At its meeting earlier this month, the Solid Ground Board of Directors voted unanimously to endorse King County Proposition 1, the Best Starts for Kids Levy renewal, on the upcoming August 3 primary ballot.

The original Best Starts for Kids Levy, approved by voters in 2015, raised around $440 million to support critical programs and services for tens of thousands of kids in King County, many of them in underserved communities. This money has allowed King County to make major investments in Prenatal-5 family support, preventing youth and family homelessness, and community-driven partnerships that address emotional growth, early engagement with youth, and racial and social equity priorities.

Now it’s time to renew the levy and build on its success. KC Prop. 1 would increase the existing levy to help pay for:

• Out-of-school-time programs for children aged 5-12
• Transitions-to-adulthood programs for teens and young adults aged 14-24
• A new childcare subsidy that will make childcare affordable for more than 3,000 families living with low incomes
• Ensuring that childcare workers are paid a living wage

Lack of access to childcare is reaching crisis levels in our region, and the impacts fall most heavily on families living on low incomes. These are absolutely essential investments that were determined with significant community input and a focus on moving toward racial equity in King County.

For property owners, KC Prop. 1 would increase the Best Starts for Kids Levy from 14 cents per $1,000 in assessed value to 19 cents, generating an anticipated $872 million.

We join a growing consensus of community stakeholders – including The Seattle Times Editorial Board and a long list of endorsements by labor unions, service providers and community groups – who know that renewing the Best Starts for Kids Levy is critical for the wellbeing of children and families across our county. But we face a major obstacle: Making sure that enough King County voters know there’s an election this August and ensuring they turn in their ballots to renew the levy.

Want to get involved?

In the weeks leading up to the August 3 primary, we hope all Solid Ground community members will join us in our work to turn out the vote in favor of King County Proposition 1! And besides casting your ballot, consider going to the Best Starts for Kids Get Involved page to learn how you can request yard signs, sign up to knock on doors, join a phone bank, and endorse the campaign.