Washington legislators are trying to balance the budget this month and they are working with a proposed budget from Gov. Christine Gregoire that would take a big chunk out of child care subsidies, but would not cut the state’s preschool program.

In the governor’s budget, Working Connections Child Care, which helps lower-income families with child care costs, would be cut by $50 million, a move that would translate into 4,000 children losing care, the Children’s Alliance reports.  The budget proposal, which is required to be balanced, would also eliminate funding for the Child Care Resource & Referral Network, an organization that helps parents find child care and navigate the early learning system.

Once again, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) would not be cut, with funding remaining at its current level. Even as the economy and tax revenue slumped in recent years, the preschool program’s funding remained relatively stable.

After a several years of budget deficits and a still-anemic economy, the governor and legislators have few relatively easy cuts left. Nothing is set, however. The state legislature is weighing the governor’s budget as it crafts its own fiscal plan. 

And Gov. Gregoire also proposed revenue-generating measures, including a temporary half-cent sales tax increase that voters would have to approve, to restore some funding.
 
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