More than half of the children entering kindergarten in Whatcom County aren’t ready to learn, according to state data. The statistics are much worse for Hispanic, Native American and low-income children.
A group of nonprofit leaders and health care workers who spoke to the Whatcom County Council Tuesday itemized some of the financial stresses that set these children up for failure. Some young families are homeless and stuck on a waiting list for services, Emily O’Connor, executive director of Lydia Place, told the council.
Child care is another financial burden for some families. Dr. Rachel Lucy, who works at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, told the council that child care is more expensive, on average, than tuition and books at Western Washington University — if families can find child care at all. The number of child care slots in Whatcom County doesn’t meet half the demand.
Lucy added that an increasing number of parents can’t get the mental health counseling they need to help them provide a safe environment for their children.
The County Council committed to supporting the county’s infants and preschoolers two years ago, when it adopted the Child and Family Action Plan. Now the council needs to devise a way to pay for housing, child care, early education and other services some Whatcom families can’t afford or can’t find, advocates say. At Tuesday’s meeting, O’Connor, Lucy and other members of a group known as the Children’s Initiative Committee proposed a measure for this November’s ballot that would ask county voters to approve a property tax.
The proposed tax, 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, would raise $8.2 million a year. The owner of a $500,000 home would pay $100 a year in new taxes.
The tax would be levied for seven years. If the council wanted the funding to continue beyond that, it would need to go back to the voters for approval.
O’Connor told the council the committee was still figuring out what specific programs the tax revenue would pay for. She assured council members that goals would be measurable so that the public would be able to tell if programs were succeeding.
“There won’t be any magic wand here,” O’Connor said. “We do know this will be hard work, but we can and must figure it out on behalf of the community.”
Council member Ben Elenbaas offered advice for the Children’s Initiative Committee. Voters, he said, tend to be conservative when it comes to tax measures.
“I would suggest being as specific with what you’re going to spend the money on as you can, up front,” Elenbaas said. “(That) will help your initiative be the most successful with the voters.”
If voters are going to get a chance to weigh in this November, the County Council must pass a resolution putting the measure on the ballot by Aug. 2. The Children’s Initiative Committee aims to get a draft resolution to the council by the end of April.
