As we start a new year, I wanted to take a moment to highlight what we achieved together. Even during a challenging year, we accomplished so much. In case you missed it, here are some of the top highlights from our past year:

1. Celebrated 25 years of impact.

We’ve reached more than 40,000 children and families over our past 25 years and helped hundreds of thousands more through city-wide reforms. But that’s not all – we changed the future for youth like Jimmy and supported families like the Harris’s. Watch our anniversary video.

2. Called for changes to DC’s behavioral health system:

At the end of last year, we released a new report that we – along with dozens of partners – sent to District leaders. It was years in the making and offers concrete, actionable recommendations for how we can work together to transform the District's public behavioral health system into one that truly supports children and families.
Earlier in the year, we hosted an event with award-winning actress and DC’s own Taraji P. Henson which sparked a conversation around the critical need for mental health supports and the importance of eradicating the stigma attached to behavioral health issues in the Black community.
And we ensured there was funding for the School-Based Behavioral Health program across all DC public schools!

3. Hosted thought-provoking conversations on children’s health and the impact of the pandemic on a child’s education.

We sat down with American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Lee Beers to discuss children’s vaccines,
Learned more about the ethics of vaccines with Dr. Christine Grady and
Shared what our team is seeing and hearing from clients as they balanced virtual learning during the pandemic.
Watch all our past events here.

4. Recognized our pro bono partners and supporters among DC’s law firms and corporations.

We can’t do this work alone which is why we’re so thankful to have more than 500 pro bono partners who step up and help DC kids and families. Partners like Steve F. Harvey and Keith L. Howard. Since 2017, they have partnered together to represent more than a dozen students with special education needs in pro bono cases for Children’s Law Center.
We also celebrated our Champions for Children – law firms and corporations that support our mission by raising critical funds for our organization through the annual Champions for Children campaign.

5. Secured a stronger budget for DC kids and families.

As we entered the Fiscal Year 2022 budget season, we anticipated an uphill battle. We knew we needed a DC budget that prioritized the urgent needs of the pandemic while not losing momentum on the long-term efforts already underway. Thankfully, the DC Council finalized a budget that secured transformative wins for DC kids and families! Read more about these record-breaking investments here.

It was a busy year full of celebrations and challenges, wins and setbacks – but we could not do this work without support from partners like you.

Thank you, and I wish you a happy and healthy 2022,

Judith Sandalow

Executive Director

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