Washington state won its Race to the Top grant less than a month ago, but the hard work of turning its proposal into a reality is about to begin.

One of the early learning community’s biggest issues in the Washington legislative session that begins Monday is revising WaKIDs, a pilot kindergarten assessment program, so it can be implemented statewide by the 2014/2015 school year, according to the Department of Early Learning.

Expansion of WaKIDs was a key element of Washington’s Race to the Top application.

Another top goal will be preserving funding for existing early education programs - public preschool and child care subsidies are among the biggest - as policymakers look to cut $1 billion to $1.5 billion from the state budget. So far, the outlook is mixed. In December, Gov. Christine Gregoire proposed keeping funding at the current level for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, the state-supported preschool system. The governor, however, also recommended cutting $50 million from the child care subsidies program, Working Connections Child Care.

Gov. Gregoire is a longtime supporter of early learning, but she has to craft a balanced budget. After having to close a series of large budget deficits in recent years, she has little flexibility remaining.

This session a big early education issue also could be creating a voluntary pre-kindergarten system as an entitlement program, DEL says. Given the lack of funds for new initiatives this would appear to be an uphill battle this year. If legislators focus on this issue, they likely will consider enacting an incremental plan that relies on future revenue increases, when the economy finally turns around. An expected bill would require no new money in 2013, would turn to DEL for initial planning costs, and not be fully funded until 2024-25.

Legislators may also consider a plan to streamline child care subsidies by requiring a review of a recipient’s eligibility every 12 months. Currently, the vast majority of families who rely on this aid are reviewed every six months or more frequently.

It should be an interesting session. Stay tuned.