Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson speaks to Andi Smith of the Ballmer Group after the announcement of a major new philanthropic donation to fund early childhood education on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, at the Denise Louie Education Center in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)
The Ballmer Group on Wednesday committed hundreds of millions of dollars for free preschool in Washington, a massive philanthropic contribution amid state budget cuts and federal rollbacks.
The donation of up to $170 million per year for the next decade could fund 10,000 additional slots in the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, or ECEAP, for low-income families. The program currently has just over 14,000 slots statewide at over 460 locations…