DC early childhood centers rally against mayor’s proposed budget cuts
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Dozens of families and teachers rallied Monday outside the Wilson Building, showing their opposition to proposed budget cuts to early childhood programs in the District.
Several early child care education centers said they would open late or stay closed for the national A Day Without Child Care. Among the people who planned to demonstrate were those affiliated with CommunKids and Blandi Child Learning Center.
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed 2025 budget includes nearly $300 million in cuts to early childhood education and cutting the Pay Equity Fund, which makes sure early childhood educators are paid almost the same as D.C. public school teachers.
67 first responders battle garage fire in Northwest DC
Kyra Fernandez works at Blandi Child Learning Center. She said the Pay Equity Fund has helped her not have to pay out of pocket for supplies but if it’s cut that could lead to early education centers losing staff and ultimately closing.
“Most of the time that I’ve been paying from [my] pocket and now with the equity fund, it has helped me provide for staff needs,” she said. “So it would be we would we would face the consequences of losing staff who are from losing staff to daycare centers who are offering more than $17.50 an hour.”
Monday’s rally was a little different — Freedom Plaza was transformed into a “Kids Zone” with a moon bounce, face painting, games and so much more. Organizers said by showing up in numbers their message would be stronger.
“The families are here, the children are here to show solidarity, that, hey, learning begins in early childhood and we are not going to stop. Please do not cut the equity funding,” said Fernandez.
Ciera James grew up going to Big Mama’s Children Center. She has a 3-year-old who goes there now and said she can’t imagine what she’d do without affordable child care.
“The cost of living here in D.C. is high and they just offer so much support and it’s just not fair,” she said. “She looks forward to seeing her friends every day, you know, it would definitely affect her routine.”
Small water vessel loses power in Washington Channel
Organizers expected it to be the largest A Day Without Child Care to date, with 26 states participating. Its goal is to shine a light on the true cost of child care and to demand the necessary funding to allow all children to thrive.
D.C. Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn provided the following statement to DC News Now.
Washington, DC deeply respects and honors our educators in early childhood, K12 and beyond. Our children’s futures depend upon vibrant centers of learning staffed with amazing caretakers and teachers across all ages. This is why we have invested so heavily in our K12 teacher compensation, and why we have begun the process of upskilling and improving compensation among our early childhood educators. As the budget process proceeds, we will continue to implement the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Program in FY24. The Council will now make their own choices regarding the continuation of the program.
Statement from Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn
D.C. early childhood educators are scheduled to speak to council members throughout the day on Monday.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
