August 26, 2022
Dear Washingtonians,
It's my favorite time of year: back to school week! As we go into this fourth school year since the start of COVID, I am turning our entire community?s attention to supporting our students with their comeback. From the third graders who were only in kindergarten when our schools shut down in 2020 to the 12th graders who have spent their entire high school careers adapting to COVID-19 ? students across elementary, middle, and high school need this year to be one where they feel the support of our entire city.
I am proud that in Washington, DC we have so many programs to help families and students succeed. We are a national leader in universal Pre-K. We have a $500,000 scholarship program that?families can use to help students?attend out-of-school and extracurricular programming. Through our Advanced Internship Program, high school students enrolled in Career and Technical Education programs can earn and learn at high quality internships in the community.
But for any of these programs to help young people succeed, we need families to know about them. So, this year, we created a comprehensive Back to School Guide.?
With this guide, our goal is to make it easier for families to support their children. If you don?t find what you?re looking for or what your family needs support with, reach out to our teams at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, or DC Public Schools. We are ready to make this school year a success so that all students are on track to succeed in school, at home and in the community, and in life.
Have a safe, fun weekend and I'll see you on Monday!
Sincerely,
 This Saturday, August 27, Mayor Bowser and DDOT are hosting the next ?Open Streets in Your Neighborhood? event in Ward 5.?
On Saturday, 12th Street NE will be closed to vehicles from Monroe Street NE to Franklin Street NE. Instead of vehicles there will be performances, activities, and fun for people of all ages and abilities. Programming begins at 9:00 a.m. and the street will be open until 1:00 p.m.
Learn more at?openstreets.dc.gov.?
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 On Thursday, September 1, join Mayor Bowser and the DC creative community for the epic 202Creates Month Kick-Off Celebration on the District Pier at The Wharf. The event will be hosted by Tommy McFly from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. The celebration will feature live performances by DC artists, DJs, creatives, and more. There will also be a 202Creates pop-up lounge at La Vie Rooftop hosted by ?Kyle on the Mic? from 8:00 p.m. until 10:00pm.
202Creates, which was launched in September 2016, is a citywide effort to amplify, celebrate, and highlight the District?s dynamic creative economy and community. The celebration includes DC?s culinary, cosmetology, fashion industries, musicians, performing artists, filmmakers, tech entrepreneurs, visual artists, and production support companies. The month-long campaign showcases and engages the District?s entrepreneurial and creative community through an array of events taking place across all eight wards.
For more information and to RSVP for this free event, visit 202createsmonth.com.
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 This week, Mayor Bowser announced that on October 1, the maximum down payment assistance that residents can receive through the Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) will increase from $80,000 to $202,000.
HPAP provides interest-free loans and closing cost assistance to qualified applicants to purchase single family houses, condominiums, or cooperative units in the District. The loan amount is based on a combination of factors, including income, household size, and the amount of assets that each applicant must commit toward a property?s purchase. In addition to the HPAP down payment assistance, eligible homebuyers may also be eligible for $4,000 in closing cost assistance. Residents can find more information about HPAP, including how much assistance they qualify for and how to start the HPAP process, at?dhcd.dc.gov.
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