Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled her economic growth agenda for the country’s capital as part of her priorities for the District of Columbia’s fiscal 2026 budget. 

The mayor has announced plans to surge educational spending in the new budget, proposing a $123 million increase over the last fiscal year. Last month, she unrolled a package ​​centered on childcare and early learning programs that would funnel $19.5 million for Washington’s Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program, $86 million for the D.C. Child Care Subsidy Program, and $70 million for the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.