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Our Agenda

Washington, DC is stronger when all children thrive. Under 3 DC works as a coalition to unite families, educators, providers, and everyone else who is committed to fighting for a racially just early childhood system, one that focuses on delivering accessible, affordable, high-quality child care; mental and physical health supports; home visiting; and an equitably compensated workforce.
An educator smiles warmly at a young child she is holding. The child, wearing a green shirt with a playful graphic, looks at the camera while the educator, dressed in a colorful patterned scrub top and headband, looks at him affectionately. They are standing next to a wooden crib, with a vibrant yellow background behind them.

What Is Birth-to-Three?

The Birth-to-Three for All DC Act intends to create an accessible, comprehensive early education and care system for infants, toddlers, and their families. Including home visiting and child health and development programs in addition to early education, it seeks to address the District’s deep racial and economic disparities that remain present in early childhood.

Birth-to-Three stipulates that no family should spend more than 10% of their income on child care and raises the income eligibility for child care assistance (vouchers), making child care more affordable. It also establishes a new compensation scale for early educators, including free health insurance, which creates a more stable early childhood education sector by increasing workforce stability, which allows more parents to work.

It was passed by the DC Council in 2018.

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The Promise of Birth-to-Three

Going all in to build an early childhood system that supports every DC family means giving children comprehensive, high-quality care and education from the womb to elementary school, regardless of their family's economic outlook or zip code. To achieve this, we must push for more collaboration and transparency among District government agencies serving children and families, better coordination between early development, child care, and health care programs and services, and fair, livable wages for a workforce–predominately female and Black or brown–that has been underpaid for generations.

Accessible, Affordable, High-Quality Child Care

High-quality, accessible, and affordable child care is essential to building a thriving District of Columbia for businesses, working parents, and young children. A secure early childhood education sector is a key part of the infrastructure needed to attract and keep families in DC.

Yet parents struggle to find–and afford–quality care, impacting their employers, children, and career trajectories.
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Mental and Physical Health Supports

Children who develop healthy social-emotional skills early on are more likely to have better long-term outcomes as adults. Birth-to-Three programs address these needs. HealthySteps integrates an early childhood specialist into a child’s primary care team. Healthy Futures helps caregivers and educators promote positive social and emotional development in young children. Help Me Grow connects expecting parents to resources they need to encourage positive parental and child health.

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Home Visiting

Home Visiting is a free, individualized, voluntary service that connects expectant parents and families with children under age 5 with a trained professional who assesses family needs, educates and supports parents, and refers families to community resources that help them build a stable foundation for their children’s development.
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Equitably Compensated Workforce

The District began funding salary increases for early childhood educators through a local government-funded Pay Equity Fund in 2022, four years after the DC Council passed the Birth-to-Three for All DC legislation requiring that teachers of infants and toddlers at licensed child care facilities earn salaries and benefits comparable to DC Public School teachers with similar education and experience.
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Why It Matters

Going All In to Build a System That Supports Every DC Family
Today, there is often a disconnect between the multiple agencies that serve young children and families. This means parents often navigate confusing systems, and early childhood service providers get stuck in silos, not knowing about available resources. Our campaign prioritizes the coordination of care and services that families of infants and toddlers need most to flourish. In addition to adequate funding, DC needs better integration between early development, child care, and health care programs and services.
A caregiver in colorful scrubs smiling and interacting with a young child, guiding her as they play with a colorful activity board. The background is a vibrant yellow, highlighting their joyful interaction.
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For Kids and Families

Under 3 DC believes every DC family should have access to the support they need to ensure their child’s healthy development. Although DC has a set of great programs to help, not all programs receive adequate funding. Plus, parents may not know that services like home visiting and lactation consultants exist. Mental health support for infants and toddlers can ensure overall health and well-being during a child’s most early developmental years.

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For Educators and Providers

Under 3 DC believes early childhood educators and child care providers are partners alongside parents in guiding a child’s healthy development. Along with fair compensation, they should have access to the business and community-wide supports necessary to build and sustain their careers and businesses, which undergird the District of Columbia’s economy, enabling parents to work.

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For Businesses and the Economy

Under 3 DC research has shown employers understand the critical role affordable, high-quality, and easy-to-find child care plays in recruiting and retaining productive employees.