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Funding for kids was on the ballot across the country this November, and early results indicated a net win, with one particularly notable exception in Florida.

Results at the local level are mostly positive for the 10 measures that would dedicate public revenue to kids. Several of those measures won decisively, while sales tax measures for child care in St. Louis, MO, and a broader array of public services in Tempe, AZ, appear to have lost.

Local wins will collectively dedicate more than $104 million annually to kids. An additional $100.5 million could be secured, pending results in California. Notable results include the following:

• Voters in Boulder County, CO, approved a new child care fund that will generate approximately $30 million to reduce child care costs, invest in child care providers, and improve quality and access. While the county is still counting ballots, the Brighter Start Boulder County campaign declared victory Wednesday morning after receiving 58% of the votes reported on election night.
• Voters in San Antonio, TX, overwhelmingly reauthorized Pre-K 4 SA, a model pre-K program funded by a one-eighth cent sales tax, for the next 22 years.
• Voters in Baltimore, MD, approved a budget set-aside that will dedicate $18 million annually to a Baltimore Baby Fund to enhance the economic stability of families with newborns in the city.
• Voters in Buchanan County, MO, voted to establish the state’s 12th children’s services fund, dedicating $4.5 million annually from a quarter cent sales tax to mental health and well-being services for children and youth.
• Ballots are still being counted in California, but early results for San Diego County’s Health and Safety Act (Measure B) and Marin County’s Measure P look promising. San Diego’s sales tax measure would dedicate $88 million from a multi-issue package to early childhood while Marin County’s Measure P would dedicate $12.5 million to child care access and affordability.

At the state level, billions of dollars of revenue were on the ballot in Colorado. Two Colorado measures that would restructure state tax laws and allocate a portion of funding to early childhood are leading after election night reporting, while a competing measure to cap the state’s income tax trails. The measure to repeal Washington state’s millionaire’s tax was defeated, preserving $150 million in annual funding dedicated to the Fair Start for Kids Account. But Florida delivered the biggest blow of the night for child and youth funding; voters there approved a property tax exemption that will cost the state’s children’s services councils and trusts $278.1 million over the next two years.

For an overview of the measures that appeared on this year’s ballots, read our election preview blog featuring campaign synopses. In our December 8 webinar, 2026 Election Reflections: Examining What This Year’s Results Mean for the Children’s Funding Movement, hear directly from campaign leaders about their successes and challenges. Staff will analyze this year’s campaign results, share how we supported these campaigns, and preview additional opportunities to learn more at our 2027 Children’s Funding Institute.