An Open Letter to DC Deputy Mayor of Education Paul Kihn Representatives from DC Action and the DC Out-of-School Time Coalition met with DME Paul Kihn on November 9 to discuss how to better engage out-of-school-time leaders in supporting students even when schools are closed. Following is our letter to Deputy Mayor Kihn illustrating the value of OST programs and...

Our partners at the Afterschool Alliance informed us of a grant opportunity for out of school programs available in just 10 states this fall, including the District of Columbia, focused on programs that are providing meals through the USDA child nutrition programs to students and/or families. Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry are operating a mini grant program to get about...

Dear Deputy Mayor Kihn, We write to you out of concern that the voices of educators, families, and youth are being excluded from the current discussion about how and when to safely reopen schools. In particular, we write on behalf of DC’s out-of-school time (OST) programs to ask that you immediately and directly engage the OST community in this process...

Dear Mayor Bowser, CC: Deputy Mayor of Education Paul Kihn, Chairman Phil Mendelson, Councilmember David Grosso As State Superintendent for Education Hanseul Kang has transitioned from OSSE, DC Action for Children would like to express gratitude for her leadership and partnership over the nearly six years of her tenure. This moment offers a vital opportunity to find in Kang’s successor...

Last week DC Action Executive Director Kimberly Perry moderated a discussion among DC Council candidates Marcus Goodwin, Christina Henderson, Ed Lazere, and Councilmember Robert White to find out where they stand on pressing issues that affect the District's children, youth, and families. In case you missed it, you can watch the video here.

As we reflect on the changing populations of the District in recent decades and grapple with the questions of who our city belongs to, it is important to remember the earliest residents of our city--long before it was “our city”--many of whom were killed, forced off their land, enslaved, or died from imported disease. Thousands of years before Pierre L’Enfant...

Join us for Coffee with the Candidates October 8 4:30pm to 6pm Two dozen candidates are vying for one at-large seat on the DC Council this fall. Voters may cast two votes in this election. To help you decide which candidate will be the best advocate for the District’s children, youth and families, DC Action will hold Coffee with the...

Testimony of Kimberly Perry, Executive Director DC Action for Children Joint Public Oversight Hearing on Distance Learning in DC Public and Public Charter Schools Before the Committee of the Whole and Committee on Education Council of the District of Columbia Friday, October 2, 2020 Good morning, Chairman Grosso, Chairman Mendelson, and members of the Joint Committee. Thank you for the...

ENGAGE: Opportunities to Hear from Candidates on Children and Youth Issues Get the Facts Before You Vote Ballots are currently being mailed to every registered DC voter. Now is the time to make sure you know who is running for office and where they stand on critical issues that affect children, youth, and families. The election this November will be...

On Tuesday, the Office of the State Superintendent (OSSE) announced that, beginning November 1, the agency will change the way it pays child care providers that participate in the District’s child care subsidy program. This change would revert from COVID-19 payments to the pre-pandemic payment model, one not designed to account for the unique costs and obstacles the pandemic presents...