Yes On Proposition EE
A Vote To Fund Early Education is A Vote For Colorado’s Future
By Jennifer Spires
For the GPHN
Nearly 12,000 additional children enrolled in full-day kindergarten when the Colorado Legislature approved its funding last year, illustrating Colorado’s high demand for quality early learning opportunities.
Now, every five-year-old in our state has access to the far-reaching benefits of early learning. And, this November, we have the opportunity to go even further, securing universal preschool for every four-year-old. By voting “yes” on Proposition EE – the Tobacco and E-Cigarette Tax Increase for Health and Education Programs – Colorado will become a national leader in early learning as one of the few states to offer universal preschool.
As an early childhood advocate with Save the Children Action Network and former educator, I urge Coloradans to vote yes on Proposition EE because I know, first-hand, how crucial early learning is.
Throughout my career, I’ve repeatedly seen the positive impacts of preschool. Research backs this up. Data shows that children who attend the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) are 26 percent less likely to have a significant reading deficiency in kindergarten, are half as likely to be retained in kindergarten through 3rd grades than similarly at-risk peers, and are more than 10 percent more likely to graduate on time.
But while preschool clearly sets children on a path to success and is an essential support to working parents, Colorado has some of the nation’s lowest funding for early childhood education.
In fact, CPP only has resources to serve 40 percent of eligible children. This is where Proposition EE comes in.
Proposition EE would initiate a gradually increasing tax on currently untaxed nicotine vaping products, and increase Colorado’s cigarette tax, which is currently below the national average.
For the first two and a half years, substantial revenue would alleviate the state’s K-12 education budget crisis and provide new support for affordable housing. Beginning in 2023, revenue from Proposition EE would provide nearly $170 million for universal preschool, increasing each year, ultimately reaching $2 billion for universal preschool over a decade.
If passed, the revenue would provide 10 hours of voluntary, quality preschool to every four-year-old in Colorado with any additional revenue dedicated to extra supports for children experiencing poverty or at risk of not entering kindergarten ready. This approach would make Colorado one of the first in the nation to implement a universal and targeted approach to preschool – meeting thousands of children’s needs and securing a bright future for Colorado
Join me in voting yes on Proposition EE this November. There is no debate – Proposition EE is a smart, long-term investment not only for kids, but also for families, the economy and the vitality of our state now, and long into the future. Children may only represent 50 percent of our population, but they are 100 percent of our future.
Jennifer Spires is an independent early childhood development writer, consultant, and early learning advocate. She volunteers with Save the Children Action Network as the Denver legislative volunteer leader, is a co-chair of the Colorado Early Childhood Summit, and is the treasurer of the Colorado Association for the Education of Young Children.