ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
25-66
IN THE COUNC IL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
May 2, 2023
To celebrate May 12, 2023 as “Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day” and to recognize and
honor all early childhood educators of the District of Columbia.
WHEREAS, the District of Columbia is committed to supporting the health, well-being,
development, and success of young children and youth living in the nation’s capital;
WHEREAS, children deserve skilled, educated, competent, consistent, and well-
compensated early childhood educators;
WHEREAS, a high percentage of District mothers and birth-givers return to work in the
first 6 weeks after the birth of a child, and working families need sufficient, high-quality child
care services to be available in the community to support them ;
WHEREAS, child care providers serve a vital role in our community, not only caring for
and educating our children, but also supporting parent and guardian participation in the District workforce;
WHEREAS children’s cognitive, physical, social, emotional, language, and literacy
development are built on a foundation of positive interactions between children and adults, peers, and their environment;
WHEREAS, high-quality early care and education work to ameliorate the effects of
systemic poverty – from recognizing and remediating developmental delays, to identifying and
helping prevent child neglect – leading to positive outcomes for individual children and their
homes and communities;
WHEREAS, the Council of the District of Columbia has been a supporter of families and
early childhood educators, including by authorizing an Early Childhood Educator Compensation Task Force, funding the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, and expanding Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits, among others;
WHEREAS, as a result of these programs and initiatives, the number of early childhood
educators who are on the path towards pay parity and economic progress has increased, thereby increasing the ability to support high-quality programs for all District families ;
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, we must continually work towards creating a diverse, inclusive, and
equitable early childhood education workforce to the ensure all people working in the child care
sector thrive personally and professionally, to create a robust provider and educator pipeline that
can be developed and maintained, and to strengthen culturally diverse and inclusive care
experiences for children;
WHEREAS, early educators deserve appreciation for their irreplaceable work to advance
the early childhood profession; and
WHEREAS, Child Care Provider Appreciation Day has been celebrated nationally and
annually since 1996 on the Friday before Mothers’ D ay as an occasion to “amplify our nation’s
collective gratitude for those who support the social, emotional, and physical care of our youngest
children”.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNC IL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day Ceremonial
Recognition Resolution of 2023”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia celebrates May 12, 2023 as “DC Early
Childhood Educator Appreciation Day,” honors the contributions of all early childhood educators
to the development and well-being to our District children and families , and recognizes that
investments to stabilize, sustain, and support child care and early learning will support children,
youth, educators, families, and our larger economy through pandemic recovery and beyond.
Sec. 3. T his resolution shall take effect imme diately.