At BrightSpark Early Learning Services, our goal is to make high-quality early learning opportunities accessible to every child across King and Pierce counties. As we continue to work to make this vision a reality, the community members we serve have identified that cost is a major barrier -both for families trying to access care and providers trying to keep their programs afloat.
While BrightSpark remains committed to addressing this barrier to care, we are also reliant on financial support from Washington State to make this happen. In the 2024 fiscal year, over 95% of our funding came from government grants and contracts – many of which made possible through the Capital Gains Tax.
Currently, Washington is the third most expensive state in the country in terms of child care and roughly 50% of parents and caregivers have reported difficulty securing affordable care. Meanwhile, early learning professionals are vastly undercompensated for their work; the majority make less than half of the average Washington salary, and nearly 40% utilize public assistance to make ends meet.
Revenue collected from the Capital Gains Tax has significantly reduced barriers to care across our state. In the 2023-25 Washington State Budget alone, over $386 million was allocated to supporting children, families, and providers across Washington. This investment increased the availability of resources across the early learning sector such as child care subsidies for families, quality enhancement programs for providers, and early intervention mental health support for children.
If I-2109 successfully repeals the Capital Gains Tax, the Washington State Legislature will have to determine how to continue funding these programs with revenue from other sources. The financial burden could fall back on the families and providers who are already spread thin in terms of time, bandwidth, and finances – as well as the rest of Washington State. Studies show that a lack of accessible child care costs Washington State over $6 billion per year because parents and caregivers are unable to find care and, thus, not able to maintain steady employment or progress in their careers. This leads to workplaces being understaffed; high employee turnover; and a lack of overall buying power.
It is one of our guiding beliefs that an investment in high-quality early learning for every child is an investment in their future, and thus the future of our communities. By rejecting this initiative, Washington voters can preserve the Capital Gains Tax and ensure that the state continues to invest in the educational resources required to nurture and sustain child-centered, antiracist early learning communities. This is why BrightSpark Early Learning Services supports the “No on I-2109” campaign.
Sincerely, the BrightSpark Executive Team
- Julie LaLuna, Finance Officer
- Matt Gerard, People Operations Officer
- Courtney Nolen-Viducich, Program Officer
- Phoebe Sade, Executive Officer
- Donny Willeto, External Affairs Officer