DCYF Early Childhood Equity Grant 2025-2026 Technical Assistance
DCYF EARLY CHILDHOOD EQUITY GRANT – 2025 to 2026
Equity grant application is open until 5 PM on May 27, 2025.
ABOUT THE GRANT
The Fair Start for Kids Act (FSKA) directs the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to distribute funds to support inclusive and culturally and linguistically specific early learning and early childhood and parent support programs across the state. The funds are distributed through the Early Childhood Equity Grant and are intended to serve as a step toward expanding access to early learning statewide and transforming Washington’s early learning system to make it more inclusive and equitable. The Washington State Legislature passed the FSKA in 2021. The total budget allocation for the grant is authorized by the Legislature and may change.
HELPFUL LINKS
Equity grant application is open until 5 PM May 27, 2025.
CONTACT US
WHAT HAS CHANGED?
DCYF began requiring grantees to attend a special technical assistance session before they can receive payment. DCYF provides this technical assistance session at no charge, and at a mutually-agreed-upon time after funding decisions are finalized.
For more details on the updates DCYF made and the feedback that inspired them, see the Overview of Round 2 Refinements on the DCYF website.
Equity grant application is open until May 27, 2025.
- Licensed or certified ECEAP facilities: Apply through WA Compass
- ECEAP Contractors and Play and Learn Group Host Organizations: Apply Here
ELIGIBILITY
The Early Childhood Equity Grant is awarded through a competitive grant process. Applying does not guarantee that an eligible provider will receive a grant award. It is likely that there will be a large number of applications that DCYF is unable to fund. Eligible applicants may only receive an Early Childhood Equity Grant every two years.
Eligibility is open to:
Licensed, certified, or certified for payment only child care providers with an open license in good standing.
License-exempt Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) providers serving children receiving state subsidies.
Licensed ECEAP/Early ECEAP sites.
ECEAP/Early ECEAP contractors.
Play and Learn Group Host Organizations recognized by Child Care Aware of Washington (CCA of WA) and currently receive funding and/or direct programming support from CCA of WA to actively provide direct and virtual education and materials to parents and FFN caregivers. This is the result of a contractual agreement between CCA of WA and the State of Washington and applies to Play and Learn Groups.
Unlicensed ECEAP sites may not apply for this grant. ECEAP/Early ECEAP Contractors may submit a single application with information on all sites included in their project.
Facilities that are both licensed and serving ECEAP slots may apply on their own. Licensed sites cannot receive Early Childhood Equity Grant Funding from both their contractor and directly from DCYF.
Play and Learn groups should submit a single application per host organization, with information on all sites included in their project.
What can the Grant be Used for?
Preventing suspension and expulsion. Some examples of project activities might include:
- Establishing clear protocols for responding to challenging behaviors and purchasing materials to implement those protocols
- Increasing family partnership in supporting children with challenging behaviors (for example, bringing in an interpreter/translator when appropriate)
- Offering staff training about reducing challenging behaviors and trauma-informed care
- Providing access to a mental health consultant, coach, or other professional for staff to work with when responding to developmental or behavioral concerns
Increasing the use of research-informed social-emotional teaching practices. Some examples of project activities might include:
- Purchasing the materials and doing training to implement an evidence-based social-emotional learning program and/or a curriculum with a strong focus on social-emotional development
- Training supervisors to implement a reflective supervision program for teachers
Increasing the use of culturally and linguistically responsive practices and decreasing bias in the classroom. Some examples of project activities might include:
- Hiring specialized staff, e.g., bilingual staff
- Training teachers to work effectively with diverse populations
- Providing opportunities for staff to learn about intentionally countering stereotypes and biases
- Purchasing the materials and doing training to implement a curriculum with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Inviting family members to share cultural traditions with children and purchasing materials to help children engage with those traditions
- Implementing a language policy that embraces children’s home languages and that allows providers to set specific language goals for children in conjunction with parents’ wishes, for example by purchasing new books in preferred languages or integrating preferred languages into lessons
Offering ongoing child assessment and developmental screening
- Purchasing any materials and/or training needed to implement assessments that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate for the children being assessed
- Tools that help teachers document child growth and development
- Increasing ability of teachers to individualize programming for children
Connecting families to services and supports that meet health, mental health, financial, or other needs
- Increasing the ability for staff to help families access services that address housing, mental health, substance abuse problems, and other challenges
- Translating resources
Other: another project to incorporate inclusive practices, culturally and linguistically supportive and relevant practices, or both into early learning program design, delivery, education, training, and/or evaluation. You must describe the intended outcome of your project.
All funding requested needs to be related to your chosen outcome/goal. You can request funding in the following categories for up to the listed amounts:
| Category | What is included? | Maximum Request |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring Specialized staff | Costs for adding specialized staff needed to complete the project activities | $100,000 |
| Child care materials and experiences | Materials needed to complete the project activities that will be used by children or by staff during care of children, or activities that will be carried out with children (e.g., culturally relevant toys, field trips) | $20,000 |
| Office and business supplies | Materials needed to complete the project activities that will be used primarily by staff when not directly caring for children | $10,000 |
| Staff training | Costs for training needed to complete the project activities and any associated costs | $50,000 |
| Program evaluation and assessment tools | Tools to evaluate different aspects of your program, or your program overall | $10,000 |
| Other services | Other services needed to complete the project activities (e.g., translation service) | $20,000 |
| Other materials | Other materials needed to complete the project activities (e.g., educational materials about challenging behaviors for parents) | $20,000 |
in the “How are Grant Amounts Decided” section above.
- Activities or materials that do not advance or inspire practices that promote inclusive and culturally responsive learning, environments, and enhanced language access
- Costs not related to the project outcome
- Religious activities or purposes, including worship or instruction
- Academic, professional, or vocational degrees or certificates, or classes in such programs
- Capital improvements, like major construction or renovation
-
General program costs, like the basic expenses of owning and operating your business.
This includes things like:
- Regular payroll costs for existing staff that you already employ in your business
- Costs of purchasing, owning, or maintaining a vehicle
- Costs associated with the space out of which you operate, like rent or utilities
- Insurance
- Federal taxes
- Indirect costs
- Other business operating costs - Raises or bonuses for existing staff, or newly hired staff who are not part of your project
- Gifts for families
This can include things like:
- Program Design: curricula; development of policies and procedures; other activities or materials as identified by providers.
- Program Delivery: hiring specialized staff for your program; classroom materials; experiences (cultural experiences, field trips); other activities or materials as identified by providers.
- Staff Education and Training: conference registrations, on- or off-site training; college courses related to inclusive/equitable, culturally/linguistically supportive practices; education supports (ex: books, computers or equipment, other training or learning materials); other activities or materials as identified by providers.
- Program Evaluation: assessment tools; consultation to complete evaluation; administering assessments focused on equity; other activities or materials as identified by providers
Application Information
- Applicant Selection
The Early Childhood Equity Grant is awarded through a competitive grant process. All applications received within the application period will be reviewed. First, all applications will be screened for eligibility and completeness using the criteria described in the Application Preview Guide.To be considered, applications must be complete, for eligible facilities, and propose projects that are eligible for funding. If more eligible applications are submitted for funding than DCYF is able to fund, which is what we expect, the agency will prioritize applications according to factors decided in collaboration with providers and other stakeholders during the design and refinement process. Once an applicant has been awarded grant funds, all funds must be spent within two years of receiving the grant award and within the scope of the proposed project.
- Screening
- Provider Eligibility
Applications that do not meet the eligibility requirements described in Section 2: Eligibility will not be considered for funding. - Project Eligibility
Grant funds must be used for a project with one of the listed outcomes/goals described above. For more details, please see the “What Can Funds Be Used For?” section above and the Application Preview Guide.Applications that do not meet this standard will not be considered for funding.
- Completeness
To be considered complete, all necessary questions must be answered with relevant information, and the answers must be clear and understandable. Applications that do not meet this standard will not be considered for funding. For example, providers may request funding in multiple categories, and the funding requested in each category must add up to the total funding request.
Important information
Providers should review their applications carefully before submitting them to make sure each necessary question is answered and that their answers make sense. Providers are encouraged to review their applications with our Technical Assistance partner.
Providers can request the amount of funding needed to make the desired improvement(s) to their early learning program design, program delivery, program evaluation, and/or staff education/training. Providers may request funds in any or all of these categories.
| Provider Type | Minimum Award | Maximum Award |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed/certified providers | $5,000 | $100,000 |
| Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) providers | $100 | $2,000 |
| Play and Learn Host Organizations | $5,000 | $30,000 |
| ECEAP/Early ECEAP contractors | $5,000 | $100,000 |
Applications with requests outside of those ranges will not be considered.
Award amounts will vary by provider type. DCYF will accept requests within the following ranges based on provider type:
Providers must keep all receipts from purchases made with Early Childhood Equity Grant funds for five years and may be asked to submit receipts to DCYF. If the provider is unable to submit receipts, they may be required to return part or all of the funds to the State of Washington.
| Application opens | April 14, 2025 |
| Application closes | May 27, 2025 at 5pm |
| Applicants notified about whether they are finalists | Mid June 2025 |
| Scoring team meets | June/July 2025 |
| Finalists are notified of award decisions and required technical assistance session deadline | August 2025 |
| Payments processed | 2-4 weeks after technical assistance session deadline |
Need Assistance?
Technical assistance is available in both 1-on-1 or small group sessions.
These sessions can be delivered in-person, virtually, or over the phone.
Technical assistance is available to support you in your preferred language.
Technical assistance can:
- Help you apply for the DCYF Early Childhood Equity Grant
- Understand how funding can be used, and records need to be maintained
- Connect providers to resources and answer additional questions.
Contact us to connect with a Technical Assistant
Call us at 206-492-5249 or email us at TA@imaginewa.org.
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