Ballmer pledge fuels ECAP expansion; MOU ties funds to state match and reporting

DCYF Assistant Secretary of Early Learning Nicole Rose said the Ballmer Group has pledged to grant “up to a $170,000,000 per year” to expand the state-funded pre-K program known as ECAP, provided the state meets the MOU’s terms and maintains state funding levels.

The MOU — which DCYF officials described as the mechanism that activates Ballmer funds into the Pre-K Promise account — allows grants to be used for ECAP slot rates, up to 5% for agency administrative costs, quality supports such as curricula and assessment, and a complex‑needs fund. Nicole Rose said the agreement requires Washington to maintain at least the FY27 appropriation and at least 9,000 school-day slots to continue receiving the private funds.

“A focus on increasing access to school day slots and, really helping us think about how we’re gonna get the right slots,” Rose said during the presentation, calling ECAP a comprehensive program modeled on Head Start. DCYF laid out reporting obligations to Ballmer that include average slot costs, how slots were awarded, locations served, the number of children receiving ECAP and Working Connections, and demographic and outcome data.

DCYF senior staff and partners emphasized the MOU’s conditionality. The agency noted the Ballmer Group “is willing to look at any additional amount if Washington state increases the funded slot rate, the administrative rate, or quality supports,” but that state budget decisions affect the ultimate flow of the philanthropic dollars.

Why it matters: The Ballmer commitment, if sustained, would dramatically expand state-funded preschool capacity; the MOU’s state-match requirement means expansion depends on sustained public appropriations as well as successful contract administration and monitoring.