On May 20, 2025, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law the 2025–27 state operating budget that included challenging, responsive choices addressing the $16 billion deficit.
Many families living in Washington state qualify for free or low-cost child care, but they may not know about it. You can help by sharing information with parents, caregivers, and your community.
The Washington state Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) has put together a toolkit with ready-to-use materials that make spreading the word easy!
You may qualify for free or low-cost child care through Washington state’s Working Connections Child Care Subsidy program. It’s available to more families than ever, and signing up is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
If you qualify, you’ll pay no more than $165 a month. Some families pay nothing at all!
Attention Washington State Child Care Providers!
Across three-acres of farmland in Issaquah—featuring endless muddy puddles, trails, and towering trees—children ages 2-6 attending Forest Friends Preschool (FFP) learn about the boundless world around them through outside, imaginative play, featuring cows, sheep, and even alpacas.
One of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ (DCYF) strategic goals is to “create a high-quality integrated Birth-8 system.”
The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is pleased to announce that the Early Childhood Equity Grant application is now available.*
Read this full article in Español and Soomaali.
DCYF has decided to pause the 2025 Community Child Care Conversations. Updates on in-person Conversations will be provided in late spring 2025 following the Legislative session.
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) reminds licensed child care providers that the 2025 Child Care Complex Needs Fund application will be closing at 5 p.m. on March 19, 2025.
The 2025 Child Care Complex Needs Fund application is now open. Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) will accept applications until 5 p.m. on March 5, 2025.
The fund supports eligible child care providers serving children with developmental delays, behavioral needs, and other disabilities.