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DC Action for Children works in partnership with government, advocates and providers to bring positive and lasting change for D.C.’s youngest citizens. We regularly testify before the D.C. Council and when necessary, we will draft legislation backed by evidence and best practices.

Performance Oversight Hearings (Fiscal Year 2012-2013)

District of Columbia Public Schools

Before the Committee on Education

Council of the District of Columbia

DC Action for Children Public Policy Analyst Bonnie O'Keefe testified at the Performance Oversight hearing for District of Columbia Public Schools. Her testimony focused on two areas of concern for young children, which we hope DCPS leaders will address in the upcoming oversight and budget hearings: population and planning for early care and education, and its connection to third grade proficiency.

Read her remarks here.

2013 Bills

Hearing on the Attendance Accountability Amendment Act of 2013

DC Action for Children Executive Director HyeSook Chung testified on February 12 before the Committee of the Whole and the Committee on Education of the District of Columbia. Her testimony focused on five recommendations:

  • Take a preventive approach,
  • Use sound data,
  • Address absenteeism earlier,
  • Examine evidence from other jurisdictions, and
  • Consider capacity implications of this legislation.

Read her testimony here.

Behind the Scenes Impact

In January 2011, DC Action worked with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and Council Chairman Kwame Brown’s office to reconcile a critical discrepancy in existing family child care regulations. Newly revised regulations from OSSE would have allowed licensed child development homes to serve no more than five children under a 1970s law, whereas previous regulations under a different city agency had allowed them to serve up to six children, despite the law. DC Action interceded to ensure that the new regulations would be phased in, so that nearly 100 children and families would not lose critical child care overnight.

Read the analysis we prepared. 

Budget Hearings (FY 2013)

Deputy Mayor of Education

District of Columbia Public Charter Schools

Office of the State Superintendent of Education

District of Columbia Public Schools

DC Action for Children Executive Director HyeSook Chung testified at the Budget hearing for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the Deputy Mayor of Education, DCPS and DCPCS. She stressed the importance of the blended Head Start model and it's impact of helping thousands of families and children break the cycle of poverty by ensuring that children have every support and opportunity necessary to enter kindergarten prepared to learn and thrive. 

Read her remarks here.

Performance Oversight Hearings (FY 2011 - 2012)

Deputy Mayor of Education

District of Columbia Public Charter Schools

Office of the State Superintendent of Education

District of Columbia Public Schools

DC Action for Children Executive Director HyeSook Chung testified at the Performance Oversight hearing for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the Deputy Mayor of Education, DCPS and DCPCS. She stressed the need for more accurate, complete and timely data and encouraged OSSE to make critical improvements to the dated paper-based data-tracking system to ensure a more systematized approach to maintaining a baseline of data. 

Read her remarks here.

Performance Oversight Hearings (Fiscal Year 2012-2013)

District of Columbia Public Schools

Before the Committee on Education

Council of the District of Columbia

DC Action for Children Public Policy Analyst Bonnie O'Keefe testified at the Performance Oversight hearing for District of Columbia Public Schools. Her testimony focused on two areas of concern for young children, which we hope DCPS leaders will address in the upcoming oversight and budget hearings: population and planning for early care and education, and its connection to third grade proficiency.

Read her remarks here.

2013 Bills

Hearing on the Attendance Accountability Amendment Act of 2013

DC Action for Children Executive Director HyeSook Chung testified on February 12 before the Committee of the Whole and the Committee on Education of the District of Columbia. Her testimony focused on five recommendations:

  • Take a preventive approach,
  • Use sound data,
  • Address absenteeism earlier,
  • Examine evidence from other jurisdictions, and
  • Consider capacity implications of this legislation.

Read her testimony here.

Behind the Scenes Impact

In January 2011, DC Action worked with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and Council Chairman Kwame Brown’s office to reconcile a critical discrepancy in existing family child care regulations. Newly revised regulations from OSSE would have allowed licensed child development homes to serve no more than five children under a 1970s law, whereas previous regulations under a different city agency had allowed them to serve up to six children, despite the law. DC Action interceded to ensure that the new regulations would be phased in, so that nearly 100 children and families would not lose critical child care overnight.

Read the analysis we prepared. 

Budget Hearings (FY 2013)

Deputy Mayor of Education

District of Columbia Public Charter Schools

Office of the State Superintendent of Education

District of Columbia Public Schools

DC Action for Children Executive Director HyeSook Chung testified at the Budget hearing for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the Deputy Mayor of Education, DCPS and DCPCS. She stressed the importance of the blended Head Start model and it's impact of helping thousands of families and children break the cycle of poverty by ensuring that children have every support and opportunity necessary to enter kindergarten prepared to learn and thrive. 

Read her remarks here.

Performance Oversight Hearings (FY 2011 - 2012)

Deputy Mayor of Education

District of Columbia Public Charter Schools

Office of the State Superintendent of Education

District of Columbia Public Schools

DC Action for Children Executive Director HyeSook Chung testified at the Performance Oversight hearing for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the Deputy Mayor of Education, DCPS and DCPCS. She stressed the need for more accurate, complete and timely data and encouraged OSSE to make critical improvements to the dated paper-based data-tracking system to ensure a more systematized approach to maintaining a baseline of data. 

Read her remarks here.

Performance Oversight Hearings (FY 2010 - 2011)

Child and Family Services Advocacy Roundtable

DC Action for Children Executive Director HyeSook Chung addressed the Committee on Human Services at a roundtable meeting to hear advocates' views of the District's Child and Family Services agency. HyeSook noted that data from the 2010 DC KIDS COUNT Fact Book show that substantiated reports of child abuse and neglect rose by 29 percent in FY 2009, after a two-year decline. The spike may reflect the fact that vulnerable families were under increased stress and hardship during the economic recession. It also may reflect increased vigilance and follow up by the agency in the wake of the tragic Banita Jacks case in early 2008.

Read her remarks here.

 

Office of the State Superintendent of Education 

DC Action for Children Executive Director HyeSook Chung testified at the Performance Oversight hearing for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). She stressed the need to expand access and improve quality in infant toddler care across the city, and in particular in Wards 5, 7 and 8, where it is most critically needed. She explained that it is not a matter of simply increasing slots, but giving providers the support and resources they need to expand and improve, including incentives that make it viable from a business standpoint.

Read her testimony here. 

 

DC Public Schools

DC Action for Children Executive Director HyeSook Chung testified at the Performance Oversight hearing for DC Public Schools (DCPS). She highlighted the Office of Early Childhood Education's success in "blending" Pre-K and Head Start classrooms in Title I schools, reaching more children with a comprehensive approach to early learning that prepares them for kindergarten.

Read her testimony here.

Designed by: RED THINKING