Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
October 31 , 2001
Catholic Charities among potential beneficiaries of Initiative 100
If passed, tax increase expected to generate $23 million for child-care
By Alwen Bledsoe
Among the supporters of Initiative 100, or the Denver Children's Initiative, is Catholic Charities, whose nine child-care centers could potentially benefit from the proposed 0.2 percent tax increase, said vice-president Mary Boland. The initiative is included on a mail-in ballot due Nov. 6 and, if passed, will generate an estimated $23 million a year to fund programs that provide child-care and before- and after-school care.
As organizations would compete for funds, said Boland, Catholic Charities is not guaranteed a chunk of the change. But, she said, it is always looking for new sources of funding as it serves mostly low-income families and is only reimbursed 78 percent of its actual program costs by the government.
"We hope this will enable us to serve more children than we currently are able to serve because we don't have adequate funds," said Boland.
According to the Denver Children's Task Force formed by Mayor Wellington Webb earlier this year, up to 15,000 school-aged kids in Denver are currently "unattended," that is, without stable child-care, in poor quality or dangerous child-care situations, or unsupervised for large chunks of time each day. In its final report in July 2001, the task force proposed Initiative 100. Its intent is to benefit unattended children and expand an over-taxed child-care system. If passed, the mayor and City Council would form the Children's Commission, an independent, non-partisan group to review proposals from non-profits, government agencies, private businesses and other child-care organizations and to award funds.
According to Daniel Richie, chancellor at the University of Denver and chair of the Denver Children's Task Force, only 3 percent of those funds could be used for administrative purposes. The other 97 percent would pay directly for child-care but could be used in a variety of ways, as long as the commission believed an organization's proposal is likely to benefit unattended children and improve the quality of Denver's child-care.
"The money would go to whatever organizations have the most bangs for the buck to reach those children," he said, later adding, "With that amount of money to be spent in the city, I would hope this would make a major difference. The idea is to set an example to be followed by other cities and states around the country."
Quality child-care has become an even greater need as the number of working parents has increased and economic conditions have decreased, said Richie.
"We know from research that warehousing kids puts them at a real disadvantage for the rest of their lives," explained Richie. "When their social and emotional growth is just beginning, those are really key years, and if they have a poor experience during that time, they are disadvantaged during the rest of their lives in terms of intellectual, emotional and social development."
According to Boland, the need for quality, affordable child-care has increased as families have graduated from the welfare rolls.
Waiting lists currently weigh down all of Catholic Charities' child-care facilities and many families are left in the lurch because of lack of funds and affordable care, she said.
While welfare reform aimed to get families back into the work force, said Boland, various problems with child-care have hampered the efforts.
"We know from our experience that child-care is absolutely critical," she said. "Mom can't maintain employment if the child is not adequately cared for."
While Boland has seen a number of families leave welfare for jobs, she has also seen many return to welfare in order to care for their children after losing child-care subsidies or finding they did not supplement salaries enough to pay for child-care.
"Quality care with young children goes hand in hand with welfare reform," said Boland.
According to the task force's final report, the sales tax increase and the Children's Commission would be retired at the end of 10 years unless re-instituted by Denver voters.
FEMA funds available
Local non-profit organizations or government agencies that provide emergency food or shelter in the Denver area may apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency Phase 20 Emergency Food and Shelter funds. Contact Sharon Teufel at Catholic Charities, 303-742-0828, for an application. Application deadline is Nov. 2.
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