Last year, New Orleans added more than 1,000 child care seats for low-income families after voters approved a historic property tax increasein 2022. The referendum raised the budget of the program seven-fold — from $3 million to $21 million a year for 20 years. Because Louisiana’s early childhood fund matches money raised locally for child care, the city gets an additional $21 million to help families find care.

New Orleans is part of a growing trend of communities passing ballot measures to expand access to child care. In Whatcom County, Washington, a property tax increase added $10 million for child care and children’s mental health to the county’s annual budget. A marijuana sales tax approved last year by voters in Anchorage, Alaska, will generate more than $5 million for early childhood programs.

The state of Texas has taken a somewhat different tack. In November, voters approved a state constitutional amendment that allows tax relief for qualifying child care providers. Under this provision, cities and counties can choose to exempt a child care center from paying all or some of its property taxes. Dallas was among the first city-and-county combo in Texas to provide the tax break.

  • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
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    6 months ago

    apples and oranges dude. this article is about child care, not education. youre not wrong about education also taking a back seat, but this is an article about the critical nature of child care and a mild success in its implementation, not the also critically important child education.

    • Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      Childcare is the colloquialism for Early Childhood Education.

      So no, not apples and oranges, it’s bananas and nanas.

        • Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works
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          6 months ago

          I work in the industry, we are educators.

          And if you think teachers in schools are getting compensated well you’re also mistaken.

          You don’t know what you’re on about, got it.