As the world changes, so does our progress toward a hopeful, inclusive community. Read about recent updates to issues affecting caregivers, disability rights, early care and education, healthcare, and veterans and military families. You are our biggest advocate for change, and we need your help today!
Lend Your Voice: Contact Your Representative!
Proposed Federal Cuts to Medicaid
The U.S. House is considering massive cuts to Medicaid that would reduce healthcare coverage for seniors and people with disabilities. Without federal funding, states will have to limit Medicaid-covered services and enrollment. Services for people with disabilities may be first on the chopping block when states cannot absorb the financial shock. Seniors, people with disabilities, and individuals with chronic illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease – who rely on Medicaid to attend Easterseals Adult Day Services – would likely lose access to services, which keep them active, connected, and out of costly nursing homes.
Contact your representatives in the U.S. House. Urge them to oppose any cuts to Medicaid.
Head Start Faces Potential Elimination
Head Start serves as a cost-effective, locally administered federal program that empowers low-income families through early childhood education, health services, and parental support. For 60 years, Head Start has helped parents stay in the workforce while preparing the next generation for success. Recent proposals to eliminate Head Start have not yet succeeded, but it’s still early in the federal budget process. Eliminating Head Start would impact more than 22,000 children and 2,300 teachers in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Easterseals operates three Head Start programs in the region that, if closed, would leave children and families without childcare.
Contact your representatives in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Urge them to oppose any cuts to the Head Start program.
Pay Equity for DC Teachers
The Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (PEF) was created in 2021 by the Washington, DC Council to bring the wages of child care and early education teachers (CCEE) in line with similarly trained and certified educators employed by DC Public Schools. Easterseals DC MD VA supports full funding of the PEF in the DC budget to supplement the wages of CCEE teachers and help in the recruitment and retention of a stable and qualified CCEE workforce.
Help support high quality, affordable child care by contacting the DC Mayor and DC Councilmembers. Urge them to support full funding of the Pay Equity Fund for teachers in the FY26 budget.
To learn more about all the issues Easterseals DC MD VA cares about, contact Dennis Alexander, Director of Government Relations and Advocacy, dalexander@eseal.org.
