ST. LOUIS, MO, OCTOBER 2, 2020 – The first five years of a child’s life sets the stage for long-term social, cognitive, emotional, physical, and even economic wellbeing. Yet, despite the importance of this critical time of development, opportunities for early childhood enrichment has been overlooked and underfunded in St. Louis and Missouri.
But, if St. Louis voters approve Proposition R on November 3, more taxpayer money will go toward early childhood education for children ages 5 and under. According to the Health Equity Works report, formerly known as For the Sake of All, lack of quality early childhood education is a leading indicator of health disparities between white and Black residents in St. Louis, where white children are 38% more likely than Black children to be enrolled in pre-kindergarten.
Needless to say, our region needs this investment – and that means we need to vote for it. Proposition R, placed on the ballot by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, increases the property tax rate by 6 cents – up to 25 cents per $100 of home value from the current rate of 19 cents – resulting in an estimated $2.3 million annual investment in early childhood education. Read more.