Floor.

Start Early Washington’s Policy Resources webpage has additional information on these bills – and other early learning policy related items. Check it out!

Early Learning Bills Stall in Fiscal Committees

As noted above, close scrutiny was given to bills with any level of fiscal impact. Fiscal notes that in typical years wouldn’t get a second look are generating amendments that reduce the fiscal impact.

As a result, many bills scheduled for consideration during fiscal cutoff week did not survive. In the early learning world, this included SB 5130 (C. Wilson) which would have eliminated child care licensing fees and SSB 5062 (Stanford) which would have established a Child Care Workforce Standards Board.

What’s on Deck for Next Week

Floor Cutoff and Back to Policy Committee Work

Immediately following the March 12 House of Origin cutoff, legislative work will transition back to policy committees hearing bills that passed out of the opposite chamber first thing Thursday morning, March 13. So far, no bills of note have been scheduled for policy committee activity next week. But we expect that to change as more bills pass out of their House of Origin.

On March 4, Start Early along with our partners at Child Care For All, COFI, Evanston Early Childhood Council, Illinois Action for Children, Raising Illinois, SEIU, and We, the Village brought over 300 advocates down to Springfield to advocate for Illinois’ youngest learners. Advocates shared their perspectives with legislators on the impact that increased funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant, ECACE, child care, home visiting and Early Intervention would have on Illinois families and providers.

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to join advocates, home visitors, program leaders, public sector leaders, funders, and researchers at the 2025 National Home Visiting Summit in D.C. I was inspired by the diverse, cross-disciplinary group who shared ideas, built community, and learned and reflected with each other on how we can continue to build high-quality home visiting services, structures, and systems.

In those discussions, I heard several themes around how state and local public sector leaders and advocates can continue to strengthen home visiting systems to better serve children and families.

1. Address workforce challenges by working across sectors and agencies. While policymakers often discuss workforce shortages at a system level, programs still often feel that they must generate the solutions on their own. Speakers at the Summit offered many potential solutions to address workforce challenges in effective, cross-sector ways. For example, state MIECHV administrators are partnering with Early Intervention/Part C coordinators to build relationships and workforce capabilities through shared professional development. Deploying the same professional development to build reflective supervision capacity across an entire state can benefit not only home visitors, but Early Interventionists, early educators, and others. In addition, counties are collaborating regionally to provide mental health supports for home visitors across models.
2. Leverage diverse funding streams to support home visiting. As states seek to expand home visiting services and build more comprehensive, coordinated systems to support children and families, they need new strategies to increase funding and support sustainability. In addition to the two sources traditionally used to fund home visiting – MIECHV and Early Head Start – state systems leaders are leveraging other funding streams, including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Title I of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5), Medicaid, and private insurance. In Oregon, state system leaders are using a combination of state general funds, Medicaid, and private health insurance to fund Family Connects statewide (Universal Newborn Support Services or UNSS). Also, in Colorado, the Tri-County Health Department (TCHD) leverages TANF funds to support home visiting services through their Nurse Support Program and Brief Parenting Program.
3. Center the voices of families and providers for a demonstrated positive impact in systems building. State and local system leaders are challenging old mindsets and creating new infrastructure to place families and home visiting professionals at the center of decision-making in policy, practice, and research. When they do so, they find that the insights, suggestions, and buy-in generated helps drive strong outcomes for children and families. For example, state leaders scaling Family Connects (a universal postpartum short term home visiting approach) in New Jersey surveyed nurses to determine what makes the nurse home visiting role particularly attractive. Based on the results of that survey, they have built new supports and features in competitive requests for proposals and partnered with nursing schools to offer service-commitment scholarships. Additionally, the Seeds of Success program in Washington includes parents as board members and partnered with them to design a more collaborative approach to trauma-informed home visiting services.

An Empty and Quiet Legislative Building… For Now!

(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

This week we are talking license plates! Hang with me, it’s actually rather interesting…

Other than commemorating special occasions, in what year did Washington state begin issuing specialty license plates? Bonus question: What was the subject of the first specialty plate?

Highlights of the Week

Governor Ferguson – Budget Reduction Exercises
On February 27, Governor Bob Ferguson held a press availability to preview a recommended $4 billion in savings and efficiencies to help address the state’s budget crisis. His approach is summarized in this press release. These reductions would be in addition to the approximately $3 billion in savings proposed in Governor Inslee’s “Book Two” budget.

Before I get to the specific early learning items Governor Ferguson proposed, here are some take-aways from his press conference:

• The actual amount of the four-year budget shortfall varies depending on who you ask. In his press availability today, Governor Ferguson stated his administration is assuming a $15 billion shortfall over four years.
• Governor Ferguson’s recommendations are based on potential savings identified by state agencies. The Governor’s recommendations do not include every agency identified savings opportunity. Governor Ferguson said state agencies identified about $1 billion more in potential savings that he is not advancing to the Legislature for their consideration. Each agency’s suggested reduction list will be posted on the Office of Financial Management website by February 28. We will report on these in next week’s Notes from Olympia.
• Not surprisingly, right out of the gate the press asked the Governor about his appetite for new revenue. He replied that it is still too soon to consider revenue from his perspective. He also said the state is not in a position to tax its way out of its budget hole.
• Governor Ferguson acknowledged his team did not have sufficient time to perform a thorough review of the full budget. He also recognized the upcoming March 18 Revenue Forecast could change the budget outlook for the better, or the worse.
• Governor Ferguson proposes funding Collective Bargaining Agreements with state employees but he also suggests a $300 million savings by instituting a one-day a month furlough for state employees for a two-year period.

Governor Ferguson released a 152-page document detailing potential savings. Related to early learning, the Governor proposes a total of $254.8 million in savings for DCYF in the following areas:

A Busy Week of Fiscal Committee Meetings Before Today’s Fiscal Cutoff

The focus of week seven was almost exclusively on fiscal committees in advance of the Friday, February 28 fiscal committee cutoff. With the state’s budget shortfall, it was not uncommon to see bills get scheduled – and then unscheduled – for hearings or executive sessions. We also saw adoption of a number of amendments as bill sponsors and advocates worked to reduce the costs of bills to keep them moving.

Each Thursday, Start Early Washington updates its  bill tracker  with the latest information on bills we are following. As we reach each cutoff, we transfer the bills that are not “moving” into a separate chart below to make the active bills easier to identify.

Below we have included updates on key early learning bills. Please note that with fiscal cutoff scheduled after the release of this newsletter, it’s a good idea to check the legislative website for the latest information.

Changes to Fair Start for Kids Act Advance

On February 25, the Senate Ways and Means Committee held a public hearing on SB 5752 (C. Wilson) which would modify many aspects of the Fair Start for Kids Act. You can watch the hearing beginning at 3:18 on TVW.

The real-world impacts of the legislation were noted in this week’s Democratic Media Availability in opening comments by Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen who referenced this particular bill hearing and the “wrenching testimony from the real human beings who are going to be affected by the cuts we are likely going to have to make…”

The fiscal note prepared for the bill assumes $332.5 million in savings for the 2025-27 biennium and $547.6 million in savings for the 2027-29 biennium as well as additional indeterminate savings. (The fiscal note was prepared prior to the amendments adopted in the Senate Ways and Means Committee on February 27, so those changes are not reflected in the fiscal note). Fiscal notes are an estimate of the fiscal impact of a bill prepared by the relevant state agency and approved by the Office of Financial Management.

On February 27, the Senate Ways and Means Committee took executive action to approve SB 5752 with amendments.

The substantive parts of the amendments relate to co-payments, setting in place a new family co-payment schedule effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, to be replaced by a per child co-payment schedule effective October 1, 2026.

These changes to co-payments apply to new applicants and re-applicants for subsidies. We believe this means a family’s co-payment would not change in the middle of their 12-month authorization. Additionally, student parents and children participating in Working Connections Child Care as a result of their engagement in Child Protective Services would not have a co-payment.

Following are the new co-payment structures:

Family Co-Payment Structure
Effective October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026

Per Child Co-Payment Structure
Effective October 1, 2026

For information on the underlying bill details, refer to the February 14 Notes from Olympia. Be sure to note the amended co-payment approach above replaces what was included in the original bill.

The bill now moves to Senate Rules.

New Transition to Kindergarten Bills Introduced

This week, two new bills were introduced related to Transition to Kindergarten, HB 2012 (Bergquist) and SB 5769 (Wellman).

Both bills seek to pause the growth of the Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) program in slightly different ways. HB 2012 limits TTK program enrollment for each school district, charter school or state-tribal education compact school to its 2024-25 school year enrollment, beginning in the 2025-26 school year. SB 5769 limits Transition to Kindergarten Program funding beginning in the 2025-26 school year to the threshold set by enrollment during the 2024-25 school year.

SB 5769 received a public hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee on February 27 and, at the date of this writing, was scheduled for executive session on February 28. HB 2012 was referred to the House Appropriations Committee but has not received a hearing as of this writing. The other TTK bill, SHB 1450 (Santos), has also been referred to House Appropriations and has also not been scheduled for a hearing. We can presume these bills are all “NTIB,” or Necessary to Implement the Budget.

Provider Qualifications Bill Passes Fiscal Committee

On February 26, the House Appropriations Committee took executive action to approve SHB 1648 (Dent), as amended in committee. The amendment requires DCYF to convene the required stakeholder group and produce the directed report within existing resources.

The bill now moves to the House Rules Committee.

It’s Official – it’s Secretary Senn!

On Tuesday, February 25, the Senate unanimously voted to confirm Tana Senn as the second official Secretary of the Department of Children, Youth and Families. Congratulations, Secretary Senn!

What’s on Deck for Next Week

On the Floor Again…

Like clockwork, following fiscal committee cutoff, activity on the Capitol campus will shift to the Legislative building as lawmakers will debate bills that have made it to the floor in their respective house of origin prior to the next cutoff date of March 12 – aptly named the House of Origin Cutoff.

During floor activity, there are typically few committee hearings and legislators tend to spend a lot of time in their party caucuses being briefed on bill details and preparing for floor debate. Lobbyists spend hours on end on the “3rd floor” desperate for their priority bills to be approved (or defeated) so they can leave the circus.

Despite the devastating delays thousands of families across Illinois are experiencing when trying to access the Early Intervention (EI) services they are legally entitled to receive, Governor JB Pritzker’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal does not include any additional state funds for the EI program, which provides critical services to infants and toddlers who have or are at risk for significant developmental delays and disabilities. Instead, the administration is recommending a small rate increase for providers at a cost of $10 million supported by Medicaid funds. While we applaud IDHS and HFS for ensuring we are maximizing Medicaid funds, the funding increase is not nearly enough to address the historically high service delays and long waitlists that are directly tied to the workforce shortage.   

The proposal to flat fund EI is concerning and a departure from the multi-year investments announced in 2023 as part of the administration’s Smart Start Illinois initiative, which included a “commitment to regular increases in SFY25-SFY27 on Early Intervention funding mechanisms” following efforts to study and improve EI infrastructure and funding methods. Since then, a cost model study commissioned by IDHS-DEC found that the state needs to raise current spending by an additional $168 million annually to adequately compensate the workforce and stabilize the program. IDHS also invested in cross-state research, which shows that Illinois EI provider reimbursement rates are significantly lower than other states, forcing professionals to leave the field for higher-paying jobs in hospitals, schools, and private practice. These findings underscore a massive funding gap in pay for the workforce and a need for immense investment.  

Illinois’ EI program is at a breaking point and the crisis has recently received more media attention than ever before. For the past several months, EI families, providers, doctors and advocates have raised their voices to call for an additional $60 million in the FY26 budget through statewide rallies, 2,200+ petition signatures, and meetings with the Governor’s Office about this issue. It’s time for the state to show their voices have been heard. What will it take for our state to prioritize the needs and rights of infants and toddlers with delays or disabilities and their families? How much more harm will be done before we decide to take action?  

While the Governor’s proposal does not include an increase in state funding, the Illinois General Assembly has an opportunity to address the EI program’s stubbornly high service delays and workforce crisis. We urge the legislature to increase funding for the EI program by $60 million in the FY26 budget, allowing IDHS to authorize a meaningful rate increase for providers and get closer to the investment needed to stabilize the program. Without additional state funding this year, paired with substantial rate increases, providers will continue to leave the EI program and thousands more children will be denied the services they need. No one wins when we deny these services – the families suffer, developmental outcomes worsen and become costlier to address, and the state places itself at increased risk for the failure to meet its legal obligation to provide services to children and families. The time to act is now.   #babiescantwait.  

One-Third of the Way Through…

(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

Legislative committee hearings were held in the Legislative Building until which biennium?

Highlights of the Week

Potato Day!

Potato Day!

(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)

Thanks to the Washington State Potato Commission, folks on the campus enjoyed potatoes with all of the fixings on Tuesday of this week. In one word – YUM!

Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen opened the Legislative Democratic Media Availability this week saying everyone was excited for the best day on the calendar and I thought he was going to cite potato day. But, alas, he was talking about the upcoming policy committee cutoff. I was not alone with that thinking because Speaker Laurie Jinkins joked she thought he was referencing the beloved spuds.

Updated Caseload Forecast Numbers Released

On February 14, the Washington State Caseload Forecast Council released updated forecasts for entitlement caseloads ranging from Working Connections Child Care to K-12 enrollment to adult corrections to Medicaid. These updated forecasts reflect changes from the November 2024 forecast and, along with the March 18 Revenue Forecast, will be used to inform the 2025-27 biennial budget. Bottom line up front – the updated caseload forecasts did not show any sweeping changes from the November forecast.

It is important to remember that the caseload forecasts are based on current law and do not take into account potential shifts in caseloads based on pending statutory changes. For example, SHB 1489 (Ormsby) would delay some of the elements of the 2021 Fair Start for Kids Act, including income eligibility expansion and ECEAP entitlement. Because SHB 1489 is not yet law, the caseload forecasts assume the expansion and entitlement as reflected in the Fair Start for Kids Act are still occurring. Should SHB 1489 be enacted, the next caseload forecast would presumably reflect lower caseloads to reflect the statute changes.

Caseload Forecast by Early Learning Program Area: Comparing February 2025 Forecast to November 2024

Following take-aways are from the program narratives:

• ECEAP. Actual enrollment is tracking 471 cases, or 3.5%, above the November forecast. Growth in non-entitled enrollment (the program’s largest area of growth in recent years) has slowed since October.
• Transition to Kindergarten. The forecast shows a negligible change from the November forecast. The assumption continues that 135 new classrooms will open each year.
• Working Connections Child Care. Actuals are tracking below the November forecast and the typical summer drop-off was larger than predicted. This is all contributing to the reduced caseload predictions.

Policy Committee Cutoff February 21 – Key Bill Action

As a reminder, each Thursday, Start Early Washington updates its bill tracker with the latest information on bills we are following. As noted last week, we are at the stage in the legislative process where changes can happen quickly so it’s always a good idea to check the legislative website for the latest information.

Executive Action Taken on Provider Qualifications Bill in Policy Committee

On February 17, the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee took executive action on SHB 1648 (Dent) relating to early learning provider qualifications.

The substitute bill adopted in executive session included the following changes:

• Allows licensed early learning providers until at least August 1, 2032 (or five years from the date of hire), whichever is later, to comply with qualification requirements. (The original bill included an extension date of August 1, 2035 or 10 years after date of hire and current law has a deadline of August 1, 2026 or five years after date of hire.)
• Establishes that a provider has demonstrated experience-based competency after working in a licensed child care setting without a break in service for at least five years. (Current rules require seven cumulative years to meet the standard by August 1, 2026. The substitute includes language requiring DCYF to adopt policies to allow for temporary breaks for parental leave, personal or family illness, etc.)
• Requires DCYF to convene a stakeholder group to identify strategies to implement early learning and school-age staff qualification requirements and verification processes and report to the Legislature with recommendations and implementation plans by December 1, 2026.
• Removes the provision in the original bill that would have reset the community-based training pathway to be made available in an online format and instead requires DCYF and the convened stakeholder group to identify options for offering the community-based training pathway in an online format.

Senate Early Learning Facilities Bill Receives Vote in Senate Fiscal Committee

By the time this newsletter hits your inbox, the Senate Ways and Means Committee should have taken executive action on SB 5297 (Trudeau) Thursday evening.

Like its companion, HB 1314 (Callan), SB 5297 would:

• Make Tribal Compact Schools eligible for the Early Learning Facilities (ELF) Public School District grant program.
• Subject to appropriations, establish an emergency grant program for projects that are necessary because of natural disaster or another health or safety threat resulting from unforeseen circumstances.
• Clarify that projects supporting the conversion of Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) slots to full day and/or extended full day are eligible for ELF Fund grants.
• Remove the level of matching funds as a criterion for selecting projects and make other clarifying changes to matching requirements.

Effort to Revamp Transition to Kindergarten Passes House Education Committee

On February 18, the House Education Committee took executive action on SSB 1450 (Santos) to advance the Chair’s effort to revamp Transition to Kindergarten. The substitute bill adopted in committee struck the contents of the original bill and included the following key provisions:

• Provides that Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) is a policy applying to individual students, rather than a program.
• Defines eligibility as four-year-old children who need an additional year of preparation for kindergarten or live in extreme child care deserts and, despite qualifying, do not have access to ECEAP, Head Start or Working Connections Child Care.
• Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, limits the maximum number of TTK students to the number of students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year. (This would lead to approximately 2,000 less children served in TTK beginning in the 2025-26 school year than currently.)
• Directs that approved TTK sites must be distributed across the state, with areas prioritized that are classified as extreme child care deserts.
• OSPI must adopt an application process for schools interested in providing TTK. Application must include information about the number of sites for which approval is sought and projected number of children served; description of the screening process; statement with supporting documentation whether applicant is located in an extreme child care desert; results of the local child care and early learning needs assessment; and verification from Child Care Aware that the applicant worked in collaboration with and does not adversely impact enrollment in regional early learning programs.
• Requires OSPI to approve schools prior to enrolling students and prior to the school year.
• Requires OSPI to conduct site visits.

Homes for Heroes Bill Receives Public Hearing in House Capital Budget Committee

On February 20, the House Capital Budget Committee held a public hearing on HB 1022 (Connors). Named the “Creating a Home for Heroes Program,” the bill would create a down payment and closing assistance program for people who work in targeted professions and who meet certain income requirements.

Eligible employees include the owner or employee of a licensed or certified child care center, licensed or certified nature-based child care, or licensed family child care home.

Governor Ferguson called out this bill in his inaugural address and said he was excited to work with the bill’s prime sponsor Representative Connors to get the bill to his desk.

Because the House Capital Budget Committee is a fiscal committee, this bill is subject to the February 28 fiscal committee cutoff.

What’s on Deck for Next Week

Fiscal Committee and Other Upcoming Deadlines

Our next cutoff date is coming upon us quickly with the deadline for bills to advance out of Fiscal Committees by Friday, February 28.

Following the February 28 Fiscal Committee cutoff, the next key cutoff date is March 12 – the deadline for bills to be passed out of their House of Origin.

The following week, on March 18, the latest Revenue Forecast will be released. These updated revenue numbers will be used to inform final budget writing.

What Does “NTIB” Mean?

Like the English language, the legislative process has exceptions to its rules. Bills deemed Necessary to Implement the Budget (or NTIB) are exempt from the cutoff deadlines due to budgetary impacts. These bills still must go through each of the steps – they must, for example, receive a Floor vote (no skipping steps!). NTIB status is granted by legislative leadership and is not broadly given.

The reason I share this explanation now is it may appear that some bills are “dead” because they have not advanced through the various policy and fiscal committees by the requisite cutoffs, but they may not actually be dead because they may be deemed NTIB. In short, nothing is ever dead until the final gavel goes down on Sine Die!

Governor Ferguson Expected to Release Next Steps for State Agency Reduction Exercises

As reported in the February 7 “Notes from Olympia,” Governor Bob Ferguson directed state agencies to submit to the Office of Financial Management (OFM) potential budget reductions of at least six percent beyond those reductions included in former Governor Jay Inslee’s public “Book 2” budget.

A February 12 Washington State Standard article reported this exercise would yield approximately $1.8B in savings over the 2025-27 biennium. The article also shared the “cut targets” for state agencies. DCYF’s target was the third largest of the state agencies (note that the Office of Public Instruction was exempt from the exercise) with a two-year reduction goal of $300M. The agency with the largest target was the Department of Social and Health Services with a two-year target of $702.5M and the second largest was the Health Care Authority (the Medicaid administration agency) with $534M.

During a press availability last week focused on Governor Ferguson’s response to the Trump Administration’s actions impacting Washington state, Governor Ferguson addressed the status of this reduction exercise in response to a reporter’s question. Governor Ferguson replied he and his team are actively reviewing the state agency responses and he plans another press availability sometime during the window of February 25-27 to share his administration’s proposed next steps.

Week Seven Schedule

With the policy committee cutoff this week, nearly all the action in week seven will be in the fiscal committees beginning with scheduled Saturday meetings (on February 22) for both the House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees. When next week’s committee schedule came out, it was filled with “bills referred to committee” which are essentially calendar holds. If you are tracking a specific bill carefully, your best bet is to follow the legislative webpage.

Sadly, I am unaware of any scheduled free food days.

Earlier today, Governor JB Pritzker issued his Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) budget proposal, which outlines considerable funding increases for the state’s child care system, but maintains level funding for its remaining early childhood programs – a departure from the multi-year investments announced in 2023 as part of the administration’s Smart Start Illinois initiative. 

Start Early recognizes the state’s financial position, combined with uncertainties in federal funding, made it difficult for the administration to propose significant funding increases across early childhood programs. While we are pleased with the Governor’s request to improve funding for child care assistance ($160 million increase for Child Care Assistance Program; $90 million increase for Smart Start Workforce Grants), the proposal does not provide additional state funds for Early Intervention, evidence-based home visiting programs and the Early Childhood Block Grant (Prevention Initiative and the Preschool for All programs). This lack of investment will limit the state’s ability to support the early childhood workforce and ultimately, to serve more young children through strengthened programs and services. 

“We thank Governor Pritzker for his longstanding support for early learning and, particularly, the administration’s decision to prioritize child care access in Illinois,” Start Early Illinois’ Executive Director Celena Sarillo said. “Yet, when we fail to provide sufficient state funding for programs like Early Intervention and home visiting, we fail children during their most crucial developmental periods, and we leave families unsupported in caring for their little ones.” 

Week Five Awaits!

(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

Who was the first Black legislator elected to a legislative leadership position and the first Black member elected to both the House of Representatives and the State Senate?

Highlights of the Week

Senate Introduces Bill to Reduce Early Learning Costs

The realities of the state’s budget challenges are becoming clearer with the introduction of SB 5752 (C. Wilson). This bill makes a number of changes to the Fair Start for Kids Act to address the budget crisis while aiming to protect as much of the state’s investments in core early learning programming as possible. You will notice many of the provisions in SB 5752 overlap with components of other bills that have been introduced, signaling these provisions will all be addressed in budget discussions.

Following is a summary of key provisions of SB 5752:

Working Connections Child Care

• Delays income eligibility expansion to 75% of State Median Income from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2029.
• Delays income eligibility expansion to 85% of State Median Income (subject to appropriation) from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2031.
• Removes the ability to waive work requirements for applicants or consumers enrolled in a state registered apprenticeship program.
• Repeals expanded eligibility for applicants or consumers enrolled in a state registered apprenticeship program.
• Repeals expanded eligibility for child care employees.

Working Connections Child Care Co-Payments

• Creates a new co-payment structure.
• New co-payment structure applies to new applicants and re-applicants. This means families currently accessing subsidy will change co-pay structures when they are reauthorized after their current 12-month eligibility period.
• The new structure is based on a percentage of the State Median Income for a household of two multiplied by an escalating percentage up to 6.5%. This new structure includes additional co-payments for each additional child in the household.
• The co-payment does not apply to children in child protective services or student parents.

Changes in Program Funding

Makes the following programs Subject to Appropriation:

• Trauma-informed care supports
• Infant early childhood mental health consultation
• Dual language subsidy rate enhancement

ECEAP

• Delays ECEAP entitlement from the 2026-27 school year until the 2030-31 school year
• Repeals the Early ECEAP program

The bill contains an emergency clause so its provisions would go into effect July 1, 2025.

Other Bill Activity

We are at the stage of the legislative sessions where bills are being added and removed from committee schedules daily, so if you want up-to-the-minute information on bills you care about, it is best to sign up for email notifications on the legislative website. It is easy to do! Using the Cost of Quality Care bill as an example, go to SB 5500’s official bill page. On the right-hand side of the page, select the option “get email notifications.” If you click on that option and enter your email address, you will be notified on status changes for the bill.

Check out our bill tracker for a more comprehensive look at the early learning bills moving through the process.

Here’s a look at some of the key activity from this week:

Fair Start for Kids Act Delays Passes Fiscal Committee

On February 12, the House Appropriations Committee passed SHB 1489 (Ormsby). This is the House vehicle to delay components of the Fair Start for Kids Act due to the state’s budget challenges related to income eligibility for Working Connections Child Care and ECEAP entitlement.

The House Appropriations Committee adopted a substitute that added additional components, including:

• Delaying ECEAP entitlement for families at or below 50 percent of the State Median Income adjusted for family size from the 2030-31 school year to the 2034-35 school year.
• Changes from 2032 to 2031 the Working Connections Child Care income expansion for households in the first 12 months of a state registered apprenticeship program and whose household annual income does not exceed 85 percent of the State Median Income if funds are appropriated.

Governor Ferguson Child Care Proposal Gets Hearing

On February 12, the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee heard HB 1919 (Bergquist), Governor’s request legislation related to Working Connections Child Care. As you read this section, you may ask, isn’t this same as HB 1865 (Bergquist) from last week? You would be correct! The content of the two bills are identical. HB 1919 was introduced to correct an issue with the bill title.

HB 1919 contains Governor Ferguson’s plan to expand eligibility for Working Connections Child Care for families where at least one household member is employed by a small business (defined as 50 or fewer employees) and the household income does not exceed 75 percent of State Median Income at the time of application or, if funds are provided, beginning January 1, 2031, does not exceed 85 percent of State Median Income.

The bill also delays implementation of income eligibility provisions included in the Fair Start for Kids Act. Specifically, it delays the expansion of income eligibility from 60 to 75 percent of State Median Income from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2029. It also delays the next phase of eligibility expansion from 75 to 85 percent of State Median Income from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2031, pending the availability of funding.

Cost of Quality Care Rate Model Passes Policy Committee

On February 12, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee took executive action to approve SB 5500 (Alvarado) with amendments to specify that the provisions related to collective bargaining agreements for family child care providers do not go into effect until July 1, 2027. This clarification was necessary because the current collective bargaining agreement for family child care providers under consideration by the Legislature has already been negotiated and, upon legislative approval, would be in effect until June 30, 2027.

Deemed the “Cost of Quality Care Rate Model,” the bill seeks to modernize the rate-setting tool for child care subsidies in our state. The model was co-created with child care providers, other advocates and the Department of Children, Youth and Families. This new tool is intended to more fully measure and capture the costs of providing quality child care. In recognition of the state’s fiscal situation, the bill is designed to be cost neutral.

Child Care Bills Receive Hearings in Senate Fiscal Committee

On February 10, the Senate Ways and Means Committee held public hearings on SSB 5062 (Stanford) and SB 5130 (C. Wilson).

SSB 5062 would establish a state Childcare Workforce Standards Board to establish minimum employment standards for child care workers, including standards on compensation and other working conditions. Refer to the February 7 edition of “Notes from Olympia” for a detailed summary of the current version of the bill.

SB 5130 would eliminate child care licensing fees and carries a fiscal note of $4.1M to account for the loss of licensing fees to the state’s General Fund.

Neither bill has been scheduled for executive session yet.

Dairy Day!

(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)

A huckleberry ice cream sandwich from Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe at the WSU Creamery is a perfectly acceptable lunch. Thank you, Washington State Dairy Federation and WSU Creamery for bringing smiles to campus!

DCYF Secretary Nomination Advances to Senate Floor

On February 11, the Senate Human Services held a public hearing to consider the nomination of Tana Senn for Secretary of the Department of Children, Youth and Families. At the hearing, the Committee gave Secretary Senn the opportunity to share about her background and her plans for the agency. Individual committee members asked questions about specific programmatic areas. You can catch the hearing on TVW starting around minute 28:00.

The Senate Human Services Committee voted to approve Secretary Senn’s nomination on February 12. Her nomination will be considered by the full Senate at some point in the near future.

What’s on Deck for Next Week

Policy Committee Deadline

Day 40 of the legislative session brings our first official deadline – policy committee cutoff. This means that all bills must be approved by their respective policy committees.

The next deadline will come quickly after that, with the fiscal committee cutoff scheduled for the following Friday, February 28th. These back-to-back deadlines mean the respective House and Senate fiscal committees will be working the weekend of February 22nd to get through the long lists of bills before them.

Week Six Schedule

On Wednesday night of each week, the following week’s schedule is released and many of us pour over the schedules and plot out the hearing schedules times, lining up testifiers and sign-ins. As I noted above, we are at the stage with cutoffs incoming and amendment negotiations ongoing, the schedule that was released this Wednesday appeared lighter than what I expect. I expect my inbox to fill up with notifications of bills being added (and removed) from hearing schedules.

Pre-snowfall on the Capital Campus early Monday morning (y’all see the crane lit up?)

(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

What was the first building erected on the Capital Campus – the Legislative Building or the Temple of Justice (home to the State Supreme Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts)?

Highlights of the Week

Agency Reduction Exercise Submissions

On February 6, state agency proposed budget reductions were due to the Office of Financial Management (OFM). As noted in last week’s newsletter, state agencies were directed to identify reductions of at least six percent beyond any reductions included in Governor Inslee’s budget proposal.

In addition to suggestions for potential reductions such as pausing legislative reports, the instructions suggest consolidating management positions (10-25% within each agency) and reducing “administrative, executive, and externally focused positions that are not essential to the delivery of government services (10% to 25% within each agency).”

If the cut information is made public, we will include a summary of the details in a future newsletter.

Legislative Leadership Media Availability

I am highlighting the weekly leadership media availability again this week. In particular, I bring your attention to the Democratic leadership media availability and their discussion on the budget (starts around minute 10).

Senate Majority Leader Pedersen highlighted that former Governor Inslee’s publicly released “book 2” budget contained nearly $13 billion in new revenue over the four-year budget outlook, mitigating the need for massive, proposed budget cuts. When responding to a reporter’s question about voter appetite for new taxes, Senator Pedersen pointed to the November election results and compared the three initiatives on the ballot to “three big polls” and said Washington voters support revenue tied to specific services.

Speaker Jinkins spoke to specific cuts that were included in Governor Inslee’s all-cuts “book 1” budget and talked about how these types of dire cuts to programs like Medicaid and developmental disabilities will be on the table if new revenue is not secured. Writer’s Note: Inslee’s “book 1” all-cuts budget was not made public, so the state agency reduction exercise responses will give us a clearer picture of what services and programs are truly at risk in this climate, if they are made public.

In the Republican media availability, Republican leadership continued their messaging that the budget could be balanced with existing resources and without considering new revenue. Republican leadership talked about affordability challenges in a multitude of areas including child care and housing.

Bill Hearings and Action

Workforce Standards Board

On January 31, the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee passed SSB 5062 (Stanford). You will note the title of the bill changed from SB 5062 to SSB 5062. This is because the Committee adopted a substitute bill (meaning it adopted amendments), so the title becomes Substitute Senate Bill 5062, or SSB 5062.

Key changes included in the substitute:

• One of the worker representatives on the board must be from a school-age program.
• One of the employer representatives on the board must represent a small business of 15 or fewer employees.
• The minimum number of board votes for action changed from 5 to 6.
• The standard for board consideration of standards applying to a specific geographic region or specified information when adopting compensation standards changed from “must” to “may”.
• Language was removed specifying that if a standard results in an increase in costs that exceeds federal payments, that standard is not effective until an appropriation is obtained that is sufficient to cover the payment.
• Includes a provision that if an adopted standard results in increased costs for represented Family Child Care providers, the standard is not effective until sufficient funding is appropriated by the Legislature, however the state is not prohibited from providing funding to meet compensation standards.
• Lowers the number of languages required for written training materials from four to three.

SSB 5062 is scheduled to receive a public hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday, February 10. The House companion, HB 1128 (Fosse), is scheduled for Executive Session on February 7 in the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee.

Cost of Quality Care Rate Model

On Tuesday, February 3, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee held a public hearing on SB 5500 (Alvarado) which would modernize the rate-setting tool for child care subsidies in our state. Deemed the “Cost of Quality Care Rate Model,” it was co-created with child care providers, other advocates and the Department of Children, Youth and Families. This new tool is intended to more fully measure and capture the costs of providing quality child care.

In recognition of the state’s fiscal situation, the bill is designed to be cost neutral.

Working Connections Child Care Methodology

The Senate Ways and Means Committee held a public hearing on SB 5310 (Braun) on Monday, February 2. This bill would adjust the payment methodology for Working Connections Child Care to be lesser of the 75th percentile of the Market Rate Survey or a provider’s rate for children not eligible for state subsidy.

SB 5310 has not been scheduled for executive session.

Provider Qualifications

A number of bills addressing child care provider qualifications received public hearings this week. On Tuesday, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee heard SB 5279 (Wilson). A note that SB 5279’s House Companion HB 1082 (Eslick) received a hearing in the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee on January 22.

SB 5279/HB 1082 would, among other provisions, direct DCYF to allow child care providers until at least August 1, 2028 to show experience-based competency as an alternative to an Early Childhood Education (ECE) certificate. It would also expand experience-based competency to positions that require an ECE state certificate, including child care center directors, assistant directors and program supervisors.

On Tuesday, February 7, the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee heard HB 1648 (Dent). HB 1648 would extend the timeline for child care providers to complete staff qualification requirements to at least August 1, 2035, or until at least 10 years following the full implementation of all components of the community-based training pathway, whichever is later. It would also allow for a cumulative three years of work experience in licensed child care as a demonstration of experience-based competency to fulfill the staff qualification requirement.

None of these bills have been scheduled for executive session. The deadline for passing bills out of policy committees is February 21.

What’s on Deck for Next Week

Food Days Commence – Starting with Dairy Day!

Longtime readers are familiar with the excitement the various “food association days” bring to those of us who spend our days at the Capital campus. The need to find any morsel of joy (or mouthful of joy!) is amplified this year.

The Washington State Dairy Federation will share numerous dairy offerings on February 11. This writer is crossing her fingers that WSU’s famous Ferdinand’s Ice Cream will be available. I may or may not deploy some of my sixth-grade basketball “box out skills” to secure some of Ferdinand’s magic. Go Cougs!

DCYF Secretary Tana Senn Confirmation Hearing

Before state agency heads receive consideration for confirmation by the full State Senate, the nominee is assigned a Senate Gubernatorial Appointment number (just like a bill). Individuals go before the relevant legislative committee to answer questions about their background, experience and plans for their new endeavor.

On February 11, the Senate Human Services Committee will hold a public hearing on SGA 9222, otherwise known as the Department of Children, Youth and Families Secretary Tana Senn. The following day, the Committee will hold an executive session to advance Senn’s nomination to the full Senate for consideration.

Bill Hearings

Policy Bills Move to Fiscal Committees

• On February 10, the Senate Ways and Means Committee will hear two early learning related bills – SSB 5062 (Stanford) the Child Care Workforce Standards bill, as well as SB 5130 (Wilson) which would eliminate child care licensing fees.

Licensing Bills Receive Hearings

• On February 12, the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee is scheduled to hear two licensing related bills. The first, HB 1033 (Couture), would allow counties to license and regulate child care centers and family child care homes.
• The second, HB 1363 (Caldier), would change the maximum group size and ratios of center staff to children. Specifically, it would provide that preschoolers have a maximum group size of 21 with a ratio of no less than 1:11 (teacher: children), and a school-age maximum group size of 31 with a ratio of no less than 1:16. It would also change current law to specify that licensed indoor early learning program space must have a minimum of 34 square feet per child in attendance. (Currently, preschool group size is 20 with a ratio of 1:10, school-age group size is 30 with a ratio of 1:15, and required program space is 35 square feet per child.)

Leveraging Existing Buildings for Child Care

• On February 12, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee will hear SB 5655 (Krishnadasan) – the companion to HB 1582 (Caldier). This bill seeks to make changes to child care licensing requirements so the calculated occupancy load of existing buildings with more than one use (such as churches), would only be based on the space where the child care is provided. The intent of the bill is to leverage existing buildings for child care space.

Bills, Bills, Bills

Governor Ferguson’s Child Care for Small Business/Working Connections Child Care Delay Introduced

HB 1865 (Bergquist) contains Governor Ferguson’s plan to expand eligibility for Working Connections Child Care for families where at least one household member is employed by a small business (defined as 50 or fewer employees) and the household income does not exceed 75 percent of State Median Income at the time of application or, if funds are provided, beginning January 1, 2031, does not exceed 85 percent of State Median Income.

The bill also delays implementation of income eligibility provisions included in the Fair Start for Kids Act. Specifically, it delays the expansion of income eligibility from 60 to 75 percent of State Median Income from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2029. It also delays the next phase of eligibility expansion from 75 to 85 percent of State Median Income from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2031, pending the availability of funding.

Increasing Working Connections Access for Graduate and Other Professional Students

Newly appointed House Member Zahn introduced HB 1873 (Zahn) to increase access to Working Connections Child Care for full-time students in graduate and professional education programs at institutions of higher education. The bill sets annual household income at 85 percent of State Median Income for this specific program.

As a reminder, each Thursday, Start Early Washington updates its bill tracker with the latest information on bills we are following. If you would like us to do a deeper dive on a particular bill in a future newsletter, let us know!

The Illinois Policy Team at Start Early is pleased to release our annual Illinois Legislative Agenda, a snapshot of the budget requests and legislative priorities for which Start Early will be advocating during the spring 2025 legislative session in the state.

With the new legislative session underway, our team is focused on moving forward funding requests and legislation that will support families and providers across our early childhood system.

Our goals for the year include:

• Increasing funding for the Early Intervention (EI) program, maternal and child home visiting programs, the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), the Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) and the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE)
• Supporting legislation to improve the licensing process for child care providers
• Supporting legislation to create an advisory committee on preschool special education
• Supporting legislation to creating the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program