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Fairfax County leaders are considering asking voters this fall to approve bond funding for early childhood education facilities, reviving an idea that was withdrawn in both 2022 and 2024.

County Executive Bryan Hill is expected to reveal the proposed amount and eligible projects on Tuesday, Feb. 18, when he presents his fiscal year 2026 budget and related capital improvement program.

Deputy County Executive Christopher Leonard said the proposal would reflect “current economic realities,” though officials were still determining how much funding to request.

Before the referendum could reach voters, the Board of Supervisors would need to approve the measure and petition the Fairfax County Circuit Court to place it on the ballot. Any bonds approved would pay for capital projects rather than ongoing services.

The potential referendum emerged during a Jan. 28 meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Health and Human Services Committee, where county staff reviewed efforts to expand access to early childhood education.

Those efforts primarily target approximately 25,000 children living in households earning less than 350% of the federal poverty level. That group represents about one-third of the county’s children.

Families receive assistance through programs including Head Start, the Virginia Preschool Initiative and direct financial subsidies.

“We’re trying to be really creative and increase the numbers of those being served,” Department of Neighborhood and Community Services Deputy Director Keisha Dotson said, adding that family choice remains central to the county’s programs.

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, who chairs the committee, said the county has numerous ways to support young children and emphasized that “one size does not fit all.”

Board Chairman Jeff McKay said the county has made “a ton of progress” in expanding options but needs to accelerate partnerships with Fairfax County Public Schools and private developers to create more facilities.

“The more joint opportunities we can take advantage of, the better,” McKay said.

Planning is complicated by a decline in Fairfax County’s youth population since the pandemic. Officials have cited several possible factors, including high housing costs and families moving to places where they can afford more space.

At the same time, school system data released last October indicated that economically disadvantaged students could become a majority of the enrollment if existing trends continue.

Leonard said shifting population patterns make forecasting difficult and require officials to adapt quickly.

Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity urged the county to evaluate whether adding early childhood program slots produces measurable benefits before children enter K-12 classrooms.

“Our number-one goal here is closing the achievement gap,” Herrity said, arguing that the gap “hasn’t gone anywhere” in recent years.

Dotson said disparities affecting Black and Latino students, English-language learners and other groups are too complex to understand through numbers alone. However, she said the county is improving how it measures the results of early childhood programs.