This November, the renewal and expansion of the Family, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy will be on Seattle voters’ ballots.
In 2018, voters approved the implementation of this levy which invested over $600 million to various educational initiatives. Included was support for students from preschool until their high school graduation and even into college and trade school. The levy was funded through a 1% city-wide property tax.
The continuation of this levy was initially proposed by Mayor Bruce Harell on May 23, 2025 for an additional $1.3 billion to be invested over the course of 7 more years. If approved, this proposal will maintain and expand existing programs, including the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) and the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to support families facing challenges affording care. This includes doubling the amount of child care slots available, as well as extending child care workforce retention payments to 5,000 providers across the city.
Historically, public support for education has been extremely popular among Seattle voters. Since the passage and subsequent renewal of the Families and Education Levies in 1990, Seattle residents have shown a commitment to uplifting children and young people in the community through educational opportunities.
Where does the money come from?
This levy will be funded through a city-wide property tax equaling 61 cents per $1,000 value. For example, this means that the owner of a $100,000 home would contribute roughly $610 per year towards this initiative.
The levy renewal as proposed will raise an additional $1.3 billion over the course of 7 years. Of that money:
Where does the money go?
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$341.8M (54%) will go towards early learning programs
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$188.1M (29%) will go towards K-12 schools
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$67.2M (11%) will fund K-12 health programs
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$40.7M (6%) will go towards the Seattle Promise initiative
The Seattle Child Care Assistance Program is available for low-income families living within the Seattle city limits with children ages 0-12 years old who are ineligible for other subsidies (such as Working Connections Child Care). It focuses on serving families who have unique child care needs due to nontraditional work/education schedules.
A part of the levy will be allocated to the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), which was created by the City of Seattle for the purpose of offering high-quality, affordable, and accessible child care for Seattle families.
The program helps prepare children ages 3 to 4 for kindergarten and beyond while offering resources such as tuition assistance, family financial assistance, and health screenings. The accredited and evidence-based curriculum offered by SPP was designed with the goal of eliminating the racially disproportionate kindergarten readiness gap.
Early Learning Coaches help SPP teachers provide a culturally responsive, engaging, and nurturing learning environment for all students along with dual language instruction in some classrooms.