In the News

The American Heart Association recently posted the story, Evidence mounts that sugary drink taxes make communities healthier, positing that such taxes make communities healthier and help fund vital well-being programs such as access to healthy food and early childhood education. Lindsay Hovind, an American Heart Association regional vice president of advocacy, said what’s particularly exciting about the successful implementation of these taxes is that they actually foster two positive health impacts; “One is the tax itself, which by raising the price of sugary drinks drives down consumption,” she said. “But also, it’s generating revenue that can fund critical community needs.”

The story they highlights the successes and benefits of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax (PBT), whose revenue has been used to fund Philadelphia Pre-K (PHLpreK) and several other educational and neighborhood revitalization initiatives . Read here about how they formed a cross-sector coalition to advance their efforts.

New America recently published the report, Maximizing Impact Under Any Structure: Governance Lessons from Local Early Childhood Programs, focusing explicitly on local early childhood initiatives (those with dedicated local revenue sources) and their governance structures. Across locally funded early childhood initiatives, they identify and explain six archetypes for governance. Read about them here >>>

The Oregon State Legislature recently attempted to overturn Multnomah County’s Preschool for All.  A bill was introduced that would have sunsetted the program in two years, barring the county from collecting income tax to fund Preschool for All.  In 2020, voters approved a measure to create tuition-free universal preschool program funded by a progressive income tax.  The community generated 50,000 letters to ensure the Legislature heard from constituents that wanted the preschool program to continue.  Read about the myths that were circulating about why the local tax should be overturned. And read our original case study about Multnomah County’s Preschool for All.

In Oregon, Multnomah County recently announced that its “Preschool for All” program is growing this year, with leaders announcing that 3,800 children will be served through the free education initiative in the next school year. It’s a significant increase from the 2,200 or so slots that were available during the 2024-2025 school year.

MECK Pre-K, the high quality pre-K education open to all four-year-old children in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina at no cost to families is reporting growth and increase in early enrollment this year. The Meck Pre-K program says attendance has more than tripled since it launched in 2018. This year alone, officials said the program had over 200 more applications each week when families could start to apply. Applications for the Pr-K program opened at the end of January, and officials said more people are applying earlier this year than in years past. As of March 24, Meck Pre-K received more than 1,700 applications in nine weeks — up 39% compared to the same time in 2022.

Congratulations to MECK Pre-K on their growth and success! You can read more about the program here.