The passage of Best Starts for Kids is an exciting opportunity to find out how much investing in prevention might cure King County’s ballooning human service and criminal justice costs.
VOTERS’ approval of the Best Starts for Kids levy this election cycle is a smart investment in King County’s future.
A growing body of science indicates the first five years of a child’s life are critical for brain development, so helping parents raise healthy babies during this period is important.
Best Starts for Kids is the first ballot measure of its kind, attacking the root causes of societal problems that cause many children to fare worse than their peers later in life.
Without this infusion of prevention and intervention funding, too many children are at risk of suffering traumatic experiences and starting school behind their peers. Meanwhile, the human-services and criminal-justice systems are gobbling up an ever-larger chunk of taxpayers’ money.
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King County Executive Dow Constantine promises Best Starts for Kids will focus on doing what’s best for children, not simply protecting programs: “The question is not whether this work will produce positive results, but rather how can we maximize the good we’re getting from these funds?”
Over the next six years, about $65 million collected annually will be distributed four ways:
• 50 percent for early childhood development programs, such as home visits and identifying kids with developmental disabilities earlier
• 35 percent for intervention strategies to assist troubled youths
• 10 percent for Communities of Opportunity, a partnership between the county and the Seattle Foundation to help at-risk families
• 5 percent for data collection and assessments
Within a few years, the success of Best Starts for Kids will be measured through indicators including healthy baby, obesity, school-suspension and truancy rates.
Voters expect transparency at every stage, so it’s good to know county staff, the executive’s office and the Metropolitan King County County Council will be balanced by an expert panel and a citizens’ advisory committee.
Many parents have reportedly asked for a single phone number they can call to access help and referrals. The county should make sure they get it.
Best Starts for Kids represents an exciting opportunity to help solve small problems for children and families to prevent larger challenges and community costs later.