The city of Spokane and Spokane Public Schools are partnering on a new pilot program aimed at increasing access to affordable, high-quality child care, the city announced in a press release on June 22.

The program will begin in fall 2026 at three initial locations in Spokane: Balboa Elementary School, at 3010 W. Holyoke; Whitman Elementary School, at 5400 N. Helena; and the Garland Center, at 2118 W. Garland.

The Garland Center is also home to Spokane Public Schools' MAP program, according to the organization's website. MAP, which stands for Multi-Agency Partnership, is a referral-only, mental health-driven school for students grades six through 12.

The school district will make space available for child care programming, and the city is leading efforts to identify and partner with qualified child care providers to operate the services within those spaces, according to the press release.

The additional child care resources could reshape Spokane’s child care possibilities for generations, says Adam Swinyard, Spokane Public Schools superintendent and one of the Journal's 2026 People of Influence honorees.

“By expanding access to high-quality child care and early learning close to home, we are giving every child the connection, support, and opportunities they need for a strong start and a brighter future,” he says.

Access to affordable child care is a critical need in Spokane, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown says in the release.

“This pilot is an exciting first step toward what we hope will become a scalable model that expands access to early learning opportunities across neighborhoods throughout our city,” she says.

The city of Spokane is planning to develop a formal Request for Proposals to expand the program into additional schools and neighborhoods in the future. The city will announce additional details about provider selection, implementation timelines, and how families can register their children in the coming months.

As of 2024, at least 61% of children under the age of 6 in Spokane County have parents in the workforce and 39% don't have access to early learning, the Journal previously reported. The average cost for child care in Spokane County is about $1,300 a month, as of December 2025.