February 11, 2022
Dear Washingtonians,
This week, we announced a $200 million increase to our public education budget for next school year, including a new $36 million Recovery Fund to support our DCPS and public charter schools. Our public schools are critical to our community and our strongest connection to young people and their families—when we invest in schools, we invest in families, kids, and neighborhoods.
DC’s educators and public health teams have worked tirelessly to make this year’s return to full-time in-person learning a success. But we also know that it will take more than one school year to help our young people recover academically and emotionally from the past two years. These investments reflect our long-term commitment to a strong academic, social, and emotional recovery.
That is also why, in addition to making big investments in our public education budgets, we will continue to build on our school-based mental health services. After two years of living through a pandemic, we know our young people have a wide range of needs. Over the past several years, we have invested nearly $30 million to ensure every public school in DC has a mental health clinician. By building on our mental health programs and investing more in schools, we can and will do more to support the increased and individualized needs of students during this time.
Find initial FY23 budgets for each of DCPS’ 116 schools and the FY23 Pocket Budget Guide at dcpsbudget.com.
Sincerely,
 On Wednesday, February 16, Mayor Bowser will host a District-wide Budget Engagement Forum. Residents can watch live and participate at budget.dc.gov.
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 On Thursday, February 17, join Mayor Bowser, Universal Health Services, George Washington University, Children’s National Hospital, and community members at the groundbreaking and name reveal of the new hospital at the St Elizabeths East Campus.
Learn more and RSVP HERE.
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 Ready for Pre-K! is a new DC Public Schools (DCPS) initiative to help parents and caregivers of two-year-olds support their child’s development and learning at home. This month, Ready for Pre-K! launched a new video series for toddlers and their families and is reminding families to apply to PK3 and PK4 programs through the My School DC lottery by March 1.
And Ready for Pre-K! has an inquisitive, purple, and ready to learn mascot: Scribbles! Through short videos, Scribbles and friends provide parents and caregivers with fun and engaging ideas to make tasks like sorting the laundry into a learning experience for their toddler. Meet Scribbles HERE.
To enroll new 3- and 4-year-olds in school, families must apply through the My School DC lottery. The deadline to apply for the upcoming 2022-2023 School Year is March 1, 2022.
Learn more and stay up to date on Ready for Pre-K! announcements at www.readyforprek.org.
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 Applications for the 2022 Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (MBSYEP) are open and District youth between the ages of 14 and 24 are encouraged to apply at summerjobs.dc.gov.
Employers and organizations who are interested in partnering with DC Government to create opportunities for young people this summer are also encouraged to go to summerjobs.dc.gov to learn more.
Applications will be accepted until Monday, February 28.
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