Gov. Bob Ferguson on Saturday signed a law creating a new PreK Promise Account, a state fund that lets Washington accept private donations to rapidly grow its public preschool program, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). The goal is to open up thousands of additional high-quality preschool seats for low-income 3- and 4-year-olds across the state.
What the PreK Promise Account does
The new law sets up a custodial account in the state treasurer’s office that can receive gifts, grants and donations, and can be spent only on ECEAP. Under the statute, the secretary of the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is the only official who may authorize expenditures from the account. Every receipt must be tracked by donor, and money in the account does not need a separate vote of the legislature before it is spent. The bill also includes an emergency clause that makes the account effective immediately, according to Engrossed Senate Bill 5872.
Ballmer Group pledge at the center
The account was drafted with a very specific donor in mind. In November, the governor’s office said the Ballmer Group philanthropy committed to funding up to 10,000 additional ECEAP seats over the next decade, a contribution that could total more than $1 billion, with the state aiming to add roughly 2,000 seats next school year. Supporters say the private dollars will let the state ramp up services more quickly and give preschool providers time to build capacity. According to the governor’s office, creating the account was the required next step for the state to accept that philanthropic commitment.
How it moved through Olympia
The legislation moved through Olympia as a governor-request bill, carried by Sen. Claire Wilson and Rep. Steve Bergquist as companion measures (SB 5872 and HB 2159). It cleared the Senate with broad support after testimony from Ballmer Group representatives, DCYF officials and early-learning advocates. The Senate bill report records the votes and summarizes the public testimony that helped push the bill forward.
Officials, advocates and oversight questions
In a Facebook post about the signing, Gov. Ferguson thanked Sen. Wilson and Rep. Bergquist and called the move critical to accepting what he described as “an incredible gift” from the Ballmer Group. He also pointed to the state’s budget challenges and the rising costs families are facing. Facebook carries his full message and framing of the deal.
While the governor’s office and early-learning supporters highlight the speed and scale that this private funding could bring, some observers warn that donor-directed public accounts come with their own set of questions. Concerns focus on oversight and how arrangements like this interact with the normal legislative appropriation process. Policy trackers and bill summaries have flagged those issues, and the Digital Democracy Project outlines the arguments raised around the new account.
What’s next
With the account now authorized, state officials say they will finalize a memorandum of understanding with the Ballmer Group, while DCYF sets up systems to track and segregate receipts so that donations are spent only on eligible ECEAP seats. Because the bill carries an emergency clause, it took effect immediately, which means money can start moving once the memorandum and transfers are in place and the DCYF secretary signs off on expenditures.
The statute also requires DCYF to keep receipts separate for each organization that deposits money into the account, as specified in Engrossed Senate Bill 5872. For families and early-childhood providers, the new account is pitched as a faster route to more state-funded preschool options. The real test will come as officials hammer out the public-private agreements and accounting details that decide how quickly new classrooms and seats actually appear.
