Introducing our new map of all local dedicated funds for children

Have you ever been curious about which cities fund pre-K with a sales tax? Do you know which county has the oldest property tax dedicated to youth? We are excited to unveil a resource to answer these questions and more: our new, interactive map of local dedicated children's funds (LDFs) in the United Stat es. In a time of federal and state funding uncertainty, LDFs are a great method of funding kids because they are sustainable over long periods of time (often decades), can be allocated exclusively for youth programs, and - most often - are created by the voters themselves. Our new map is interactive and will be continuously updated as more communities create their own funds in 2020 and beyond. Looking for something specific? You can sort the 40+ local dedicated funds in the United States by: Location Annual revenue Year established Type of revenue Primary funding purpose And more... Give it a try here and let us know what you think by emailing or tweeting @FundOurKids .

What We're Working On

Children's funding in Alaska CFP Executive Director Elizabeth Gaines made the half-day journey to Alaska to brainstorm new methods of raising money for kids in The Last Frontier. She had a chance to speak with state legislators and city officials in Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage. In April, voters in Anchorage will choose whether or not to institute a 5% tax on alcohol that would raise $10-15 million for children, first responders, and substance abuse treatment and prevention.

Giving early childhood providers their fair share The median hourly wage for early childhood education teachers is $12.12 and nearly 20% of childcare providers live below the federal poverty line. We recently spoke about the need to generate new revenue at the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Public Policy Forum in order to increase wages for child care professionals. Read more on why the child care crisis is the result of underinvestment, not overregulation.

What We're Thinking About Election Day is just 250 days away. Kids Impact has put together a 2020 Election resource guide to help child and youth advocates understand the actions they can take to ensure that kids are properly considered. As a reminder, 501(c)(3) nonprofits can engage in issue advocacy when "communicating positions on issues of social, economic or philosophical concern that are related to the organization’s charitable or exempt purposes" (source). New Mexico passed a bill to devote $320 million to a dedicated fund for expanding pre-K. The fund is expected to provide an estimated $20 million annually for services such as home visiting for new parents, day care, and pre-K. Within a decade, as the fund grows, it could distribute as much as $50 million per year. The Forum for Youth Investment is holding their annual Ready by 21 National Meeting this April, bringing together hundreds of leaders from around the country who are working to get all young people ready for college, work, and life. Last year, over 650 experts and advocates attended. Each day, 1,683 babies are born into poverty in the US. As the Children's Defense Fund's State of America’s Children 2020 shows, we have a long way to go to secure the future for our kids.

We're hiring! We are looking to expand our team with an Early Childhood Advisor. This advisor will have expertise in the financing, structure, and administration of early childhood systems at the national, state, and local level. They should also be ready to join a small and dedicated team devoted to closing equity gaps for children and youth. See here for the full job posting.

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