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Our advocacy is working.

Because families, educators, providers, and allies have raised our voices, DC Councilmembers are prioritizing early learning in the FY27 budget. They are feeling the pressure to meet our funding demands for the Child Care Subsidy Program and the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund.

That is real momentum. Now, we need to make sure the final budget truly protects child care!

A partial fix is not enough. DC families cannot afford a subsidy waitlist. Early educators cannot afford another pay cut. And child care providers cannot absorb cuts to subsidy reimbursement rates while already operating on razor-thin margins.

Underfunding early learning means staff layoffs, reduced hours, classroom closures, fewer child care seats, more children missing out on essential developmental and learning opportunities and more families losing access to the affordable child care they need to work or go to school.

Email the Council now and tell them to add funding on top of what the Mayor has already requested for critical early learning programs. We need the Council to:

• Add $63.2 million to the Child Care Subsidy Program to avoid subsidy provider reimbursement rate cuts and to eliminate the current enrollment freeze/waitlist

• Restore the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund’s salaries with $82.2 million

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