On April 27, King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed his Best Starts for Kids ordinance to the County Council. The proposed levy is focused on supporting children to “put every child on a path toward lifelong success.” This is an exciting opportunity and Constantine gets it right!
All the recent research on brain science and child development supports this message: Prevention in the early years of life will dramatically influence later life outcomes and a child’s potential to thrive.
Consider the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences study that linked several key challenges that families with physical and behavioral health problems face throughout life. What this study glaringly shows is that these adverse childhood experiences are influenced and driven by the adults and communities that shape the child’s life. In other words, kids are raised in families and communities, so in order to achieve best starts for kids, we have to strengthen families and communities by investing in a holistic set of services. Issues such as domestic violence, addiction, incarceration, hunger and homelessness add stress and trauma to the life of a child, and these require support for the adults in children’s lives as well as for the children themselves.
There are numerous ways not preventing or addressing adverse childhood experiences affects all of us. For example:
The American Psychological Association reports that homeless children lack stability in their lives, with 97 percent moving at least once on an annual basis. This leads to disruption in schooling and negatively impacts academic achievement.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that children who witness or experience sexual and domestic violence are more likely to have social and behavioral problems than those who have not. They experience increased fearfulness, higher levels of depression and anxiety and have a greater acceptance of violence as a means of resolving conflict. They are also more prone to homelessness.
Researcher John Cook wrote in his report, “Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact on our Nation,” that “hungry children do more poorly in school and have lower academic achievement because they are not well prepared for school and cannot concentrate.”
Children are impacted when the adults and communities they are dependent upon struggle with the effects of social, racial and economic injustice. Constantine’s proposal takes real action and could be a great step forward in reducing racial disproportionality. Best Starts for Kids could break the connection between incomes and outcomes. Public investment is required to make this happen; the earlier the investment, the greater the return. We are urging King County Councilmembers to support this ordinance, as proposed, and place it on the November ballot.