We work alongside communities experiencing racial and economic disparities to create lasting systems change for the well-being of children and families.
External link for Bainum Family Foundation
1401 H St NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20005, US
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We are hiring and would love to have you join our team. These schools are part of the Southwest Region Conference in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Join a movement, not just a school system. The Model System is seeking mission-driven Principals and Teachers ready to reimagine what exceptional education can look like through innovation, excellence, and purpose.
In 2025, we took a step forward — moving beyond a traditional “do no harm” approach and embracing a more intentional goal: doing the most good for the early childhood field. That shift led to our Impact Thesis, a clear roadmap for how we invest. It guides what we fund, why it matters, and how we define success — not just financially, but in real impact for children, families, and the people who support them. ICYMI: See how our journey has shaped this approach — and how we’re putting it into action with new tools to drive lasting systems change (link in comments).
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Moments like this are a reminder that meaningful change happens when partners can move quickly — together. What could have remained a stalled project became a reality because public partners, philanthropy, and community leaders stayed aligned around the needs of children and families. This is what cross-sector collaboration can look like at its best: trust, responsiveness, and a shared commitment to removing barriers to progress. It’s also an example of the important role philanthropy can play in helping close critical gaps so communities can keep moving forward. Grateful to everyone who helped make this possible and proud to see what the ENOUGH Initiative continues to make possible across Maryland.
For years, the South End of Hagerstown only had one licensed child care provider. Expanding child care capacity was a major community priority -- one that could take years. The ENOUGH Initiative jumpstarted the process of making a brand new child care center a reality, with grant funding to San Mar Family and Community Services supporting critical support to assist with licensing and start-up costs. The center was well underway to opening, until it hit a roadblock. In order to become operational, it needed a new sink and a new fence. The state wasn't able to fill the funding gap and the center's progress was at risk, all because of a sink and a fence -- until The Bainum Family Foundation, a member of the ENOUGH Alliance, stepped in. Philanthropy filled the gap, the sink and fence went up, and the Children's Learning and Empowerment Center of Hagerstown officially opened on March 15, tripling the community's child care capacity. That's the power of the ENOUGH Initiative. Public dollars. Private dollars. Community leaders who know what their neighborhood needs. All pulling in the same direction. We were proud to welcome Gov. Wes Moore to visit the new center as part of his Delivering for Maryland tour. This is what delivering for Maryland looks like, and ENOUGH is making it possible.
ICYMI: Meet our newest cohort of Global Education Fund partners, as part of our Family Philanthropy initiative. Across 10+ countries, they're expanding access to high-quality early care and learning — supporting children, families, and communities while driving lasting systems change. Learn more (link in comments).
What happens when we pull back support for the early childhood workforce? “The Pay Equity Fund filled an important gap,” says Marica Cox Mitchell, our Chief Program Officer, in a recent WTOP News piece. Without it, experienced educators may leave — and families will feel it first through fewer options, higher costs, and tougher choices about work and care. The impact won’t stop in D.C. This decision could ripple nationwide, influencing how other states invest in — or step back from — their early childhood systems. Read the full story (link in comments).
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“I love my job,” is one of the first things Ashley Ross says, as she sits down to talk about a looming pay cut that she might be facing. She’s worked at Gan HaYeled Preschool in Northwest D.C. for almost twenty years, and was recently promoted to split her time between a pre-K classroom and as a Teacher Resource Coordinator, where she can work with other educators to solve problems that arise in the classroom or at home. But the real change for her—and her family—came in 2022, when D.C.’s Pay Equity Program provided funds to allow early childhood educators like Ross to make salaries equivalent to their public school counterparts. Ross’ salary jumped from $43,000 to over $60,000 and is now $67,000. The additional income has allowed Ross to buy her own home and enroll her children in after school activities like boxing and gymnastics. For child care workers all over the District of Columbia, the D.C. Pay Equity Fund, the $75 million program that allows early child care educators to be paid similar salaries to their D.C. public school counterparts, has been “life-changing” and “shocking” and “gave me room to breathe” as described by educators when explaining what the salary difference did for themselves and their families. The program was unveiled in 2021 and educators began seeing the wage increases in 2022, and were also given access to free or low cost health insurance, through the HealthCare4ChildCare. The Pay Equity program has been lauded as a model program for how early childhood retention could be improved, creating stability for educators who have been traditionally underpaid in this role, primarily women of color, in an industry that has one of the highest turnover rates in the country. But Ross is one of the over 3,000 early educators who will be drastically impacted should the D.C. Pay Equity program absorb a $60 million budget cut, which Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed doing in her budget, released this month. It would be a huge mistake, according to advocates. “We’ve scored a touchdown and now we’re fumbling the ball,” said Jamal Berry of Educare DC, an early childhood center in the District. “States like New Mexico and New York are moving in this direction,” he gestured forward with his hands, “and we are moving backwards.” I wrote about the cuts to D.C. Pay Equity and more in The 74 Media and on Substack today. Link in comments.
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This new research from Mathematica affirms what we already know at Educare DC: the Pay Equity Fund is working. It is growing the early childhood workforce. It is helping educators stay in the field. And it is expanding access for families who depend on quality, reliable childcare and early education. As the future of the program hangs in the balance, the DC Council must follow the evidence and invest in programs like the #PayEquityFund that are proven to deliver real results for children and families.
I’m pleased to share a new working paper from Mathematica’s Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund Impact and Cost Effectiveness Study (PEF Impact): "Jobs in the Balance: The Three-Year Labor Market Impacts of Washington, DC’s Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund" https://lnkd.in/eAUdzB6m Launched in 2022, the PEF is the nation’s first dedicated public funding stream to address pay disparities between child care and early education (CCEE) educators and public school teachers. This working paper evaluates the three-year labor market impacts of the PEF using federal labor market data and a synthetic control design, allowing us to examine outcomes as the program both scaled and evolved. Key findings: ▪️ Through three years, the PEF had statistically significant positive impacts on CCEE employment, with effects emerging shortly after the launch of the program and growing to reach 341 additional educators, or about 11 percent relative to baseline. These findings suggest that the PEF increased labor supply in a sector long characterized by low wages and persistent staffing shortages. ▪️ Impacts on average employer-reported wages remained close to zero when payments were initially delivered directly to educators, but became positive and statistically significant following the shift to a facility payment model that routed program funds through employer payroll to implement a public school-based salary scale. Impacts reached about $9,300 annually (or $179 per week) among all CCEE workers, or roughly $15,000 per year among the estimated share of staff who were eligible for and whose facilities opted into the program. ▪️ Impacts on the number of CCEE establishments were not statistically significant, but grew more negative over time, suggesting that workforce growth occurred primarily within existing establishments. This pattern may reflect facility priorities to fill vacancies and increase staffing, as well as potential wage compression between educators and administrators that may weaken incentives to assume leadership positions or open new businesses. These findings arrive at an important time for decisions about the future of the PEF. As those discussions continue, it is important that they be informed by the growing evidence base on the program’s effectiveness. Learn more about PEF Impact here: https://lnkd.in/exwcA_yE Funding for this study was provided by the Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund. PEF Impact is supported by the Bezos Family Foundation, Klingenstein Philanthropies, DC Action, and the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative based at the Washington Area Women's Foundation.
It was great to celebrate the 2026 DC Early Educator Experience and the incredible educators at the heart of early childhood. Every day, they support children’s growth and give families the stability they need to thrive. Investing in their ongoing professional development and continuous learning is essential to strengthening the experiences of children, families, and communities. Huge thank you to our hosts, the speakers, including the keynotes Sonia Manzano and Dr. Orinthia Harris, Ph.D, as well as all the educators who came together to celebrate, learn, connect, and advocate!
Making the ideal child care real requires a system shaped by families and the practitioners closest to the work. It’s great to see the leaders of our Maryland WeVision EarlyEd Solutions Lab sites, ABC's Childtime, Journey Preschool, and Precious Moments Family Childcare, continuing to move this vision forward — advocating with steadfastness and clarity for the essential role they play in shaping the lives of children, families, and communities.
Excited to join the panel discussion following the Montgomery County screening of the award-winning documentary Make a Circle on April 16 at BlackRock Center for the Arts. This film shines a powerful light on early childhood educators and the essential role we play in shaping the lives of children, families, and communities. I’m honored to bring the perspective of family child care educators to the conversation alongside other local leaders and advocates. If you care about the future of early learning, I hope you’ll join us for this inspiring evening of film, community, and dialogue. 📅 April 16 | 7–9 PM 📍 BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, MD 🎟 Free with RSVP #EarlyChildhoodEducation #FamilyChildCare #ChildCareAdvocacy #MakeACircle #MontgomeryCounty #FCCAMC #MDAEYC #COA
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At a time when families, businesses, and policymakers across party lines agree that child care is essential—and that too many families can’t afford it and can’t find it—the President’s FY2027 budget proposal does not go far enough to meet the need. “Child care only works when all of us invest—federal and state governments, businesses, and families,” said Susan Gale Perry, CEO of CCAoA. “Congress has the opportunity—and the responsibility—to meet this moment. That means rejecting cuts and making meaningful investments so families can afford care, providers can stay open, and communities can thrive.” Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/e3se4Zpr