The UPDATE | May 25, 2023 | DC Council Can Still Keep its Promises With Second FY24 Budget Vote

DC Council Can Still Keep its Promises With Second FY24 Budget Vote

 

District of Columbia residents took to heart the promises of strengthening our early childhood education sector, ending homelessness, and making our afterschool programs the most robust in the nation when Mayor Bowser made them in her most recent campaign. And the DC Council followed suit when sharing its budget priorities. Unfortunately, the not-quite-final FY24 budget–even with amendments from the DC Council–does not reflect these priorities.

 

DC Action and our partners have advocated for an equitable budget to center the health, well-being, education, and futures of all District residents, especially those whose lives have been most impacted by persistent systemic racism. While the DC Council prepares to hold the second vote on the budget, next Tuesday, May 30, we must emphasize our disappointment that this budget–which many have called the “broken hearts budget” is also a broken promises budget. 

 

We acknowledge that it’s not all bad news. Thanks to the work of advocates and allies on the DC Council, the current preliminary budget includes:

  • Expanding the child care assistance program to 2,100 additional families
  • Protecting nearly $72 million in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund
  • $300,000 to increase home visitor salaries for programs under Child and Family Services Agency
  • $225,000 transferred from DC Health to Department of Health Care Finance to support the Nurse Family Partnership program
  • $667,000 to restore a workforce program for gender-expansive young people whose entire funding had been cut
  • $5 million for My Afterschool DC, a pilot program to improve accessibility to out-of-school-time programs
  • $1.9 million to integrate farming, cooking, and nutrition education curriculum into DC schools
  • $1.6 million for nutrition and health programming in schools, through OSSE
  • $500,000 for the Produce Prescriptions Program
  • Continuation of the extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage so babies and their parents have access to the care they need in their first year.
 

Celebrating Our Community at the Renaissance Awards

On Tuesday night, DC Action held the 2023 Renaissance Awards, honoring organizations and individuals on the front lines blazing new trails in advocacy that will benefit our young people and their families. More photos and memories from this remarkable celebration will be coming soon!
 

About DC Action

DC Action is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, multi-issue advocacy organization making the District of Columbia a place where all kids grow up safe, resilient, powerful and heard. DC Action uses research, data, and a racial equity lens to break down barriers that stand in the way of all kids reaching their full potential. We are home to DC Kids Count, Under 3 DC, DC Out-of-School Time Coalition, the DC Home Visiting Council and the Youth Economic Justice and Housing Coalition. Our collaborative advocacy campaigns bring the power of young people and all residents to raise their voices to create change.

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