Attendance Counts

Every Day Counts! is a citywide effort initiated by Mayor Bowser to ensure every student attends school every day.

DC Public Library wants to make reading with your child fun and easy. That’s why the Library is launching Books from Birth, a program that mails all enrolled kids in D.C. a free book each month from birth until they turn five.

This DC Public Library program is for parents, caregivers, librarians, teachers and anyone who is interested in helping children from newborn to 5 years old get ready to learn to read. The S.T.A.R. program uses six early literacy skills to lay a strong foundation for learning.

Thrive by Five DC is a one-stop resource center to help District parents and caretakers navigate the city’s wide range of early health and learning resources.

WIC is a program that provides nutrition, breastfeeding resources, and support services to pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children up to age 5.

The District of Columbia’s Early Intervention Program (DC EIP) provides support and services to families with children, from birth through three, with developmental delays and disabilities.

Healthy Start is a free program for pregnant women, parenting mothers (infants up to 2 years of age), females of childbearing age and fathers (infants up to the age of 1 year) in Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8. Our goal is to improve birth outcomes and the health and development of infants into early childhood.

For District parents who cannot care for their newborns, help is available. Making a responsible choice gives the baby the chance for a good life. The District’s Newborn Safe Haven Amendment Act of 2010 gives parents in crisis a responsible alternative to abandoning or discarding a newborn.

The mission of the D.C. Department of Human Services is to empower every District resident to reach their full potential by providing meaningful connections to work opportunities, economic assistance and supportive services.