Little Citizens, Big Issues

Reflections for Mother’s Day

By HyeSook Chung on 05/14/12

I am the lucky mother of two amazing kids. Yesterday reminded me of how lucky I truly am.

Motherhood brings so much joy to my life, but it is also the hardest and most humbling job I have ever had. At times, the responsibility of creating tender, sweet and conscientious members of society is daunting.

As someone who was educated to be a social worker to care for families and steeped in early education literature and research, I thought being a mom would be a breeze. In fact, I asked my “infant expert” friends NOT to send me books or give me advice! The joke was on me. I regret not asking for help! The fact of the matter is that children don’t come with instruction manuals. Mothers (and fathers) of ALL ages and income levels need to learn the importance of touch, early... Read More

In Praise of Teachers

By HyeSook Chung on 05/10/12

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. All week, there are small and big celebrations throughout our schools to celebrate all the wonderful things our teachers are doing in the classroom.

I think the most challenging job is that of being a teacher – for any grade! I personally would never teach in the middle school grades – the developing personalities, the hygiene conversations, the heightened emotions. I don’t think I have the patience to start that challenging career.

Luckily, there are plenty of people in D.C. who do have the patience – and the ambition and intelligence – to teach. Their task is made even more daunting by the student body they see each day.

... Read More

Building the mental health system our city’s children so desperately need – and deserve

By Shannon Hall on 05/08/12

Today, we welcome Shannon Hall, the executive director of the D.C. Behavioral Health Association, for a guest post about our newly released data snapshot, Children’s Mental Health in D.C.: The Mismatch Between Need and Treatment.

An advisory committee for the D.C. Medicaid program recently completed a forthcoming analysis of children’s access to mental health services. It found that nearly 9 out of 10 children with diagnosable mental health disorders who are enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations are not getting the services they need. Why not? D.C. Action for Children’s data snapshot, Children’s Mental Health in D.C.: The Mismatch... Read More

A local solution to a national concern

By Tulli Dobler on 05/04/12

Last week, I attended an early learning forum at the Boeing Company, a company that “gets it” when it comes to the importance of quality early learning experiences. With an impressive list of speakers, I was most surprised by the unique perspective of Boeing’s Vice President of Combat Air Force Systems, Jack Catton.

I’ll admit that prior to hearing Jack – a retired U.S. Air Force major general – I wondered, “What on earth could this guy have to say about early childhood education?”

Jack had a lot to say that he framed in a way that I do not normally hear – that early childhood learning has become such an... Read More

Data for the Greater Good

By HyeSook Chung on 05/02/12

As many of you may already know, we were funded to be the new KIDS COUNT grantee here in the District, and we don’t take this responsibility lightly! In 1990, The Annie E. Casey Foundation created the KIDS COUNT initiative to fund organizations like ours to gather and promote the use of data as a critical tool for long-term systemic change.

As such, KIDS COUNT grantees track changes in child well-being outcomes from year to year, providing the basis for comparative analysis that advocates push out to legislators and policymakers. The goal is to emphasize data as the basis for measuring and evaluating services to improve efficiency and achieve positive outcomes for children, youth and families. We... Read More

Raising DC, from cradle to career

By Kate Kairys on 04/30/12

Last week, Mayor Gray announced the launch of Raise DC, an initiative that brings together policymakers and community leaders across sectors for a common goal — career readiness by age 24. DC Action for Children is proud to have been part of the collaboration that constructed the Raise DC roadmap, during a two-day Design Institute with more than 100 other community leaders. We are excited to connect Raise DC to our KIDS COUNT work. The KIDS COUNT data center will be one place to track progress on Raise DC outcomes and many of their contributing... Read More

New infant mortality data: Positive trend, but large disparities by place

By Kate Kairys on 04/24/12

Infant mortality, a metric widely used to compare the health and well-being of different populations, has declined slightly in D.C. (and across the nation) over the past decade. New data from the D.C. Department of Health (DOH) measured infant mortality at 9.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009 (the national rate was 6.4). A decrease in infant mortality is excellent news, but city-wide statistics can mask disparities among wards and different population groups (especially by race and income). That finding is true nationally and in D.C., where infant mortality by ward ranges from a low of 2.6 to a high of 18.4. (For a closer look at vital statistics by ward and race/ethnicity, see the... Read More

On Bully Free DC anniversary, signs of progress

By Kate Kairys on 04/20/12

Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of Mayor Vincent Gray’s Bully Free DC Day, an effort to highlight and combat bullying in the District. The anniversary is timely, as both DC Public Schools and Mayor Gray released anti-bullying plans in the past month.

Here at DC Action, we believe every child should have all the resources needed to reach their full potential. Bullying fosters an... Read More

Become a Friend of DC Action

By Tulli Dobler on 04/18/12

Yesterday we hosted our first Friends of DC Action event — sponsored by Clos du Bois winery at the Lincoln Restaurant. It was a great success! I was excited to see people gather from all sectors of the community to learn about the work we do, and ways to be involved.

Chatting with a friend later that evening who was tied up with school and unable to attend, I realized that there are tons of young professionals and students out there who would love to be more involved in the local work we do on behalf of children — they just don’t know how to incorporate philanthropy into their busy lives.

In case you were unable to make it yesterday, or... Read More

Working to give every child a good start

By Jason Shevrin on 04/13/12

Before going through primary and secondary school and heading to a four-year college, I had the foundation of my learning abilities laid at a more humble locale: The Hancock preschool program in Lexington, Mass.

I took it for granted for a long time that I had a strong Pre-K experience there, even before Pre-K gained the importance and prominence it now rightly has. But a few years ago, I had the opportunity to work on a series of state and national forums on the importance of early childhood education and the transitions between Pre-K and elementary school. The... Read More

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