Ruqiyyah

Mama. Plant parent. Palestinian. Early childhood things @WeAreDCAction & @Under3DC. Opinions are my own. rts=/=endorsement. @dcpfaf

[Ruqiyyah @im3nb]

Let me say this louder: WE ARE GOING TO PAY THE TEACHERS! DC JUST GOT THE VOTES (at first vote) TO PUBLICLY FUND EARLY EDUCATOR COMPENSATION INCREASES TO PARITY WITH PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS STARTING IN FY 2022

#buildchildcare #JustRecoveryDC #under3dc #solvechildcare

[Alex Koma @AlexKomaDC]

NEW: Kenyan McDuffie called Janeese Lewis George this morning and conceded the mayoral race, per two sources familiar with the conversation. Barring any huge surprises in the vote counting Lewis George has won this primary.

[Under 3 DC @Under3DC]

#WashingtonDC’s child care subsidy waitlist starts in just days.

For expecting parents, this means fear and uncertainty at the very moment they should be preparing to welcome a child. Fully funding the Child Care Subsidy Program means families can keep working, children can access safe, supportive care, and educators can continue serving our communities.

@councilofdc @OSSEDC DC Council must fully fund the child care subsidy program at $177.1 million in the FY27 budget. #FundChildCare

[Sharif Kouddous شريف عبد القدوس @sharifkouddous]

Veteran Palestinian journalist Ali al-Samoudi was just released after a year in Israel’s dungeons. He was arrested from his home in Jenin in late April 2025, beaten by Israeli soldiers and held in administrative detention without charge or trial.

[Laila Al-Arian @LailaAlarian]

Mosab lost dozens of his family members to Israeli violence but don’t use the word “genocide” because it hurts feelings

[Tazra Mitchell @TazraMitchell]

DC DHS budget oversight docs include a devastating reality for those struggling to get by: of the 14.9k residents receiving TANF & SNAP, an estimated 52% are at risk of losing assistance they need due to looming safety net cuts. We must do everything possible to prevent this.

[Marya Hannun @MaryaHannun]

Our new issue of Middle East Report, 'Campus Politics--Palestine and the New University Order,' comes on the two year anniversary of the encampments. It explores the current landscape of campus organizing and repression.
https://t.co/9ohOnbvDpo

[Anne Gunderson @AnneTheAnalyst]

Woke up early, so I'm going to do a quick thread addressing some of the Pay Equity Fund rumblings I've seen on here over the weekend.

[Under 3 DC @Under3DC]

Our Fellow just spoke at the People's Press Conference where we heard from people who are the backbone of the District!

[Alex Koma @AlexKomaDC]

These comments have drawn a ton of pushback from childcare advocates and councilmembers so far.

"When did we learn that the pay equity fund wasn't working?" @ZacharyforWard5 told me. "In fact, it's a national model and it's proven to be wildly successful."

[Christina Henderson @chenderson]

You cannot have more childcare slots if you don’t have a qualified workforce to serve more families.

The Pay Equity Fund helped stabilize our childcare market. It also ensures that our early childhood educators can live and take care of their families too!

[Mosab Abu Toha @MosabAbuToha]

I just found these photos of the schoolwork of 9-year-old Ritaj Rihan, who was shot in the head and killed by Israeli terrorist forces yesterday in a classroom tent in northern Gaza.
One photo shows Ritaj’s practicing handwriting. The words on the page were orange, banana, and apple.
برتقالة/موز/تفاحة

The other photo shows her solving subtraction problems. She was murdered in front of her teacher and peers, leaving behind only these unfinished lessons.

[Anne Gunderson @AnneTheAnalyst]

When crime is up, we need more cops. When crime is down, we need more cops. More pay for police, pay cuts for early educators. This is why we say budget are moral documents

[Anne Gunderson @AnneTheAnalyst]

This quote represents the Mayor’s fundamental misunderstanding of the child care industry. The PEF takes on the cost of paying teachers a professional salary so that centers don’t pass that cost onto families. It provides higher quality care at no cost to families

[Anne Gunderson @AnneTheAnalyst]

The Mayor claims that the Pay Equity Fund doesn’t contribute to quality learning, the number of child care slots or the strength of the economy. All those claims are false. The PEF attracts high quality educators to the field and directly leads to the availability of quality care

[Anne Gunderson @AnneTheAnalyst]

Reducing wages and making it harder to raise children does not stimulate the economy. It just makes it that much harder to live and thrive in the District. This is an attack on DC families

[Under 3 DC @Under3DC]

FACTS: Mayor Bowser continuously chooses not to fund child care at the level it actually costs to operate, pushing the system into a crisis that is putting thousands of employers, children, families, educators, and small businesses at risk.

EMAIL her today here: https://t.co/W7xIqOtDFx

[Under 3 DC @Under3DC]

We agree! The waitlist for child care subsidies, which @MayorBowser’s Administration just announced, will harm District families, providers, and the child care system. We must speak up, join us this Wednesday @ 9am as we rally to save child care!

RSVP: https://t.co/lD1kT7MXzk

[Under 3 DC @Under3DC]

Early educators in #WashingtonDC were finally seeing better pay thanks to the Pay Equity Fund, which is now at risk due to budget cuts. But even with the PEF increase, many still can't afford rent, groceries, or childcare for their own kids. Check out our DC KIDS COUNT Report that dives into more detail: https://t.co/XwllDCaoIK

[Under 3 DC @Under3DC]

Today, our Senior Policy Analyst, Audrey Kasselman, testified before Chairman Frumin and @DCHumanServ urging that a subsidy waitlist wouldn’t just disrupt child care programs and harm families, it would ripple across #WashingtonDC's economy, reducing access to high-quality early childhood education making it even harder for parents to stay in the workforce.

[Tazra Mitchell @TazraMitchell]

Imagine boasting this one day and by the next floating proposals to slash core funding for 200+ small businesses in DC's child care sector.