Federal and state governments are cutting spending, but Seattle voters approved an infusion of $61 million for early education in yesterday’s election, and the majority of that money could go to a comprehensive early learning strategy.

Voters overwhelmingly passed the Families and Education Levy, local media reported. Over the next seven years, the levy will send $232 million to educational efforts that run from child care through high school. It could double spending on early education from the last levy.

Roughly a quarter of the money ($61 million) is slated to go to home visitation, helping students transition to kindergarten, preserving state-supported early education slots, health screenings for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, and work on a comprehensive early learning strategy, under recommendations from a panel that studied the best ways to spend the money. The comprehensive strategy would receive nearly $51 million.

The vote is also good news for the region’s PreK-3rd movement because there are signs the money could support Washington’s growing effort to better coordinate pre-kindergarten through third grade. Key education players in Seattle have been talking with the Department of Early Learning about how to better integrate city and state work in PreK-3rd.

Heading into yesterday’s vote there was a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the proposal. In the levy’s 21-year history voters had never rejected the levy, but they also had never considered it in such a poor economy.

“Now isn’t the time to pull back from our kids. Now is the time to invest,” said Steven Jones, campaign manager for the Yes! Families & Education Levy campaign.

How to spend the money is not set, though the recommendations lay out a blueprint. Work now moves to Seattle’s Department of Education, which will oversee its implementation.

For more information about Seattle’s Families and Education Levy check out:

• Yes! Families & Education Levy campaign.

• Seattle City Office of Education Families and Education Levy.