Colorado already has lots of special districts that levy taxes for things like fire protection, water sanitation, and libraries. Now, two regions are working to make this possible for early childhood programs. Special taxing districts for children’s services exist in Florida and Missouri and have been possible for five years in Colorado.
While cities and counties already had the ability to levy taxes for preschool or child care, special districts allow communities to take a regional approach to early childhood needs, which, depending on where families live and work, can quickly spill over the boundaries of a single jurisdiction. Click here to read the full story on how two regions are working to to help families find child care, provide sliding-scale child care subsidies, and help local providers improve quality.