| The Honorable Michael C. Burgess
Chairman, Committee on Rules United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 |
The Honorable Jim McGovern
Ranking Member, Committee on Rules United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 |
July 22, 2024
Dear Chairman Burgess and Ranking Member McGovern:
On behalf of the Under 3 DC Coalition, we write to urge you to reject Congresswoman Nancy Mace’s proposed amendment (Amendment #95) to H.R. 8773, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, that would prohibit the District of Columbia from expending funds to enforce local early childhood education (ECE) regulations regarding workforce qualifications, which are necessary to promote the healthy development of young children.
Representative Mace’s proposed amendment jeopardizes the District’s progress in reducing the child care crisis, dismisses the importance of high quality early childhood education, and disregards the thousands of parents across the District who demand quality child care.
In developing standards for early childhood educators, the District relied on a large body of early childhood development research indicating that highly-qualified workers with specialized training are vital to the social, emotional and cognitive well-being of children.¹ High-quality early education increases a child’s readiness for kindergarten, promotes K-12 and post-secondary academic achievement, and improves social and economic outcomes throughout their life. This is particularly true for children who face challenges (premature birth, unstable living situation, disability, etc.) and require teachers with the knowledge, training, and experience to support their individual learning needs.
In addition to increasing standards, the District has a number of programs supporting educators to obtain required credentials, including expansion of free or low-cost access to early education degrees and credentialing, peer-networks across ECE facilities to provide professional development training, and ensuring workers are fairly compensated for their expertise. Far from stifling the industry, the District saw a 7% increase in its early childhood workforce in 2023 due to the latter intervention alone.²
Notably, the District accomplished this without passing costs onto parents. In addition to a growing workforce to increase the supply of child care, the District has developed a robust set of policies to ensure child care remains affordable for parents, including a recent expansion to the child care subsidy program for families at or below 300% of the federal poverty level and a refundable tax credit for childcare expenses.³,⁴
The Under 3 DC Coalition – made up of early childhood education providers, educators, parents, economists, policy experts, grassroots community organizers, and community stakeholders across all eight wards of the District of Columbia – implores you to reject Amendment #95 to the FY25 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act. The District must be free to serve its residents by advancing best-practice ECE policy that helps early educators advance professionally, earn family-sustaining middle-class wages commensurate with their credentials, and provide the highest possible quality of care and education to infants and toddlers districtwide.
Thank you for your service to our nation and for respecting the District’s innovations and investments in early childhood education.
Sincerely,
The Executive Committee of the Under 3 DC Coalition
Jacob Feinspan, Jews United for Justice
Kimberly Perry, DC Action
LaDon Love, SPACEs in Action
Sarah Barclay Hoffman, Children’s National Hospital
Sia Barbara Kamara, DC Early Learning Collaborative
Tazra Mitchell, DC Fiscal Policy Institute
- Manning M, Garvis S, Fleming C, Wong T. W. G., “The relationship between teacher qualification and the quality of the early childhood care and learning environment,” Campbell Systematic Reviews 2017:1; Center on the Developing Child, “The Science of Early Childhood Development (InBrief),” 2007.
- Schochet, Owen, “Updated Findings Show Washington, DC’s Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund Continues to Support DC’s Child Care and Early Education Workforce,” Mathematica, May 8, 2024.
- Gunderson, Anne, “Expanding Child Care Subsidies Would Boost the District’s Economy,” DC Fiscal Policy Institute, July 17, 2024
- DC Office of Tax and Revenue, “Keep Child Care Affordable Tax Credit Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs),” Accessed July 2024.
