By Sequnely Gray, on June 25th, 2012 
On May 14, 2012, members of Empower DC’s Child Care for All Campaign along with their children-otherwise known as the BABY BRIGADE-visited the Wilson Building to educate the city council on the importance of the child care subsidy/voucher program and the challenges community-based child care centers are having on a day to day basis to keep their businesses running. The child care subsidy/voucher program is a federally funded program that was designed to subsidize child care for working families and parents that want to continue their education or seek employment.
As we visited council office after council office with our babies, we were puzzled as to why no one really cared about child care. We got the same answers over and over, “we are focused on getting extra money for the TANF program so that we can get these 6,000 families assessed and back to work or school.” No one even stopped to think that most or all of those TANF families will need subsidized child care to go back to work or school. Even with working parents, providers and teen parents from Anacostia’s New Heights Teen Parents Program expressing the challenges we’ve had finding available slots for our children in child care centers, making ends meet and completing the intake process, we were still unable to get solid support on restoring the budget for child care and making the intake process more accessible.
Despite our efforts, the mayor’s proposed $5.7 million dollar cut from the child care subsidy voucher program was voted into law on June 5, 2012. This budget cut will affect about 400 hundred families who won’t have access to a voucher or will be in jeopardy of loosing their voucher. The budget cut will also make it even harder for community-based and family child development centers contracted by the Office of the State Superintendent (OSSE) to operate and provide quality child care. Mainly the community-based centers will suffer.
It is very clear that the mayor and the city council don’t know or understand the value of early care and education BEFORE KINDERGARTEN! So, it is our job as parents, providers and community members to work harder to educate these city officials and stand up and advocate for our little people. They are our future leaders and we have to make sure they have the proper tools and support they need to be successful. LISTEN UP!!! DC DOESN’T WORK WITHOUT CHILD CARE!!! SO, LET’S STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITIES AND SUPPORT COMMUNITY-BASED CHILD CARE CENTERS!!
In addition to lobbying the council in their offices, Child Care for All Campaign members Sequnely Gray, Toneisha Johnson and Shantise Summers also testified during the city council’s budget hearing on human services. Coucilmember Jim Graham, Chair of the Committee on Human Services, seemed to agree that the intake process needs improvement. On the otherhand, his implication that providing a subsidy so that parents can meet their child care needs is like providing substance abuse treatment to drug addicts is nuts. In the District of Columbia, child care typically costs $18,200 per year, per child. You don’t have to be anything like a drug addict to need help meeting those costs.
For more information and/or to join Empower DC’s Child Care For All Campaign, contact Sequnely Gray at childcare@empowerdc.org or call 202-234-9119 ext. 103.
By Guest Contributor, on June 8th, 2012 
Cross-posted from The Washington Teacher Written by Candi Peterson
With another school year coming to a close, more excess letters will be handed out by DC Public Schools to another group of Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) members as well as Council of School Officers (CSO) union members. Among those impacted will be DCPS School Psychologists. Historically, school psychologists’ have been itinerant workers who were centrally funded and supervised directly by the Office of Special Education. School psychologists were generally responsible for several schools in most cases (sometimes more). Last school year, itinerant school social workers whose positions had previously been centrally funded by the Office of Special Education (OSE) were excessed and are now paid from the local school budget.
“WTU school psychologists will be officially excessed from their central office positions on June 1, 2012. The effective date of the excess will be the last day of school June 14, 2012”, according to a revised May 2012 “SEC and School Psychologist FAQs” that was sent to relevant staff on May 18, 2012 by Jason Kamras, Chief of Human Capital. By definition an “excess is an elimination of a Teacher’s position at a particular school due to a decline in student enrollment, a reduction in the local school budget, a closing or consolidation, a restructuring, or a change in the local school program, when such an elimination is not a ‘reduction in force’ (RIF) or ‘abolishment.” Not unlike 333 DCPS teachers who were excessed on May 4, 2012, DC school psychologists will no longer hold their current positions at the end of the school year.
DCPS Question: The SEC and school Psychologist FAQs packets posed the following question, “What will happen to the centrally-funded Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) school psychologists who currently report to the Office of Special Education (OSE) ?
DCPS Answer:
WTU (school) psychologists “will have until August 15, 2012 to find a budgeted position at a school. If they cannot find a position by then, and if they meet certain qualifications, they will have access to the three excessing options in the WTU contract: 1) a $25,000 buyout; 2) early retirement, assuming 20 years of creditable service; or 3) a one year placement at a school during which they will continue to search for a budgeted position. To qualify for the three excessing options, WTU members must meet three criteria: 1) earn an Effective or Highly Effective IMPACT rating for 2011-12 school year; 2) attain permanent status (which one earns after two years of service in DCPS) by the effective date of excessing; and 3) have not opted into the IMPACT plus system.” Since Council of School Officers School Psychologists who are twelve month employees have a different collective bargaining agreement , they will be subject to a different set of rules than WTU members.
DCPS question: What will happen to centrally funded Council of School Officers (CSO) (school) psychologists who currently report to Office of Special Education (OSE)?
DCPS answer:
“They will receive reassignment letters on June 1, 2012 explaining that they will be working at a school site, not for OSE, next school year. They will have until June 11, 2012 to identify a principal willing to hire them. After that point, the DCPS Office of Human Capital will begin to place them into remaining vacancies. This process will be completed by June 15, 2012.”
Another reorganization is also underway for school year 2012-13 in DC Public Schools which includes a Reduction In Force (RIF) for many Special Education Coordinators (SECs).
Earlier during the DC Public Schools budgeting process for SY’ 2012-13, funding was no longer provided to local schools for Special Education Coordinator (SECs) positions. Many DC Public school principals complained about not being funded to keep their SECs. After an uproar by administrators, funding was made available to local schools for a small number of Special Education Coordinators (SECs) -approximately 40-50 according to my source. It is my understanding, that monies alloted for school social workers funding,which initially was part of the required school budget for 2012-13 was changed to flexible spending – thereby allowing principals to decide whether they wanted a school social worker or not. Last school year, all schools were required to have a .5 (half-time) school social worker at a minimum depending on the student population. Having the option to decide whether to hire a social worker or not, some schools used the monies for other positions such as the SECs position. It is sadto say that the . . . → Read More: Another DCPS RIF and More Excesses Up Ahead !
By Liane Scott, on June 3rd, 2012 This Tuesday, June 5, 2012, I will be facilitating a workshop entitled “Use the Media Before It Uses.” The Youth Education Alliance, which recently merged with Empower DC and one of the very few organizations in the city dedicated to helping DC’s youth realize their own political power, used the media effectively. Jonathan Stith, Empower DC’s Youth Organizer and former Executive Director of YEA has provided us with two powerful examples of their work.
Youth Education Alliance at the April 5, 2007 Budget Hearing
This is video is an example of how youth have used media to spread a message of inspiration and education. In 2007, with Mayor Fenty making drastic budget cuts, YEA members devised a cleaver and creative testimony to then City Council Chair Vincent Gray to portray how the budget cuts were impacting them.
The testimony was an adaptation of an exercise that Christina Reyes-Mitchell did with our youth members during her interview to be Youth Organizer. She didn’t get the position but she made an impact. The exercise became a part of our regular political education toolbox.
The video features YEA alumni David Lawrence Jr.; Taneisha Palmer Tanika Kat Palmer; Rob Gorham; MakinMoves Margaret who gave up their vacation to make it happen when the city unexpected moved the budget hearing to occur during their Spring Break.
Special Shout-Out Ann Caton -one of the finest organizer turned consultant transformed to mom!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2618486969547551920
The Unguided: Why DC Students Need Guidance Counselors
The Unguided was made in 2006 after YEA had established an office in Anacostia. We found out students had one guidance counselor for the entire school. There were 900 students attending Anacostia. Then we found out they weren’t the only school. The Guidance Counselor Campaign really took off.
YEA members were ahead of the curve on this issue. A great guidance counseling system is a fulcrum and critical support to enriching academic and social environment. The movie shows that great schools have great guidance counseling. Research from Philadelphia seems to support it. Graduation rates in their schools rose to the 90th percentile when students were connected to at least “one caring adult” in the building, even if that person isn’t involved in academic instruction. Isn’t that what Guidance Counselors are supposed to do? The truth isn’t complicated.
Interestingly both Mayor Fenty and Mayor Gray promised to address the guidance counselor shortage to end the school-to-prison pipeline and “double the number” of high school and college graduates. In fact, Mayor Gray promised to “double the number” of guidance counselors as one of his campaign promises. I wouldn’t hold your breath for that one.
If, like the members of the Youth Education Alliance, you would like to learn to use the media to advocate for a cause that’s important to you, then join us at the following:
Empower DC & DC Jobs with Justice Present Grassroots Leadership Education Program
How to Use the Media, Before it Uses You!
Tuesday, June 5th 6:30-8:15 PM Benning Library
3935 Benning Rd, NE / Minnesota Ave Metro / Wheelchair Accessible
Developing a clear, concise message is the key to effectively advocating for your issue in the media! Join Empower DC for our upcoming Empowerment Circle on how to effectively create and use media, Liane Scott from our Grassroots Media project will lead this interactive training!
RSVP to Liane@empowerdc.org or (202) 234-9119 x 106. Limited child care is available – please RSVP!
By Liane Scott, on May 27th, 2012 
Subsidized child care, which provides low-income parents with vouchers that pay a portion of their child care costs, is one of the most important work support programs available in DC and around the country. In Washington, DC, child care costs typically range from $10,000 – $20,000 per year, per child. Without subsidies that help make child care affordable for low-income families, thousands of parents in DC are unable to work, unable to look for work or attend school so they are better qualified for work. Of the 48,176 children who qualify for the program less than half are enrolled. Yet, Mayor Vince Gray’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 would reduce funding for the subsidized child care program by $5.7 million dollars. As you can see in the following video, Empower DC’s Baby Brigade isn’t standing for it.
By Liane Scott, on May 17th, 2012 
Out of respect for the Godfather of Go-go, I’m reposting this article from February 2011. [haiku url=”http://www.grassrootsmediaproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Chuck Breezy 1.mp3″ title=”Chuck Brown Interview”]
Godfather of Go-go, Mr. Chuck Brown
Grassroots Media Project radio producers Brenda Hayes and Be Steadwell interviewed Chuck Brown, the Godfather of Go-go, at WPFW a couple of weeks before the Grammy’s. Mr. Brown was nominated for the song LOVE featuring Jill Scott with Marcus Miller in the category Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals. As no one outside of the DC radius has a proper understanding of Go-go, Chuck Brown did not win. However, all you Go-go fans out there will want to hear the Hayes/Steadwell interview of Chuck Brown because as I said, he never lets us down. Chuck Brown Interview
Thank you Wikipedia for the following information:
Chuck Brown (born August 28, 1936) is a guitarist and singer who is affectionately called “The Godfather of Go-go“. Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid- and late 1970s. While its musical classification, influences, and origins are debated, Brown is regarded as the fundamental force behind the creation of go-go music.
Brown’s musical career began in the 1960s playing guitar with Jerry Butler and The Earls of Rhythm, joining Los Latinos in 1965. He still performs music today and is commonly known in the Washington, DC area. Brown’s early hits include “I Need Some Money” and “Bustin’ Loose“. “Bustin’ Loose” has been adopted by the Washington Nationals baseball team as its home run celebration song, and was interpolated by Nelly for his 2002 number one hit “Hot in Herre.” Brown also recorded go-go covers of early jazz and blues songs, such as “Go-Go Swing” Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing If Ain’t Got That Swing“, “Moody’s Mood for Love”, Johnny Mercer’s “Midnight Sun“, Louis Jordan’s “Run Joe”, and T-Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday”.
He has influenced other go-go bands such as Big G and The Backyard Band, Rare Essence, Experience Unlimited (EU), Little Benny and the Masters, and Trouble Funk.
The song “Ashley’s Roachclip” from the Soul Searchers’ 1974 album Salt of the Earth contains a famous drum break, sampled countless times in various other tracks.[1]
In the mid-1990s, he performed the theme music of Fox‘s sitcom The Sinbad Show which later aired on The Family Channel and Disney Channel.
Brown is considered a local legend in Washington, D.C., and has appeared in television advertisements for the Washington Post and other area companies. The D.C. Lottery‘s “Rolling Cash 5” ad campaign features Chuck Brown singing his 2007 song “The Party Roll” in front of various D.C. city landmarks such as Ben’s Chili Bowl.
Brown resides in Waldorf, Maryland. His son, Nekos, was a defensive end/linebacker for the Virginia Tech football team. While his son was in college, Brown scheduled concerts and other appearances around the Hokies home schedule to ensure that he would never miss a game, and became a fixture at Lane Stadium. Following the Virginia Tech massacre, Brown was “absolutely devastated” by the tragedy, and cried every day for two weeks.[2] In shows that followed, Brown would pause for a moment in prayer for the victims and their families before beginning his performance, and dedicated several shows to their memory.
Brown was the subject of the cover article in The Washington Post Magazine on October 4, 2009, entitled Chuck Brown’s Long Dance.[3] He received his first Grammy Award nomination in 2010 for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for “Love” (with Jill Scott and Marcus Miller), from the album We Got This.
. . . → Read More: Chuck Brown Interview from February 2011
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