Three Kent early learning centers receive state grants
Published 2:40 pm Friday, April 17, 2026
Three Kent early learning facilities received a total of $464,555 in grants from the state Department of Commerce.
The three locations are part of the $55.8 million in grants to 74 early learning providers across Washington, which was announced April 16 by Gov. Bob Ferguson. The awards are through Commerce’s Early Learning Facilities (ELF) program.
Little Scholars Montessori Academy, 19300 108th Ave. SE (inside New Beginnings Church), on Kent’s East Hill, received $187,00 for expansion and pre-design, according to the Commerce list.
The Goddard School of Kent, 24116 132nd Ave. SE, also on the East Hill, received a $144,853 grant for maintenance. That grant was awarded through Bonney Lake Property Holdings, a property investment company based in Issaquah, according to the Office of the Secretary of State business listings.
The third Kent grant was $132,698 for maintenance at a family home facility, whose name was not released. The names and locations of in-home care providers (family home facility) that are not operating under a commercial license were simplified to protect sensitive personal information, according to the Department of Commerce.
Certified providers that are receiving the grant funds include local governments and school districts, at-home facilities and commercial properties, among others.
“As a parent, I know how critical high-quality child care and early learning opportunities are for working families in Washington,” Ferguson said. “I insisted that the Millionaires’ Tax provide significant relief for working families, including additional support for early learning. Thanks to the generosity of the Ballmer Group, we’re on track to provide early learning to thousands more kids over the next decade. With these grants, we are working to build more capacity – literally – for our child care and early learning providers.”
The largest grants statewide were for expansion, acquisition, construction or renovation. That included $8.2 million to city of Republic; $5.7 million to Kids Learning Adventure in Lakewood; and $5.7 million to Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation in Poulsbo.
“As a working mom myself, I know firsthand how much it means to know your kiddo is safe, happy, and learning while you’re at work,” said Commerce Interim Director Sarah Clifthorne. “These investments in early learning spaces breaks down one of the biggest hurdles faced by working families with young children and will help neighborhoods across Washington state thrive.”
In all, Commerce received 325 applications requesting a total of $277 million, showing that the need is high, according to the department. Awardees were chosen based on the number of early learning spaces for kids from low-income families, the project location relative to other early learning facilities, and projects located in rural locations and low-income neighborhoods, among other factors.
The Early Learning Facilities Program, which Commerce administers, has awarded more than $235 million to create nearly 15,000 child care slots statewide since 2017.
