(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser previewed a portion of her Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget proposal by announcing full FY26 funding for the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program (PKEEP), the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (Pay Equity Fund), and the DC Child Care Subsidy Program. These three critical investments support high-quality early learning and care for DC’s youngest residents and their families.
“We know that when we invest in our children and families there are many benefits – for our children’s learning and development, for our neighborhoods, and for keeping families in DC,” said Mayor Bowser. “With the fiscal 2026 budget, we’re not standing still. While our economy is shifting, we’re still focused on the people, programs, and economic growth that make Washington, DC a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”
The FY26 budget will fully fund the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program (PKEEP) at $19.5 million in local funds, reinforcing the District's commitment to high-quality pre-K. PKEEP supports pre-K seats for 3- and 4-year-olds outside of DC Public Schools and DC public charter schools, ensuring more access and options for families across all eight wards. In the current fiscal year, 26 PKEEP community-based organizations (CBOs) serve 1,050 children across all eight wards.
The budget also includes $70 million in local dollars to fully fund the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund. The Pay Equity Fund helps child development facilities offer competitive wages and healthcare. Since its launch, Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) has distributed more than $177 million to boost the pay of 3,600 early educators across the District and support the retention of 365 child development centers.
Additionally, the DC Child Care Subsidy Program, which helps eligible DC families pay for the cost of child care, will be funded at $86 million in the FY26 budget. The program provides families with low and moderate incomes, or other special circumstances, access to high-quality education and care in the District. In FY24, enrollment rose by 15%, from 5,043 children to 5,750, after Mayor Bowser raised the eligibility for the child care subsidy from 250% to 300% of the federal poverty line. As of March 2025, 6,796 children were enrolled in the program.
“I am deeply grateful to Mayor Bowser for continuing to prioritize early education and fully funding the PKEEP, Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, and the Child Care Subsidy Program in her Fiscal Year 2026 budget,” said Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell, DC’s Acting State Superintendent of Education. “These investments in support of early learning are critically important to families in DC and the early childhood educators who teach our youngest learners each day.”
The Mayor also announced that the budget will include $23 million to support the renovation of the former Department of Parks and Recreation headquarters building located at 3149 16th Street, which will be converted into pre-K classrooms for 3- and 4-year-olds to support the growing Bancroft community.
DC’s robust early childhood programs are a national model. Today, around 80% of 3-year-olds and 95% of 4-year-olds in DC are enrolled in publicly funded pre-K for free, far higher than the national averages of 7% and 35%.
The District’s public schools continue to see improvements in both student performance and enrollment, and DC remains the fastest-improving urban school district in the nation. On the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), DC fourth graders tied for the greatest gains in math nationwide and outpaced both big-city and national averages in reading. Additionally, public school enrollment also increased for the third consecutive year to 99,237 students.
In addition to early childhood investments, earlier this year, Mayor Bowser announced a 2.74% increase to the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) foundation level for FY26, bringing it to $15,070 per student. This investment will support nearly 100,000 students and builds on last year’s historic increase, helping schools maintain strong staffing and academic momentum.
In the coming days, the Mayor will share more about her Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which is focused on schools, a clean and safe DC, and a transformational Economic growth agenda.
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