Under 3 DC
@Under3DC
Our coalition lifts the voices and power of the community to advocate for more public investment to support families with infants and toddlers.
@ChmnMendelson and most of the @councilofdc understand the value of #childcare subsidies and the Pay Equity Fund for #WashingtonDC's parents with young children and early educators themselves. The fact that they have found funding to start filling in the proposed gaps proves they…
💗 72% of voters agree: Early learning is a smart use of tax dollars. ✅ Head Start delivers — boosting school readiness, family stability, and long-term success. 💰 Now is the time to #InvestInHeadStart. Read more in @educationweek. #HeadStart60 edweek.org/teaching-learn…
📢"If you care about DC’s growth, real growth that benefits residents and businesses, you must invest in the programs like the childcare subsidy that make that possible." Parent Ambassador Charlee Vinson
It’s today. DC Council votes on the FY26 budget. This is the moment to demand full funding for child care subsidies and the Pay Equity Fund. These are not extras—they are essential for 6,800 families and for DC’s workforce. Speak out: docs.google.com/document/d/1BK…
DC loses millions of $$$ in tax revenue annually due to a lack of stable child care for families. Invest in child care to invest in #WashingtonDC! @chairmanphilmendelson Fully fund #childcare subsidies and the Pay Equity Fund in the budget!
@chairmanphilmendelson Will you commit to fully funding child care subsidies and the Pay Equity Fund in the FY26 budget so #WashingtonDC doesn’t lose out? Invest in #childcare to invest in DC!
Early childhood educators in DC are predominantly Black and brown women, but you continuously eliminate funding for the Pay Equity Fund year after year. If you're committed to equal pay for Black women, you should be committed to fully funding the Pay Equity Fund.
Today is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. It marks how far into 2025 Black women must work to earn what their white male counterparts made by the end of 2024. Let's honor this day by continuing to drive progress, pursue equity, and invest in opportunities for our residents.
Op-ed: When disaster strikes, #childcare holds the line | EdSource edsource.org/2025/when-disa…
At today's @councilofdc FY26 budget hearing, Under 3 DC's Martine Gordon connected the dots between all the child and family health and education programs facing cuts and stressed the importance of addressing these needs to ensure #WashingtonDC families with young children can…
Despite Mayor Bowser’s promise to maintain early education funding, her proposed budget falls short. Child Care Subsidies won’t meet current family needs and the Pay Equity Fund is set to be eliminated entirely next year. This is unacceptable. Affordable, high-quality child care…
Teachers like Artia deserve fair pay beyond FY26. "As a single mother supporting a son in college, caring for an elderly parent, and raising my niece, I carry many responsibilities. Before the #PayEquityFund, it was difficult to stretch my paycheck to meet everyone’s needs."
Dr. Amber Shelton warns that slashing pediatric resources risks harming #WashingtonDC kids’ growth. @healthystepsztt offers vital support in child development, like boosting vocabulary and social skills—proof that continued investment is essential. @_DCHealth @CMCHenderson
Early educators care for #WashingtonDC’s future, our youth, but many can’t afford to care for their own health. Without full funding for the #PayEquityFund, early educators could lose health coverage, parents could lose work, & children could lose care. @councilofdc…
Affordable health care keeps early educators healthy, stable, and able to care for #WashingtonDC children. The HealthCare4ChildCare program works, but only if the #payequityfund is fully funded. @councilofdc @ChmnMendelson @chenderson Fund HealthCare4ChildCare in the FY26 budget…
"How can teachers like me plan for the future if our salaries are only guaranteed for one more year? How can we continue to build our careers in early education if we constantly have to worry about whether our pay will be cut?" Stephanie Reese, an @DCEducare teacher, echoes the…
A year later, we’re back fighting to protect the widely successful Pay Equity Fund. DC’s early educators and young children deserve better.
The #PayEquityFund is a workforce program, funding this #WashingtonDC workforce is necessary. The PEF is not a problem that can be “worked out” in future budget cycles. It is imperative that the @councilofdc protect and enhance the Fund in FY26 and beyond.
Flat funding for the #PayEquityFund will cause a cut to wages, displacing early education programs currently in the PEF program, and denying entry to the program for as many as 100 child development homes, meaning denying urgently needed fair wages to #WashingtonDC residents &…
Without a $10M increase, the #PayEquityFund will not be able to make cost-of-living adjustments, risking the loss of #WashingtonDC early educators, facilities being forced to close classrooms, and families being turned away.
The #PayEquityFund is a workforce program, funding this #WashingtonDC workforce is necessary. The PEF is not a problem that can be “worked out” in future budget cycles. It is imperative that the @councilofdc protect and enhance the Fund in FY26 and beyond.
For years, children in wards 7 and 8 have been underserved. @DCEducare’s president, Jamal Berry, shares that with a 23% return on investment on teachers based on pay equity, the support for equal pay is necessary and extremely important. Eliminating the #PayEquityFund will…