Sanders would use ‘wealth tax’ for universal child care, pre-K

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders has joined fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren in proposing that a “wealth tax” can fiance government-funded child care from infancy through age 3 for every American family, then provide universal prekindergarten programs after that.

Fresh off his win in Nevada, the Vermont senator called the nation’s child care and early education “an international embarrassment” while unveiling a plan Monday that he said would fix it. His proposal would provide a minimum of 10 hours of daily child care, even for parents who work non-traditional schedules.

Sanders previously proposed an annual wealth tax starting at 1% on households worth $32 million or more and increasing to 8% on fortunes of at least $10 billion.

That’s more ambitious than Warren’s signature wealth tax, which kicks in on fortunes worth $50-plus million and would also fund universal child care.

Warren, a Massachusetts senator, and other presidential hopefuls have similarly proposed universal child care and pre-kindergarten. Sanders says the federal government will impose quality standards for his prekindergarten program, including minimum child-to-adult ratios and minimum wages for workers.