The District of Columbia has a unique early childhood policy landscape that is shaped by economics, demographics, political history, coalitions, and other factors that create a specific environment for policy advocacy.
District early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s environment and the numerous efforts—by the organizations listed on this page, other organizations, parents, policymakers, practitioners, and more—who work both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.
Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children.
Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High
Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.2
State General Fund Appropriations:3 Growing
On September 4, the fiscal year 2026 budget bill was signed by the District of Columbia’s mayor. The budget provides $22.03 billion in total funds, an increase of $813.7 million, or 3.8 percent, over the approved fiscal 2025 budget. The local funds portion of the budget is $12.04 billion, an increase of $408.5 million, or 3.5 percent, compared to fiscal 2025 and the general fund budget is $13.6 billion in fiscal 2026, an increase of 3.1 percent from fiscal 2025. General fund revenues in the budget are forecast at $12.2 billion, an increase of 4.6 percent compared to the approved fiscal 2025 budget. The local fund revenues, a component of the general fund, are estimated at $10.6 billion in fiscal 2026. The fiscal 2026 general fund ending balance is projected at $2.3 billion.3
Largest Per Capita Revenue Sources (after federal transfers):4
State Budget Rules:4
The District of Columbia uses an annual budget. The DC Council must pass a balanced budget and is prohibited from carrying a deficit over into the following year. The District has no tax or expenditure limits and no supermajority requirements for raising revenue or passing a budget. However, it limits its debt service , and its tax- and fee-supported debt is limited to 12 percent of general fund expenditures and transfers. Further, although the DC Council and mayor prepare and approve the District’s budget, Congress has authority over the District of Columbia and must authorize its budget. As such, the District’s fiscal year begins on October 1 (the same as the federal government). Congress can also overturn legislation passed by the Council.
Permanent State Funding Stream Dedicated to Early Childhood:5 Yes
The District of Columbia has a wealth tax, the proceeds of which must be allocated to the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund. The Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund is a first-in-the-nation program aimed at achieving pay parity between early childhood educators and their K-12 counterparts.
Political Alignment:6 Aligned Democrat
During 2025, the District Council was Democrat controlled. The District Mayor was also a Democrat.6
Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:7 Four
Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:
Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:8
Highlights from the state’s early childhood policy advocacy community include:9
In 2025, D.C. passed legislation creating a local, refundable Child Tax Credit of up to $1,000 per child under 18 for eligible families. Being refundable means families receive the full credit even if they owe little or no taxes, ensuring low-income households benefit directly. The credit takes effect for the 2026 tax year, with families claiming it starting in 2027. This policy represents a major step forward, signaling D.C.’s commitment to investing in children and families and promoting equity, economic stability, and opportunity from the earliest years.
DC Advocates spent much of the year playing defense.
Advocates—particularly parent leaders—mobilized to defend D.C.’s Pre-Kindergarten Enhancement and Expansion Program (PKEEP), the city’s community-based universal pre-K program. Rumors circulated that the program could be cut in the Mayor’s FY26 budget, which would have disrupted continuity of care, limited parent choice, and weakened the city’s mixed delivery system that supports children from infancy through pre-K. Advocates rallied ahead of the budget release, emphasizing the program’s critical role in sustaining high-quality, community-based early education. Their efforts successfully convinced the Mayor to maintain PKEEP funding, preserving the full continuum of care for children and families across the District.
Advocates also rallied to defend the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, which supports equitable pay for early childhood educators across D.C. The program has faced repeated threats, including prior proposals to eliminate it entirely. In FY26, despite an extraordinarily tight budget year, advocates successfully defended the program, ensuring it was maintained and even increased by $2 million, bringing funding to roughly $72 million. Defending the program in FY26 ensured that hundreds of educators continue to receive meaningful pay increases, supporting workforce stability, professional growth, and continuity of high-quality early childhood care.
Our lead allies in the District, Educare DC and DC Action, lead key early childhood coalitions and work in tandem to advocate for the DC Council to fund its signature Birth to Three early childhood initiative and improve compensation for the early childhood workforce in the District. As a direct service provider, Educare DC is able to provide on-the-ground insight into how policies impact programs, teachers, children and families. Educare uses their voice and the power of the network of schools to advocate for quality early care and education. DC Action uses research, data, and a racial equity lens to break down barriers that stand in the way of all kids reaching their full potential. Together with the District’s young people, parents, and community partners, DC Action advocates for public policies that support kids at every step from early childhood to early adulthood.
DC Action and Educare DC are working to advance early childhood policies in several areas that align with the Alliance’s birth-through-eight policy framework:
Child Care
Child Care Workforce
Preschool and Pre-K
Infant & Child Health
Maternal Health
Early Intervention (Age 0-3)
Family Economic Security
Home Visiting
Early Childhood Governance
Click here for more information on advocates’ policy agenda.
In lean budget times, successful advocacy can often take the shape of avoiding deep cuts or even planned eliminations to vital programs. This year, early childhood advocates in the District of Columbia and Louisiana leveraged grassroots voices and strategic messaging to defend investments in child care programs.
NOTES:
1 Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, January, 2024.
2National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 through 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, October 2024, NCCP analysis of ACS 5-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2018-2022.
3 National Association of State Budget Officers, Proposed and Enacted Budgets, FY 2025.
4 Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, June 2024.
5 National Conference of State Legislatures, 2024 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, April 29, 2024.
6 Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, retrieved July, 2024.
7 Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, July, 2024.
8 Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-October, 2024; and 2024 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Highlights, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, July, 2024.
