State challenges
Amid confusion about the status of Head Start funding, Washington state is also cutting funding for its early learning programs.
The state’s early-learning program, known as the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, offers services similar to those provided by Head Start. The state program was set to become an entitlement in 2026.
But as lawmakers faced a multibillion-dollar budget hole over the next four years, they chose to delay the expansion. They also eliminated funding for a free early-learning program for children from birth to age 3, effectively ending support for the 200 low-income families who use it.
Lawmakers also cut some half-day preschool slots that were
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