Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire’s budget looks even tighter after exploring the details, which include proposals to eliminate health care coverage for children and to scrap plans for smaller kindergarten classes.

There may be more bad news on the way. The state’s Department of Social and Health Services could announce deeper cuts to federally funded child care subsidies as early as Friday. Earlier this year, eligibility for the aid was reduced to families earning less than 175 percent of the federal poverty line from 200 percent.

One of the biggest cuts in the Governor’s proposed budget would be to the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program. The proposal would reduce the preschool program by largely focusing it on four-year-old students. The governor’s budget also would not continue funding for Reach Out and Read Washington, a children’s literacy program that’s delivered through pediatricians who serve primarily low-income families.

While the budget is tough, the governor has to propose a new fiscal blueprint that does not rely on new revenue sources in December. After several years of a deep recession, then a barely noticeable economic recovery and falling tax revenues, Gregoire’s options are limited.

Early learning advocates, however, criticized the governor’s priorities and fiscal plan.

Tough choices are clearly needed to balance the budget. However, I question whether it makes sense to ask the most at-risk toddlers in the state to be the ones to bear the brunt of the cuts. These children did not create the budget crisis. Adults did that all by themselves. But the children appear to be the ones that are being asked to pay for it. – Statement from Joel Ryan, executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start & ECEAP. 12/14/10.

Of course, the budget process is only beginning, and it’s unclear how the state Legislature will react to these cuts.

Check out the Department of Early Learning’s blog for its breakdown of Gov. Gregoire’s budget.