King County Proposition 1, the Best Starts For Kids initiative, represents a long sought, new opportunity to invest in our kids and provide our shared hope for all of them.
Prop 1 invests in prevention and early intervention, early and often, on a scale never before attempted by government, at any level, anywhere in the country.
To quote King County Executive Dow Constantine, Best Starts For Kids uses “world-class science and research – much developed right here at the University of Washington – as well as input from a wide range of our community partners, practitioners and other experts to define a strategic set of investments in best and promising practices needed to ensure all of our children have the best start in life and succeed in their journey to adulthood.”
The King County Council agreed and by a robust 8-1 vote (July 22) placed Best Starts For Kids on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
The six-year levy lid lift of 14 cents per $1,000 assessed property valuation will generate $65.4 million per year, costing the average King County homeowner about $56 per year. It is worth noting the 2016 King County budget provides less than $2 million for “all” human services funding across all ages and services, while 75 percent of the budget is spent on criminal justice expenses.
Recognizing that funding level and the $63 million Best Starts will generate each year, “all” of it for kids, one can easily begin to realize the scope and scale of this proposal, giving us a real chance to significantly reduce those criminal justice costs in the future by investing in a best start for our kids.
Proposition 1 calls for: 50 percent of the levy funds being invested in preschool age children and families (readying them for school); 35 percent being invested in strategies focused on children and youth age 5 through 24 (sustaining them in school); and 9 percent supporting communities in building their own capacity to create positive change (“place matters” to a child’s and family’s success in school and life).
Prop 1 also would support evaluation, data collection and improving the delivery of services and programs for children and youth; youth and family homelessness prevention; initial levy collections; and prior to completion of an implementation planning process, it would be used to create a family and youth homelessness prevention initiative modeled on a successful pilot implemented by organizations serving survivors of domestic violence.
Once Proposition 1 is approved by voters, an implementation planning process involving communities and interested individuals throughout King County will begin and an advisory and oversight board will help ensure that the strategies are implemented in a manner that is appropriate for all cultural and ethnic groups. The distribution of funds will be equitably based on need throughout the county and each child and their caregivers will receive the tools and level of support they need.
Ballots are arriving this next week in your mailbox. I urge you to quickly complete and return your ballot, marking “yes” for passage of Best Starts For Kids Proposition 1. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the voters of King County. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our kids.
Michael Heinisch is the executive director of the Kent Youth and Family Services. Reach him at 253-859-0300, ext. 3002, or mikeh@kyfs.org.
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