Affordable and high-quality early childhood education is economically unattainable in Marin County, so local government should step in to fund it, according to supporters of a 15-year parcel tax on the Nov. 3 ballot. Opponents of the tax say it has no spending rules and no way to judge results.
On Nov. 3, Marin County voters will decide whether to approve Measure P, a parcel tax also called the Marin County Child Care Initiative that is expected to generate about $12.5 million annually for childcare and early childhood education programs.
As a voter initiative, Measure P requires a simple majority to pass, rather than a two-thirds vote. Circulation for the ballot petition was paid for by a political action committee called Our Kids Our Future. Major funders include the Marin Community Foundation, the Children’s Funding Accelerator, and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
The average cost of licensed childcare in Marin County is about $2,315 a month, 24% higher than the California statewide average, according to the measure. Fifty-two percent of children ages 0 to 12 with working parents have no access to preschools at all, and the number of licensed providers is declining.
Childcare providers who do have jobs don’t earn enough to live in Marin County, where the median household income is about $147,000, according to the U.S. Census.
“Research shows that children engaged in warm and responsive adult-child interactions and in positive experiences demonstrate greater social competence, fewer behavioral problems, and optimal development,” the measure reads.
Measure P is endorsed by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, state Sen. Mike McGuire, Assemblymember Damon Connolly, all five county supervisors and the Marin County Superintendent of Schools, John Carroll.
“Supporters say reliable child care helps local businesses ‘recruit and retain employees,’ but if child care is a necessary employee benefit, employers should foot the bill or compensate their employees enough to cover it,” said an argument against the measure signed by Lucy Dilworth, director of the nonprofit Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers, a nonprofit organization that can engage in political activities.
Other Marin residents argue against the measure by questioning the commitment of a 15-year term, the lack of income-based tax exemptions and the absence of a requirement that beneficiaries live in Marin County.
The tax would not be based on the size or value of the land, but on the area of a home’s footprint. Each taxpayer would pay 5 cents per square foot of building area, up to 100,000 feet. A 2,000-square-foot home would be taxed about $100 per year.
Funding and oversight
Proceeds would be deposited into a special county fund, the Marin County Child Care Fund, and it would be subject to annual independent financial audits.
The money would be spent on sliding-scale tuition scholarships based on a recipient’s ability to pay. It would also be spent on facility upgrades and training and compensation for childcare providers. Priority would be given to families with limited resources, like those who are already struggling with insecure housing.
A template for the spending rules is in the measure.
A five-year plan and budget would be developed by the Marin County Children and Families Commission, which would administer Measure P programs.
The commission is a local public agency commonly known as First 5 Marin. Since 1998, it has used revenue from the Proposition 10 tobacco tax to support early childhood development, health and family services. That revenue has been steadily declining for years, according to the measure, and will be subject to cuts in the 2026 state budget. With Measure P funding, administrative expenses would be capped at 5% of annual revenue.
Recommendations for Measure P priorities would come from an 11-member Child Care Community Advisory Council. It would include childcare providers, parents, childcare center administrators, a medical professional, representatives from the planning council of the Marin Office of Education and a representative from an institution of higher learning, like the College of Marin.
The council would be appointed by the Board of Supervisors, which would have to approve Measure P funding each year.
If passed, the tax would be imposed July 1 of the first full fiscal year after the measure takes effect.
