COVID-19 has brought with it a storm of uncertainty and instability for the District’s child care providers, many of whom already struggled to make ends meet prior to the public health emergency. In this exceptionally challenging time, one of the few sources of stability has been the child care subsidy program. The program supports nearly half of the District’s child...

Yesterday, at Mayor Muriel Bowser's National Maternal and Infant Health Summit, Samaura Stone, Director of Youth Policy and Programs at DC Action for Children moderated a panel featuring four amazing young parents. They shared what it was like navigating public support systems while pregnant and with their young child. The panelists spoke at length about their challenges securing employment, housing...

BREAKING: DC CHILD CARE STABILIZATION FUND ANNOUNCED TODAY! Just months ago, we fought hard for a child care stabilization fund. Here it is! We are a proud co-chair of the Under 3 DC Coalition who organized the voices of early educators, parents, health professionals, community leaders and organizations to fight for this investment. We also thank the DC Council for...

Last week, several DC communities were traumatized by another shooting of a young Black man. This time it was fatal. This time by the hands of the Metropolitan Police Department. ENOUGH! We are sickened and outraged by this violence. We mourn with the family of Deon Kay, and the communities who love him. We mourn with the children, youth, and...

Two dozen young people across the District can start their new school year knowing they’re making a difference to their communities as Census Youth Ambassadors. DC Action for Children created a Youth Census Ambassador Internship to foster knowledge and appreciation for data among young people. We invited Mikva Challenge DC and The Black Swan Academy to partner with us and...

Everyone needs fuel to keep fighting for change. DC Action for Children staff will be sharing books, movies, podcasts, and other media that inspire, energize, and motivate us to do the work. This week’s recommendations: Read: Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis includes essays, interviews and speeches that explore the relationship of oppression and resistance all over...

This week, we are ALL beginning a challenging start to the first week of school–students, parents, teachers, administrators, and advocates! As advocates, we get a broad and diverse view of how communities are attempting to handle virtual learning– and it’s all over the map! Some parents are altering their work schedule to assist their children with their studies. Many parents...

We can all agree that this year's budget season was like no other. To remind you, Mayor Bowser presented her budget on May 18th and the DC Council began their public hearings later that week to respond, assess, weigh in, seek public input, debate, modify and finalize the city’s moral document that will guide spending for the next year, during...

On August 26th, we hosted a Virtual Town Hall to discuss the District's coordination of care across the age continuum in the midst of a virtual learning environment. More than 100 attendees participated, making it clear this is of critical importance for families and the programs that serve them. We heard remarks from parents Andrea Tucker, Maxine Robinson, Darnise Diop...

The COVID-19 pandemic is dramatically changing how DC out-of-school time and early child care programs will operate during the new school year. Join us tomorrow evening, Wednesday, August 26 at 6 pm on Zoom as families and District officials discuss how out-of-school time and early childcare programs play a critical role in ensuring that children are safe, supported, and provided...