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Mayor Bowser Announces New Services Supporting Child Care Providers

Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Legal Clinic is Administration’s Latest Effort to Help Families Access Quality Child Care in the District, Address Child Care Shortage

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced an upcoming legal clinic to help existing and aspiring child care providers understand and navigate the rules and regulations that govern child care facilities in Washington, DC. The Mayor made the announcement at a ribbon cutting celebration for the new Curious Explorers Child Development Center, and was joined by Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services HyeSook Chung.

“As we work to expand inclusive prosperity and ensure that every Washingtonian shares in our city’s growth, increasing access to high-quality child care providers will help us put more families on a path to long-term economic stability,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “By ensuring that more providers – and potential providers – understand the rules and regulations for operating a high-quality child care center, we can create more child care seats and ensure more families have the resources they need to live, work and grow in Washington, DC.”

To ensure safe, high-quality child care, and to comply with federal requirements, daycare and in-home child care centers in Washington, DC must comply with rules and regulations relating to safety and programming. The upcoming free legal clinic, which will take place on Saturday, June 3 at Eastern High School, will feature speakers, activities, and other resources to help potential and existing child care providers understand these rules and regulations. The legal clinic is the District’s newest partnership with the DC Bar Pro Bono Center.

“We know how important child care is to families in our growing city,” said Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles. “The more we provide these types of services, the more students we will set up for success. I thank the DC Bar Pro Bono Center for their partnership.”

Today’s announcement is the Bowser Administration’s latest effort to increase access to high-quality child care in Washington, DC. On Monday, Mayor Bowser announced Thrive By Five DC – a citywide effort to connect more DC families to a wide range of resources that support maternal and child health, behavioral health, and early education. Last month, Mayor Bowser announced that “DC Values in Action: A Roadmap to Inclusive Prosperity,” the Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2018 Budget and Financial Plan, includes a $15.3 million investment to increase access to infant and toddler child care options in Washington, DC. Over the next three years, the investment will create an additional 1,300 infant and toddler seats and support 300 DC residents gain certification as educators for infants and toddlers.

Existing and aspiring child care providers who want to attend the free legal clinic should RSVP by contacting the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) at (202) 654–6120 or by emailing [email protected].