Silicon Valley Community Foundation Launches Campaign for Greater Investments in Santa Clara County’s Youngest Residents
Mountain View, California, January 3, 2020– Silicon Valley Community Foundation today launched Choose Children Santa Clara County, a campaign dedicated to ensuring that the next Santa Clara County Supervisor from District 3 is a champion for young children.
The Choose Children campaign will engage and educate candidates for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in District 3 on the need to make early childhood care and education more accessible, affordable and of higher quality. The campaign will conduct local voter surveys, host candidate forums and provide a clear set of policy priorities on how the next District 3 supervisor can make young children a top priority for the county.
Despite the overwhelming evidence proving the importance of investing in children’s early years, Santa Clara County still fails to provide children and their families the support and care they need. The Local Planning Council of Santa Clara County, which assesses local child care needs, estimates that countywide:
- There is only enough space in established childcare programs to care for 19% of the county’s babies and toddlers
- Families with more than one child under the age of 6 can expect to spend at least 30% of their income on child care – a family’s second highest expense after housing
- Less than 8% of the more than $158 million annually spent on services for young children comes from local county tax dollars, compared to 39% from the state and 52% from the federal government, according to the Santa Clara County Children’s Budget
Jolene Smith, executive director of First 5 Santa Clara County, further noted the urgency of securing greater investments for the county’s children.
“The 2020 election could be a defining moment for our county’s youngest residents,” Smith said. “A wide range of research demonstrates the importance and impact of high-quality early childhood programs on the first five years of life – when a child’s brain develops at its fastest rate. Building a strong foundation during a child’s earliest years is essential to the health and well-being of our community.”
Kyra Kazantzis, CEO of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, reiterated the importance of public investments in the earliest years of life...