King County's Best Starts for Kids: A Voter-Approved Child and Family Support Initiative

Challenges

Access, Scalability

Location

Washington

Stakeholders

Local Government, Nonprofits

Beneficiaries

Parents, Children

Overview

Best Starts for Kids is a comprehensive, voter-approved initiative in King County, Washington, that invests in the health and well-being of children, youth, and families from the prenatal stage through young adulthood.

Key Impact Metrics

$880M
expected to be generated by the renewed levy between 2022 and 2027
264K+
children, youth, and families reached in 2022
94%
of families in the homelessness prevention program remained housed after one year

Problem

Families and children face a fragmented landscape of services for health, education, and well-being, with funding streams that are often unstable, siloed, and insufficient to meet community needs. This lack of a coordinated, well-funded system leads to persistent inequities in outcomes, particularly for low-income communities and communities of color, and leaves critical needs like affordable childcare largely unaddressed.

Solution

King County government created a dedicated, predictable funding stream of hundreds of millions of dollars for a wide range of programs. A significant portion of these funds supports early childhood, including a new childcare subsidy program that helps families afford care and provides wage boosts to the early childhood workforce, directly addressing both affordability and quality.

Results

Beneficiary Impact
Partnership with 450 community-based organizations, and 264,000 individuals across King County served
Financial Results
Best Starts for Kids distributed over $110 million to community partners, including $20 million allocated annually for the childcare subsidy program

Replication Tips

Build a broad coalition: Frame the initiative comprehensively to support children from infancy through middle school. This approach builds a wider coalition of support—from public health advocates to K-12 educators to housing advocates—than a narrow focus on a single issue. Commit to data and evaluation: The initiative operates under a results-based accountability framework, tracking performance measures and maintaining a public dashboard to demonstrate impact and ensure transparency to taxpayers.