DC Action for Children Newsletter | May 2020

The Mayor and the Council are working together to pass a budget, and the decisions made this year will have a major impact on the future of the District. DC Action staff and coalition members are advocating to invest more in education, and protect programs that provide health and economic lifelines to families, which is particularly vital during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we do so, we are calling on policy makers to ensure racial equity is at the core of each and every one of their funding decisions. 

Join our Education Virtual Town Hall Tonight!

To make our case we are holding a Virtual Town Hall focused on education this Thursday, May 28 at 6 pm. We will be joined by DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson, out-of-school time program providers, and early childhood educators to discuss how we meet the education needs of children and youth during the COVID-19 crisis. 

Our team has been testifying before the DC Council:

• Read Ruqiyyah Anbar-Shaheen’s testimony about the District’s home visiting programs
• Read Rachel Metz’s testimony about the critical need for SNAP in DC
• Read Kimberly Perry’s testimony about the need for children’s services coordination for children living in the city’s homeless shelters and motels
• Read Kimberly Perry’s testimony about the importance of protecting and launching DC’s paid family leave program

In case you missed it--
DC Action calls for critical protections
for essential programs that serve children and families 

• Kimberly Perry outlines DC Action’s budget priorities 
• Kimberly Perry and Dr. Yael Smiley make the case in the DC Line for universal paid family leave 
• Ruqiyyah Anbar-Shaheen and Fernanda Ruiz explain the importance of home visiting, especially in the midst of a pandemic

Looking for robust and reliable resources on family economic security? We’ve published five snapshots about programs that enable DC families to thrive.

• Child Care Subsidy Program 
• Immigrant Children’s Program and DC Healthcare Alliance 
• DC Healthy Families, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) 
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program

Team Updates

Our team continues to grow. Welcome to the team Jarred and Jamar! We are thrilled to have two new talented advocates joining us at this critical time. Read more about them, and what they bring to the table.

• Jamar Day is our Lead Organizer for the Under 3 DC campaign 
• Jarred Bowman is a Policy Analyst for DC Action, working closely with the Under 3 DC campaign 

DC Action for Children and DC Alliance of Youth Advocates Have Merged!

It is our pleasure to announce the merger between DC Action for Children and DC Alliance of Youth Advocates. Under the leadership of Kimberly Perry, Executive Director of DC Action for Children, the unified organization is fully operational and working towards a cohesive strategic plan for the future. We are fortunate to have the support of DCAYA’s Maggie Riden as a consultant during our transition.