Business voices for the current and future workforce

Business leaders in the District, and around the nation, are realizing that a strong education and workforce pipeline, starting at the earliest ages, is essential to promote the lifelong success of District residents, end racial inequities, and generate a thriving economy.   Employers need reliable, quality early education and care for their employees to be productive.  And the early years are the most important time period for brain development, laying the foundation for building the executive functioning and technical skills and abilities necessary for a successful life.

Key information on why this is a business issue is in “Giving DC’s Youngest Residents a Good Start is Good for Business” (two-page version with endnotes and hyperlinks) (2023)

Business leaders in the District of Columbia are speaking out in support of birth-to-three investments that help children grow to be productive adults, help working parents focus on their jobs, and ensure early educators are compensated commensurate with their skills and abilities.   In 2020, 16 leaders signed a Statement of Support for Early Investments in DC’s Youngest Learners. This year, two DC business leaders and two leading advocates signed an open letter to Mayor Bowser, praising her inclusion of expanded child care supports in the DC Comeback Plan.

DC Action is supporting a network of employers interested in conveying the benefits of investing in early childhood programs that benefit children, families, employers and the District economy.  We would welcome the opportunity to support your actions such as providing testimony or media pieces (examples below).  For more information, contact Dr. Sara Watson, consultant to DC Action, swatson.office@gmail.com.

“Every moment an adult spends with a child is an opportunity for learning, and if we don’t take advantage of it, it’s a lost opportunity that’s hard to make up.” Gregory McCarthy, Senior Vice President, Community Engagement, Washington Nationals

Aisha Bond, President & CEO of the Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce, and Kim Perry, Executive Director of DC Action, “Early Care and Education is a Business Necessity,” Washington Informer, March 14, 2022

Gregory McCarthy & Bill Alsup and others — 2023 Thank You to Mayor Bowser

Gregory McCarthy & Bill Alsup and others — 2023 Thank You to Chairman Phil Mendelson

Fiscal Year 2024 Letter to Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, April 20, 2023

• Leila Jackson Batties (Holland & Knight)

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Testimony Committee on Business and Economic Development, April 10, 2023

• Dr. Sheila Brooks (Founder, President and CEO – SRB Communications, LLC)
• Mr. Corey Griffin (President and CEO, Global Government and Industry Partners, LLC Chairman of the Board, Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce) & Ms. Aisha Bond, Esq. (President and CEO, Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce)
• William Alsup, Senior Managing Director, (Hines-Retired)

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Testimony Committee of the Whole (Education), April 5, 2023

• Gregory McCarthy (Senior Vice President for Community Engagement, Washington Nationals Baseball Club)
• James Sandman, Esq. (Former Managing Partner, Arnold & Porter)
• William Alsup (Former Senior Managing Director, Hines)

March 31, 2023, Washington Business Journal Viewpoint, By William Alsup and Gregory McCarthy

Giving DC’s Youngest Residents a Good Start is Good for Business — 2023 (two-page version with endnotes and hyperlinks)

Gregory McCarthy & Bill Alsup and others — 2023 Open letter to Mayor Bowser thanking her for including child care in the DC Comeback Plan

The Case for Investing in the District of Columbia’s Current and Future Workforce Through Early Childhood Education and Care  (two-page version) (two-page version plus endnotes)

Barbara Lang – 2021 Testimony for the DC Council Committee of the Whole Budget Oversight Hearing on funding for programs in the Birth-to-Three For All DC Act

James Sandman –  2021 Testimony for the DC Council Committee of the Whole Budget Oversight Hearing on funding for programs in the Birth-to-Three For All DC Act

Antwayne Ford –  2021 Testimony for the DC Council Committee of the Whole Budget Oversight Hearing on funding for programs in the Birth-to-Three For All DC Act

We can’t allow the public health emergency to worsen DC’s child care crisis, by Sheila Brooks, Founder, President and CEO, SRB Communications, in DC Line

Investing in High-Quality Early Programs Today Builds the Workforce of Tomorrow, by Gregory McCarthy, Senior Vice President, Community Engagement, Washington Nationals

In Good Times and Challenging Times, Child Care Helps Make D.C. Work, by Barbara Lang, Managing Principal and CEO, Lang Strategies, LLC

Statement of Support for Early Investments in DC’s Youngest Learners, developed by ReadyNation and signed by 16 District business and civic leaders

D.C. Voices: Sustainability of D.C. child care facilities during the pandemic. Chelsea Coffin and Amanda Chu, DC Policy Center, July 15, 2020.

“I believe that ensuring a good start for our young children from birth to three, including early education and child care, health, and family support, is one of the most important next steps the District can take to address racial, social and economic inequity.”  

William Alsup, former Senior Managing Director, Hines

“Early education/child care is critical to the city overall and our own businesses.  Attracting and retaining their workforce requires convenient and affordable child care slots around the city.  Moreover, the workforce they need to hire in 20 years will depend on children who start learning earlier than ever before. ”  

Gregory McCarthy, Senior Vice President, Community Engagement, Washington Nationals

Antwanye Ford, CEO of Enlightened, Inc., Board Chair of the Greater Washington Chamber of Commerce, and Vice Chair of US Black Chambers, Inc., in a recent Capitol Hill briefing sponsored by ReadyNation, “Solutions to Stop the She-cession.”

Viewpoint: Child care challenges don’t just impact children and parents. They hurt businesses and taxpayers, too., Washington Business Journal

Piecing Together Solutions: The Importance of Childcare to U.S. Families and Businesses, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Want to Grow the Economy? Fix the Child Care Crisis, ReadyNation

Child Care in State Economies – Impact of the Child Care Industry in the District of Columbia, Committee for Economic Development

Early Childhood Development, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank

“Investing in early learning opportunities for young children pays off in measurable, powerful, lifelong benefits. The research is remarkable and indisputable. When children are supported carefully and lovingly during the first few years of life, they are more prepared to succeed in school, lead healthier lives, and create stronger communities.”

​​Jack Brennan, Chairman Emeritus and Senior Advisor, Vanguard; Co-Chair, ReadyNation CEO Task Force on Early Childhood