CCFA endorses No on I-2109

In November, voters will have the opportunity to uphold the state’s capital gains tax and protect vital investments towards child care by voting “no” on I-2109. This tax, which is paid by fewer than 4,000 people, generated over $2 billion to fund the Education Legacy Trust Account (ELTA) in the past few years. Funds in ELTA are slated to go towards early learning, public education, and higher education in the 2023-2025 budget. (For more information, check out this resource by Start Early)

We endorse the No on I-2109 campaign because we believe repealing the tax would make our child care crisis even worse. The tax would shift the burden of paying for necessary child care and education services from ultra-wealthy multimillionaires to families. Child care is simply too hard to find and costs families too much. The child care crisis costs the state $6 billion in economic losses, according to a recent study. The capital gains tax, paid by less than .2% of Washingtonians, is essential to help families who most need care. Now is not the time to give a tax break to the ultra-wealthy at the expense of children, youth, and families. That’s why CCFA is glad to endorse the No on I-2109 campaign, and we urge you to take action here.

Post-Primary Election Report

Congratulations to our endorsed candidates! We’re proud to support so many strong champions for children, youth, and families. 

• 97% of our endorsed candidates will advance to the general election, with 66% of our endorsed candidates receiving more than half of the popular vote! You can see our endorsed candidates here. We’ll continue to endorse candidates until the general election! 

• We spent nearly $70,000 supporting champions for children, youth and families, prioritizing BIPOC candidates. This is only possible because of our generous supporters! If you would like to help us support even more candidates in the general election, you can make a one-time or monthly contribution to the CCF PAC here. 

Just as our CCFA poll results showed, voters overwhelmingly support candidates who are dedicated to affordable child care solutions and paying providers a living wage.  

• 87.5% of candidates who took the child care pledge will advance to the general! 

• 79.5% of candidates who attended our candidate training on child care will be on the ballot in November! 

• 76% of candidates we met with one:one to share data about child care will advance to the general! 

• We had candidates from 59 different legislative races across the state participate in our electioneering or education programs, and 100% of those races have at least one candidate that we connected with that will advance! Our education and electioneering programs included: reaching out to candidates to meet with them one:one to share data on childcare through our Legislator Education and Action Project, conducting candidate trainings that shared poll-tested messaging on child care, and interviewing candidates for a CCF endorsement! 

The results are clear: voters overwhelmingly support candidates who will work tirelessly in Olympia for children, youth, and families. And, you can come meet these amazing champions on September 7th in Seattle at our annual Meet the Candidates event to support the CCF PAC!

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Canada Trip - Key Takeaways

Advocates, business leaders, and lawmakers travel to Canada for a child care study tour.

A few weeks ago, business leaders, advocates, and state lawmakers traveled to Toronto and Ottawa to learn about the Canadian child care system. During the pandemic, the Canadian government made a large investment of $27 billion over five years through legislation called CWELCC (Canada Wide Early Learning & Child Care). 

There will be a report coming out in the coming months ahead, but in the meantime, here are some key takeaways from the trip: 

• The LEAP Canada Study Tour highlighted how Washington’s lawmakers, advocates, and business leaders are committed to finding bi-partisan solutions for affordable child care in Washington state. 

• Solving the child care crisis requires a multi-faceted approach. Canadian advocates shared a helpful metaphor that addressing the child care crisis is like putting up a pop-up tent, with each leg of the tent being affordability, staff wages, inclusion, and quality. If you've ever gone camping, then you know that setting up only one leg at a time makes it likely that your tent keeps falling over. Similarly, working on just one facet of the crisis won’t be effective. 

• Canada faces many similar challenges to Washington state, particularly when it comes to recruiting and retaining providers. Canadian elected officials campaigned on a $10/day for child care platform, which improved the affordability problem, but left more work to be done for family access. The wage floor for providers in Ontario is less than other provinces ($19/hour). Advocates in Canada are in favor of a salary scale to improve retention and ensure equitable pay. Additionally, not all child care programs are participating in the $10/day program due to being ineligible or operational concerns about the program. 

• There are some structural differences between the Canadian early learning system and Washington. For instance, Ontario offers two years of full day kindergarten. Additionally, the Canadian system relies on non-profit and school based systems for families to access care. Washington’s child care market offers a diverse range of program types for families to choose the best care that aligns with their values, culture, and needs. Despite the array of programs, there are not enough openings for the families that need them in Washington state. 

• Canada’s federal investments ($27 billion over 5 years) has already yielded results in terms of workforce participation, particularly among women. In Quebec, the subsidized care system has increased labor participation for mothers from 67% to 87%. According to Senator Rosemary Moodie, for every $1 of government investment in child care, there is a return on investment of about $1.5 to $6. Additionally, the program has made significant progress in increasing the availability of care. In 2020, 40,000 children were benefiting from affordable care. By 2026, Canada plans to create 250,000 new spaces through CWELCC. 

• There are several funding streams and grants available for child care providers, but the multitude of funding sources cause administrative burdens for providers. For example, there are grants available for emerging issues faced for transitioning during the CWELCC implementation. 

Stay tuned for the Association of Washington Business Institute’s full report!