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Letter to the editor: Early Childhood Options supports ballot Measure 1A

Lucinda Burns, Early Childhood Options executive director
Jen McAtamney, Kelly Renoux and Erin Young, Early Childhood Options board members

In 2018, Summit County voters overwhelmingly approved a property tax increase to support critical community services, including preschool and child care. Since that time, the Summit Pre-Kindergarten Program, led by Early Childhood Options, partnered with Summit School District, Head Start and community child care centers to make quality and affordable preschool available to almost 100% of all local 4-year-olds. A huge success! 

Unfortunately, state-imposed cuts mandated by the Gallagher Amendment threaten to reverse this forward momentum beginning in 2021. The Summit Pre-Kindergarten Program, as well as many other voter-supported programs throughout the county, will be cut by 10% to 15% every two years. The cuts to pre-K and child care alone will have devastating impacts on local working families. At a time when our community is trying to get back on track, child care is more critical than ever.

There is a solution, and it requires your support: Ballot Measure 1A will keep residential property taxes the same and allow these important programs to continue at their current levels without increasing taxes. Early Childhood Options asks voters to support ballot Measure 1A “Services Stabilization.” A “yes” vote means continued support for critical community services in Summit County.




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