In The DC Line, early childhood educator + Under 3 DC Fellow Michele Stewart calls on Mayor Muriel Bowser to allocate the $9 million still needed to fully fund the Pay Equity Fund this year, saying that fixing the problem is about more than paychecks—it’s about protecting #childcare in

Ms Rachel is such a baddie for this

rama duwaji wearing the frequency top by palestinian-jordanian designer zeid hijazi for her debut appearance as new york's first lady.

DC Council took swift action to reject Trump tax cuts from flowing into DC's tax code & used some of those savings to put more $ into the pockets of residents struggling to get by via the EITC & CTC. Thx to Phil Mendelson & Councilmember Zachary Parker for leading on these measures, respectively!

#WashingtonDC’s children, our future, depend on early educators. But, thousands are now facing midyear pay cuts. Mayor Muriel Bowser can fix this by fully funding the Pay Equity Fund and Child Care Subsidy Program in FY27. 📣 Join us in taking action and tell Mayor Bowser to protect

Right now, thousands of #WashingtonDC educators are receiving letters from OSSE informing them of devastating midyear pay cuts. 📣 It’s time for action. Tell Mayor Muriel Bowser to protect the Pay Equity Fund, prevent these cuts, and keep DC’s child care system stable. These aren’t

Imagine boasting this one day and by the next floating proposals to slash core funding for 200+ small businesses in DC's child care sector.

Today, our Senior Policy Analyst, Audrey Kasselman, testified before Chairman Frumin and DC Department of Human Services urging that a subsidy waitlist wouldn’t just disrupt child care programs and harm families, it would ripple across #WashingtonDC's economy, reducing access to high-quality early

Early educators in #WashingtonDC were finally seeing better pay thanks to the Pay Equity Fund, which is now at risk due to budget cuts. But even with the PEF increase, many still can't afford rent, groceries, or childcare for their own kids. Check out our DC KIDS COUNT Report

We agree! The waitlist for child care subsidies, which Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Administration just announced, will harm District families, providers, and the child care system. We must speak up, join us this Wednesday @ 9am as we rally to save child care! RSVP: actionnetwork.org/events/rally-w…

FACTS: Mayor Bowser continuously chooses not to fund child care at the level it actually costs to operate, pushing the system into a crisis that is putting thousands of employers, children, families, educators, and small businesses at risk. EMAIL her today here:

Reducing wages and making it harder to raise children does not stimulate the economy. It just makes it that much harder to live and thrive in the District. This is an attack on DC families

When crime is up, we need more cops. When crime is down, we need more cops. More pay for police, pay cuts for early educators. This is why we say budget are moral documents

I just found these photos of the schoolwork of 9-year-old Ritaj Rihan, who was shot in the head and killed by Israeli terrorist forces yesterday in a classroom tent in northern Gaza. One photo shows Ritaj’s practicing handwriting. The words on the page were orange, banana, and

The Mayor claims that the Pay Equity Fund doesn’t contribute to quality learning, the number of child care slots or the strength of the economy. All those claims are false. The PEF attracts high quality educators to the field and directly leads to the availability of quality care

You cannot have more childcare slots if you don’t have a qualified workforce to serve more families. The Pay Equity Fund helped stabilize our childcare market. It also ensures that our early childhood educators can live and take care of their families too!

Our Fellow just spoke at the People's Press Conference where we heard from people who are the backbone of the District!

This quote represents the Mayor’s fundamental misunderstanding of the child care industry. The PEF takes on the cost of paying teachers a professional salary so that centers don’t pass that cost onto families. It provides higher quality care at no cost to families

These comments have drawn a ton of pushback from childcare advocates and councilmembers so far. "When did we learn that the pay equity fund wasn't working?" Zachary Parker told me. "In fact, it's a national model and it's proven to be wildly successful."

Woke up early, so I'm going to do a quick thread addressing some of the Pay Equity Fund rumblings I've seen on here over the weekend.