Call to Action: Tell DC Council to Fund Subsidized Child Care

By Liane Scott, on May 20th, 2013

How much money were you making in 2004? Could you survive on that today? Maybe, maybe not. Might be a stretch but hey, times are tough. How about 27% of what you were making in 2004, could you survive on that? Unless 2004 was a real banner year and you made ten times what you’re making today, maintaining your lifestyle on that money would be impossible. If you were making less than the median income for Washington, DC in 2004, then 27% of that amount won’t even meet your basic needs.

Yet the DC Government refuses to pay child care providers who accept the city’s subsidized child care vouchers, more than 27% of the rate they should have been paid in 2004. Aaron Brooks, owner of Power To Become Child Care Center and Jeffrey Credit, owner of Community Child Development Center are more than a little peeved about the situation. They let the city council know during a day of lobbying at the Wilson Building headed by Empower DC child care organizer Sequnely Gray. The following video lays out their argument.

Despite a $417 million surplus in the city’s budget, Mayor Vincent Gray and the DC City Council are unlikely to increase funding for DC’s subsidized child care program unless someone like you accepts the challenge and makes them change their minds. Contact your city council members and tell them to fund subsidized child care. Here are their phone numbers and email addresses:

Councilmember Phil Mendelson (202) 724-8032 pmendelson@dccouncil.us

At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds (202) 724-8064 abonds@dccouncil.us

At-Large Councilmember David Grosso (202) 724-8105 dgrosso@dccouncil.us

At-Large Councilmember David Catania (202) 724-7772 dcatania@dccouncil.us

At-Large Councilmember Vincent Orange (202) 724-8174 vorange@dccouncil.us

Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham (202) 724-8181 jgraham@dccouncil.us

Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans (202) 724-8058 jevans@dccouncil.us

Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh (202) 724-8062 mcheh@dccouncil.us

Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser (202) 724-8052 mbowser@dccouncil.us

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (202) 724-8028 kmcduffie@dccouncil.us

Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells (202) 724-8072 twells@dccouncil.us

Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander (202) 724-8068 yalexander@dccouncil.us

Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry (202) 724-8045 mbarry@dccouncil.us

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Doing Right By the District’s Children

By Sequnely Gray, on May 20th, 2013

Child care in Washington DC is vital for a family to work, live, and participate in the community in a positive way. Without proper child care, parents- particularly single parents- may be forced to cut back their work hours, turn down promotions, or even quit their stable jobs. For the children, these early years provide the foundation for their future development; quality child care prepares children for success in school. Child care is increasingly expensive and many families cannot afford it on their own wages. In the District, the average yearly child care cost for an infant/toddler is $18,200. These are clear facts that have been widely documented.

So then why is funding for subsidies continually cut? Why are reimbursement rates for providers so low that they can’t afford to provide high quality care?

Child care advocates all over the District have been working for years to right the funding wrongs of the Office of State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Funding for the child care subsidy program has been slashed dramatically while the need for these subsidies continues to grow at a steady pace. Last year, the council passed a budget that cut $5.7 million; in the last five years subsidies have been cut nearly $30 million. This is 1,600 families that were unable to participate in the subsidy program. This is 1,600 families who could not get child care.

This year, in the Mayor’s released budget, the child care subsidy/voucher program made it to #1 on his wish list. Child care should not be a “wish” because the money is there. The District has enough funds and new sources of revenue to restore the money that has been taken away from this program.

In fiscal year 2014, the childcare subsidy/voucher program will lose another 1.5 million dollars due to sequestration. This budget cut affects about 80 more families who need childcare subsidies to work, attend school and seek employment. However, the District of Columbia has the money to replace what is being cut. DC has generated over 400 million dollars of extra revenue for the city in the past year but they put all of it in the bank. Meanwhile, parents are still having challenges getting childcare vouchers and their children are missing out on an early start in education. The mayor and his team regularly say how much they care about families and, in particular, vulnerable children in this city. They sure have a funny way of showing it. Now it’s up to the Council to plug the leak in childcare subsidies. We need to restore the lost funding for childcare subsidies and give higher reimbursement rates for childcare providers. Because DC doesn’t work without childcare.

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Community Organizes to Stabilize Bruce Monroe at Parkview Elementary School

By Guest Contributor, on September 11th, 2012

We haven’t had a post about Bruce Monroe for a while, but that doesn’t mean nothing’s been going on there. Here are two reports and a video about recent developments.

Bruce Monroe’s Phase One Modernization Becomes More Robust by Daniel del Pielago, Empower DC Education Organizer

In 2008, the Bruce Monroe Elementary community was tricked by the city into leaving their school on Georgia Avenue and moving to the Parkview school building. The Bruce Monroe community fought hard to get their school rebuilt as promised, but unfortunately the city did not keep its word. At the same time, the community realized that the Parkview building was not in safe condition and definitely not conducive to academic success.

The Bruce Monroe community then decided to focus on getting much needed repairs at their new school (Bruce Monore at Parkview). The school was slated for a “Phase 1 Modernization” which repairs corridors and classrooms but not electrical, heating, or plumbing systems. For this reason, the community knew that a Phase 1 modernization would not be enough. First, the community documented the problems with the school and how it impacted students, teachers, parents, and others. Once these issues were documented, community members were present at any opportunity to advocate for their school with key government decision makers. They continuously kept their community updated on what was going on and on ways that individuals could support their effort for a more robust modernization of their school. All of this hard work and organizing paid off when the city agreed to do more than a Phase 1 modernization, focusing on the issues that the community had documented and said needed to be addressed. This brief summary does not capture all that went into this victory, but being organized and visible was key.

Renovation Preparations by Beverly West, Bruce Monroe at Parkview Elementary Parent Leader

The preparations for “Phase I Modernization” at Bruce Monroe at Parkview Elementary School started out in chaotic fashion. It was a stressful matter for everyone involved. It seems that everything was pushed back until the last moment as the teachers and many staff members struggled to finish packing and salvaging valuable resources from their offices and classrooms. Many of the teachers were also unable to complete the students’ year-end reports because the DCPS IT Department had collected their computers and printers days earlier. This was a very uneasy transition for the start of the summer vacation. At least an end-of-year student progress report would have given parents and students a foundation to work towards for next year. Please pray that the reopening of the school will go more smoothly than the closing. The building must be organized people-wise, building-wise, and Lord knows it needs to have a soothing atmosphere to have a successful beginning. In other words, total organization is needed across the school to properly educate the children.

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A Day In The Strife

By Guest Contributor, on May 7th, 2012

Cross-posted from the Fair Budget Coalition Facebook Page

When faced with the impossible choices that many DC residents have to make, what would DC Council members choose? Pay rent or buy groceries? Buy a metrocard to get to work or school supplies for your kids? Over the last few years the Mayor and DC Council have cut funding to safety net programs like affordable housing, homeless serivces, TANF, Child Care and more. This year millions more in cuts to these programs are on the chopping block. Meanwhile, DC residents are forced to make impossible choices to make ends meet. Join us as we fight CUTS to the safety net and show the Councilmembers what it’s really like to live in poverty. A DAY IN THE STRIFE: A Tour of Life on the Poverty Line Thursday, May 10th: 10:00am-Noon At the Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW Lunch will be provided Bring your ID to enter the building And BRING AN EXTRA SHOE to carry along as we tour! We want to ask Councilmembers to picture what it’s like to walk a mile in our shoes. For more information contact 202-328-1262 or makeonecitypossible@gmail.com To learn more about the campaign, visit: www.makeonecitypossible.com This event is organized by the Fair Budget Coalition @FairBudgetDC www.facebook.com/FairBudgetDC

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A Better Budget is Possible (at least in the District of Colubmia)

By Liane Scott, on April 11th, 2011

So what are you doing this Tuesday, April 12? How about a free meal, good conversation and some concrete suggestions for how you can make this city a better place to live.

As you know, we are deep into budget season. We’ve all been disgusted at the “negotiations” that have been going on at a national level. The effect of last Friday’s deal will have a disproportionate impact on DC residents not only because of the last-minute riders funding the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program and reinstating a ban on abortion funding but also because cuts were made on the backs of the poor and our sizable low-income populations will struggle mightily as subsidized housing and income maintenance programs are starved along with the people that they are meant to serve. Having no national representation in this “Capital of the Free World,” we should not be surprised to take a larger hit. However we do have representation or something like it on the local level. Most long-term residents of DC believe that government should prioritize human rights over property rights, but when you listen to the fiscal conservatives on the city council and in the mayor’s office, it’s pretty clear that they’re not representing that point of view. This is in part down to us. Elected officials must be held to account and no one but their constituents legitimately have that right. It is not enough to vote, we must make demands.

To that end is Tuesday night’s dinner which sponsors are calling:

Winning a Better Budget: Dinner and Action Session Bread for the City, 1525 7th Street NW Tuesday, April 12, 2011 5:30 – 8:00 PM Free! Free! Free!!!

Dinner starts at 5:30 PM. The information and action session starts at 6:00 PM. Bread for the City is 2 blocks from the Shaw/Howard Metro station on the Green Line, between P & Q Streets NW.

Joni Podschun, steady force behind the Save Our Safety Net Campaign, has posted details about the event and why you should be involved on her blog which is cross posted below.

Good News Really Bad News About the DC Budget

Fast Facts • Nearly 1 in 5 DC residents live in poverty. • 1 in 3 children in DC live in poverty – much higher than the national average. • 1 in 5 workers in DC has a job that won’t lift a family

Hello good people,

The Mayor’s budget was released on Friday. It was a moment of reckoning, demonstrating both our power to affect change and the unjust cuts our city leaders are willing to make instead of truly progressive new revenue. Now we need you to tell the Council to make a better choice.

Here’s what happened: Mayor Vince Gray proposed a new tax bracket of 8.9% for household income over $200,000 a year, a modest increase from the current bracket of 8.5%. Save Our Safety Net and coalition partners put on the heat with emails, calls, and visits to City Hall these last few weeks to push for progressive taxes to fund safety net programs, and this effort clearly paid off.

The Mayor also slashed the safety net. Though human services programs make up roughly a quarter of the local budget, they are taking 67% of the Mayor’s proposed cuts. Early analysis suggests that homeless services, affordable housing, help for families in crisis, disability assistance, child care, and health care have all seen drastic cuts. This targeting of safety net programs can not stand.

We need your help to send a strong message to the Council. Join us in asking them for smart, responsible leadership. With even more progressive income tax brackets, we can restore these essential programs. Email the Council now.

For the first time since our campaign began in the summer of 2009, we have a change in our tax system. Please take a minute now to show the Council that DC residents want this change, and we need to bring in enough money to restore funding for these programs.

If you’re interested in learning more about the budget and connecting with SOS and other organizing campaigns, come to Winning the Budget: Dinner and Action Session from 5:30-8:00 pm Tuesday, April 12 at Bread for the City (1525 7th St NW). RSVP on Facebook or email me for more information.

Thank you for your hard work,

Joni

http://breadforthecity.blogspot.com/2011/04/winning-better-budget-education-and.html

http://www.saveoursafetynet.com/

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