St. Paul coalition seeks to ask voters to fund early childhood education through higher property taxes
“The proposal — dubbed St. Paul All Ready for Kindergarten (SPARK) — would supplement existing federal and state assistance programs so that all St. Paul 3- and 4-year-olds who live at or below 185% of the federal poverty line could attend early learning programs at no cost.
According to SPARK’s website, more than half of St. Paul children between the ages of 3 and 4 would qualify for free early childhood education under those guidelines. Once the program is fully funded, the city would offer subsidies to families above the income threshold, which is $51,388 annually for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”