DCCAPE results are out. Good: progress for nearly every group! Bad: massive gaps remain, and those who we aren't getting to proficiency also have fewer edu opportunities (and in the current political climate even more challenges). To see how your ward's doing go to wearedcaction.org/dc-kids-coun...

PSA

There were also big policing differences between wards. To see the percentage of police stops, searches, arrests, and use of force with children in your ward compared to the share of teens in your ward check out our ward snapshots. Ward 1 is shown here wearedcaction.org/dc-kids-coun...

Even without Trump militarizing District law enforcement, Black children were already disproportionately policed. Black youth under 18 were stopped at > 10x the rate of their white peers. Police also searched Black youth under 18 far more often than they did white youth: 935 compared to just 6. 1/3

NEW: Leaders from 20 local anti-poverty orgs sent a letter to Council to raise alarm about the proposed DC budget and the long-lasting harm it will cause to the poorest residents. www.dcfpi.org/nonprofitlea...

This week,
@CouncilofDC
committees adopted revisions to the Mayor’s proposed FY26 budget. We want to thank CMs for the many positive changes they made for children, youth, and families - but there is still A LOT of work to be done in the days ahead. 🧵

Tell DC Council to stand against the Mayor "saving money" by cutting coverage for sick kids to see specialists and cutting healthcare for thousands of parents! Sign the Alliance/ICP letter at actionnetwork.org/letters/inve...

Estimates from @itep.org show the wealthiest 1% of DC residents getting a $37k tax cut each year in the Senate reconciliation bill, which is also estimated to cut health care to 16 million people. They're killing people so the rich get richer
itep.org/analysis-of-...; www.cbpp.org/research/hea...

The FY26 budget cuts $1.6M from youth homelessness programs, putting vital housing and support services at risk. We must restore the youth budget to $22M and require DHS to pay nonprofits up to 50% of grant funds upfront so providers can serve youth without delays.

DC’s FY26 budget cuts $1.6M from youth homelessness services. Read our testimony about why these cuts hurt young people at wearedcaction.org/publications... and wearedcaction.org/publications...

Testimony: In FY23, 58,293 children and youth under age 18 were enrolled in SNAP at some point during the year, which represents nearly ½ of all District children! At some point in FY24, 25,370 children lived in households that received TANF benefits.

Testimony: It’s unacceptable that youth homelessness service providers (+ all DHS contractors & grantees) went without payment for 4+ months this fiscal year. DHS must improve its contracting and payment process to ensure District programs can provide vital services for unhoused youth

The majority of Americans agree: Cutting Medicaid is wrong.

We shouldn’t fund tax breaks for billionaires by taking healthcare away from millions. (Especially those of you living in places with voting members of Congress) Act now to #SaveMedicaid: caring.nu/protect-medicaid-2025!

Medicaid has a huge role in children's edu by providing $4.5 billion annually to schools nationwide for student health services, supporting safety, academic achievement, and child and educator well-being. Let your delegate/rep knows you demand Congress protects these vital funds! Call 202-224-3121

If fed policymakers go through with cutting SNAP and implementing tariffs that cause food prices to go up, more families will be food insecure. In 2024 more than 100k DC area kids (15k just in DC) were food insecure per Capital Area Food Bank hunger-report.capitalareafoodbank.org/report-2024

Read the rest of the testimony at wearedcaction.org/publications...

DC education policy people (including myself) have been grumbling for years about all the data OSSE suppresses in the name of student privacy, but I've never been so glad for laws that bar schools from sharing any information that could come close to violating student privacy.

It wouldn't be the December season without new ward-level American Community Survey data to use to better understand how children and families in DC's wards are doing! Last week we shared some demographic take-aways, and today we're sharing some economic and other take-aways! 🧵 (1/1)

Great to have positive news! There aren't state-level results for this survey, but given that the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey shows DC students smoking at lower rates than the national avg (see below), I'm hopeful that once we have 2024 (or later) DC data it'll show fewer youth smoking here, too!