The Ballmer Group Philanthropy has pledged roughly $1 billion over the subsequent decade to considerably enhance preschool entry for low-income households in Washington.
The state’s 40-year-old Early Childhood Schooling and Help Program (ECEAP) at the moment serves greater than 14,000 college students. With the brand new funding, it should add about 10,000 further seats, beginning with 2,000 new spots subsequent 12 months.
Representatives with the Ballmer Group, created by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his spouse Connie Ballmer, introduced the present in the present day alongside Gov. Bob Ferguson, lawmakers and educators.
So as to use the funding, the state can not cut back the variety of state-funded ECEAP seats.
The help comes as Washington is dealing with price range shortfalls and the Trump administration has beforehand withheld funding for Head Begin and may spike the preschool program.
“The Ballmer Group’s funding units up an revolutionary public-private partnership, and can remodel the lives of 1000’s of little Washingtonians and their households,” Ferguson mentioned.
The philanthropy beforehand gave $43 million in 2023 to help early childhood schooling in Washington.
Ballmer, who led Microsoft from 2000 to 2014, has a web price of $154.2 billion, based on Forbes. He stays the tech large’s largest shareholder.
