Funds will help existing providers renovate facilities in 26 cities, 12 counties.
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Commerce awarded $5.6 million in grants to 37 early learning providers across the state. The funds will help to renovate facilities and sustain existing high-quality childcare opportunities statewide. The funds are awarded in collaboration with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).
These new awards are a continuation of Early Learning Facilities Program awards announced in April. Commerce received significant interest in the 2025 ELF funding cycle, with 325 applications submitted for $277 million, but only $56 million available. The supplemental funding was made possible after the Legislature appropriated additional funds for facility renovations in the 2026 legislative session. These new supplemental funds address a critical gap for provider facilities.
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"Investing in childcare really means investing in families," said Interim Commerce Director Sarah Clifthorne. "When we help providers keep their doors open, we strengthen our communities, help kids get ready for school, and make it easier for parents to work and build economic stability."
Profiles in early care: Sustaining care capacity in Brewster and building it in Republic
Two rural communities in north central Washington will benefit from the ELF funding.
Along the Columbia River and near the exact middle of the state, Maribel’s Day Care in Brewster received $96,263 for minor renovations to the bathroom, kitchen, floors and building utilities. The facility offers early care, which includes childcare and early learning, for up to 12 children, from infant to school age.
"I am extremely excited and grateful for this opportunity," said owner Maribel Torres through an interpreter.
These renovations will create space for a diaper changing table, re-route exposed water pipes, repair water damage in the kitchen, update the electrical panel, and support childproofing.
Further northeast, the City of Republic received $8.6 million in ELF funds earlier this year to acquire property and support construction of the first childcare provider in the city. The facility, which will be built and operated in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Spokane County and the Friends of the Republic Library, is intended to be a multi-purpose community space that includes childcare, a library and a community center.
"We are insanely excited to move this community-changing project forward and to make life better for rural Washingtonians," said Emily Burt, board member for the Friends of the Republic Library.
Photo: A leaky kitchen sink and water damaged cabinets in Maribel’s Day Care. Photo courtesy of Maribel’s Day Care.
About the ELF program
Early Learning Facilities (ELF) grants provide financial assistance to Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) contractors and Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) providers to plan, expand, remodel, purchase, or construct early learning facilities and classrooms. Projects in this funding round received awards only for maintenance projects and minor renovations for existing facilities and do not require creation or expansion of childcare slots, but preservation of existing facilities and care capacity. All grants require a minimum 10-year service commitment period.
Visit the Early Learning Facilities webpage for a list of all the awarded projects and more information about the program. The list is under the "Funding rounds awardees and reports" heading.
The ELF Program, which Commerce administers, has awarded approximately $290 million to create or sustain more than 20,000 childcare slots statewide since 2017. The ELF grant program funds new construction, renovation and acquisition projects that increase or retain early learning capacity at in-home and childcare center facilities with a focus on childcare deserts and children from low-income households.
