Washington

Help enhance security officers' economic security!

Posted on by Sarah David Heydemann

Security officers in the District of Columbia are predominantly African American women.

They are often paid as little as $8 per hour and lack paid sick days and other benefits that so many of us–working in the same buildings they do, under their protection–take for granted.

Recently the officers have formed a union and are preparing for their first chance to bargain for better pay and benefits.

In May, The Women’s Foundation hosted an exciting tenant meeting where two security officers told participants about struggling with lack of benefits, low wages and the instability that plagues their jobs.

These same officers now have the chance to improve working conditions by negotiating their first union contract, and it’s crucial that we support them during these negotiations.

Now is our chance. 

The Building Benefits project, a network of tenants in downtown Washington, D.C. offices who support the low-wage workers in their buildings, is providing an opportunity to show solidarity–or a Sticker Day of Action–with these security officers on Wednesday, July 25.  

Please join The Women’s Foundation, who will continue their support by recruiting tenants at 1411 K. Street to wear stickers that will send the message to the security guards in our buildings, “We support you in your efforts to gain better working conditions!”

The Sticker Day of Action is being coordinated by the Building Benefits network, a project of DC Jobs with Justice, Center for Law and Social Policy and the DC Employment Justice Center, and involves tenants in more than 24 office buildings downtown who have committed to supporting workers in their buildings.

We’d love to add you, and your building, to our growing list of participants in this action network!

DC Jobs with Justice– a local coalition of labor unions, faith communities and community organizations – first began organizing office-building tenants during the summer of 2006 to support efforts by security officers to form a union.

In addition to organizing tenant meetings, the Building Benefits network has also been supporting paid sick and safe days for workers in DC.  This issue profoundly affects the lives of women, since working mothers must take care not only of themselves but of their children as well.  If they cannot take paid sick leave they are often forced to make the impossible choice between taking care of a sick child or losing a day’s pay.

Do you work in an office downtown?  Then get involved!

We would love to help you host a brown bag lunch in your building, where your co-workers and other tenants can learn more about these issues and discuss taking action to support workers in the building.

To learn more, please contact Mackenzie Baris by email or at 202-974-8224.

Sarah David Heydemann is a Solidarity Intern with D.C. Jobs With Justice.

The DC Employment Justice Center is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

DCWA: Achieving balance difficult if you can't weigh your options.

Posted on by Natasha Pendleton

The following is the fifth post in a series covering aspects and angles on the DC Women’s Agenda’s recent white paper, Voices and Choices for D.C. Women and Girls: Recommendations for City Leaders 2007.  The DC Women’s Agenda promotes the advancement, equality and well-being of women in D.C. This series of blogs is an extension of a very important proposal of recommendations to city leaders to truly make tangible changes in the Washington metropolitan area.

There has always been a conversation around working mothers and the balance between protecting their career growth and being able to spend time with loved ones.

Most of us would prefer more flexibility at work, so that we could go to every one of our daughter’s ballet recitals or our son’s little league games, or heck, even a PTA meeting every once in while.

But when our hands our tied, putting food on the table and a roof over our heads tends to be a higher priority.

If everyone could have it all, I’m sure they would.  For most though–and particularly for low income families–they can’t.   

It is because of this that the Washington Post article, “Part-Time Looks Fine to Working Mothers: 60% Prefer it to Full Time or No Job” falls short in accounting for the true realities of women–and particularly low-income women–to say the least.

The article reviews a recent study that claims that the proportion of working mothers who prefer to work part-time has jumped by 12 percentage points since 1997.  More importantly, despite the fact that 60 percent of working moms find working part-time as the ideal, only 24 percent of them have part-time hours.

The article attributes the cause for these numbers as being due to a differing value system that Generation X possesses over the Baby Boomers.  As Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, claims, “We found that the younger people are more family-centric than Boomers are.  Most young people have seen someone lose their job, and they have lived through 9/11. It’s not that they don’t want to work. They just want to work more flexibly.”

But what the article nonchalantly sweeps under the rug is that taking part-time hours “has meant some financial cutbacks and compromises,” which most low-income (or even moderate income) mothers can’t afford. The article explains, “Jackie Wyche, a married mother of four in Stafford who took part in the research, said part-time work is best — even though it is simply not possible in her life. ‘I have to pay the bills,’ she said. She wishes it were different.”

So, let’s make a difference and provide job training to mobilize women so that one day they may have the ability to weigh their options–which many cannot do as they work for low, hourly wages, do not have paid sick or vacation time and often, have little to no health insurance. 

Much of today’s workforce–a large proportion of this working mothers–cannot afford to take a day off work sick, much less cut back to part-time. 

Currently, according to the Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s Portrait Project, 65 percent of women in the D.C. area are employed.  Yet, a third of women-headed families who work (which tends to be the trend of low-income mothers) are impoverished and 11 percent of women in D.C. are unemployed.

Many of these working women have dead end jobs that pay low wages and offer no benefits. 

These women are therefore stuck in a vicious cycle of living paycheck to paycheck.  As the DCWA white paper explains, these jobs “keep working poor persons well below the poverty line and just one small step ahead of homelessness.  In fact, 31.6 percent of homeless DC adult residents are employed.” 

They’re holding on by a thread and we need to do something about it.

Funding for job training, particularly for low-income women, would:

  • Provide women, especially mothers, with the skills that they’ll need to advance in a career that provides self-sufficiency and mobility in the company–not just a job;
  • Improve literacy and basic education levels;
  • Help women overcome barriers to living wage employment, such as child care, mental and physical health problems, a lack of a driver’s license, and housing;
  • Assist trainees in developing soft skills such as better communication, team building, self-esteem and better confidence to help them progress and advance in higher paying, more stable careers;
  • Provide job development support to ensure that trainees can search for and obtain a position within their chosen career path in the future; and,  
  • Create networks to link trainees with jobs in high-demand sectors and which pay at least $11.75 per hour ( D.C.’s new living wage) and offer benefits.

Contact your D.C. councilmember and tell them that we value our families and a healthy work-family balance for all of the working mothers in the District of Columbia.  Tell them that one of the best ways of accomplishing that is through job training to mobilize working mothers so that they can afford to scale their options and remain self-sufficient.

For more information on how job training programs funded with support from The Women’s Foundation are making a difference in the lives of women throughout our community: 
Constructing futures, one woman at a time.
Street Sense vendor finds a stepping stone in Goodwill course.
WAWIT: Welding a new world for women.
Women hammering their way to social change, not just another job.

The DC Women’s Agenda, DC Employment Justice Center and Wider Opportunities for Women are all Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation. 

About the blogger:
Natasha Pendleton is a summer intern with Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), a convenor of the DC Women’s Agenda.  She is currently a senior attaining a bachelor of arts degree in sociology with concentrations in law and society and urban and regional planning at Cornell University.  She serves as theatrical director of an anti-oppression theatre troop, which performs for more than 5,000 people nationwide (annually) to promote diversity and racial harmony on college campuses.  A native of Chicago, Natasha was motivated to come to Washington, D.C. this summer to work with WOW by issues of social and economic justice that have pressed upon her heart for some time.  Natasha truly believes that not only is the government accountable, but it is our responsibility to be informed citizens to challenge the state of local policy.  And furthermore, as those informed citizens, it is our responsibility to raise voices and awareness so that all people, especially women and girls, can live in safe, fair, and thriving communities.

DCWA: White picket fence eludes many, especially women.

Posted on by Jessica Goshow

The following is the fourth post in a series covering aspects and angles on the DC Women’s Agenda’s recent white paper, Voices and Choices for D.C. Women and Girls: Recommendations for City Leaders 2007.  The DC Women’s Agenda promotes the advancement, equality and well-being of women in D.C. This series of blogs is an extension of a very important proposal of recommendations to city leaders to truly make tangible changes in the D.C. metropolitan area.

One of the main tenants of the American Dream is the little house with the white picket fence.

But the reality is that for most families in the United States, this dream will probably never become reality.  Nationwide, 15.6 million households are paying more than half their incomes for housing. 

This is an astounding number, which hits close to home because of the housing crisis here in D.C., where thousands of people cannot afford the staggering prices of apartments.

Finding quality, affordable housing in D.C. is hard even for those who have good jobs. Finding the same type of housing for someone making minimum wage is virtually impossible.  According to Housing and Urban Development, in fiscal year 2007, a worker earning $7.00 per hour in D.C.  would have to work at least 141 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the fair market rate. 

This is outrageous, and a testament to how we desperately need to raise the minimum wage in this country.  (That is another story, however.)

Obviously, there are some people in the district who can afford $1300 for a one bedroom apartment, but many cannot.

Currently, those who need public housing are in an even worse predicament. As the white paper points out, there are more than 52,000 households on the D.C. Housing Authority’s waiting list for Housing Choice Vouchers and/or public housing.  Twenty thousand of those have registered with the housing authority that they are homeless and therefore eligible for a Homelessness Preference for the vouchers.

Most of the households in public housing are headed by women.

This is an issue that hits women especially hard.  Many women have the challenge of providing for multiple children and themselves with no help.

How do they do it?

Most often, they hold down two or even three jobs. In addition, most of these jobs do not provide paid sick days or benefits.

The DCWA white paper makes quite a few recommendations, one of which is a request that the city implement an effort to develop a minimum of 19,000 affordable units, and 6,000 new units which are available to people who are at (or below) 30 percent of the area median income.

If the suggestions in the white paper are acted upon, it would mean that a large number of the District’s families, including many women-headed households, would be able to find housing that they can afford.  This would allow them to spend their money in other ways, such as buying healthy food, finding adequate health care and providing their children with necessary school supplies. 

Not to mention the peace of mind of knowing they are not spending half of their income on housing.

All across the city there are new luxury condos popping up where affordable, or reasonably affordable, apartments once stood.  D.C. prides itself on being a very diverse “state;” however, if people continue to be pushed out because rent is so outrageous, there will only be one type of person who will be able to afford to live here.

What do we want our city to portray?  A place that is only open to wealthy people?

Or a place that has culture, diversity, and welcomes all who want to live here.

For previous posts on the white paper, please visit:
DCWA: Calling all city leaders! (Intro post)
DCWA: Economic security is key to the city’s health
DCWA: Safety for women anything but small talk

Jessica Goshow is DC Employment Justice Center’s (DCEJC) legal and policy associate.  Being that EJC and Wider Opportunities for Women are the co-chairs of the DCWA, she was involved in the coordination, writing, and reviewing of the white paper.

The DC Women’s Agenda, DC Employment Justice Center and Wider Opportunities for Women are all Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation. 

DCWA: Safety for women anything but small talk.

Posted on by Natasha Pendleton

The following is the third post in a series covering aspects and angles on the DC Women’s Agenda’s recent white paper, Voices and Choices for D.C. Women and Girls: Recommendations for City Leaders 2007.  The D.C. Women’s Agenda promotes the advancement, equality and well-being of women in D.C. This series of blogs is an extension of a very important proposal of recommendations to city leaders to truly make tangible changes in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Supporting the voices and empowerment of women and girls in D.C. is one of the main objectives of the DCWA and the DCWA white paper, Voices and Choices for D.C. Women and Girls: Recommendations for City Leaders 2007. 

To support women and girls in D.C., we must first educate ourselves and our communities about the obstacles that women and girls in D.C. battle daily. 

Unfortunately, one of the main obstacles that stagnates the empowerment of women is a lack of safety, whether from the risk of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. 

According to the National Organization for Women, women are 10 times more likely then men to be assaulted by an intimate partner.  And according to the District of Columbia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “In 2005, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) received 27,401 domestic-related crime calls—one every 19 minutes.” This statistic only represents crimes that are reported–we estimate that there are many more that go unnoticed.  (The Women’s Foundation’s Portrait Project also features some excellent statistics on health and safety for women in our region–check out a recent post on street harrassment in D.C. for details.) 

A violent environment affects every aspect of a woman’s life.

It is much more difficult for her to hold a job.  Her partner may go to great lengths to ensure that she is, in fact, not able to hold a job. Often, an abuser will make her late for work, call repeatedly throughout the day, or worse yet, come to her workplace.  All of these things make it extremely hard for her to keep a job when her employer knows that there are others out there who do not have such problems.  Without a job, it is very hard for a woman, especially if she has children, to leave an abusive situation.  How will she pay for food or be able to afford an apartment?

We must recognize that a lack of safety is a catalyst to expedite other issues such as homelessness, problems keeping a steady job, possible mental illness, drug abuse/addiction and low self-esteem. 

To ensure safety for all women and girls, there are a plethora of changes that city leaders can make:

  • Provide funding and publicity to increase access, availability, and awareness of comprehensive services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and other violent acts.
  • Promote and fund the Commission on Violence Against Women (or the local D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence) and their mission to increase public awareness and provide comprehensive services for the physical and psychological needs for victims.
  • Ensure that the commission is comprised of a variety of government agency representatives as well as community-based service providers to actively involve the community and allow a diverse, wide spectrum of people to feel some ownership. 

When there are adequate programs available to women to mitigate the problem of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, women are much more likely to leave their abusive situation.

Having access to a safe shelter will allow a woman and her children a place to stay while she seeks the necessary services to better her situation, or to save up enough money to find a new place to live. 

Medical services will help her heal physically. 

The availability of case management services and counseling will help her heal emotionally from the atrocities that she had to deal with, as well as assisting her in getting her life back. 

With services such as these providing the means for women to get out of their abusive situations, we will begin see the numbers of survivors rising. 

Discussing a daunting topic like this is not small talk. 

We must continue to protect our own–ourselves, the women in our lives and the women and girls in our community.

As one of the most infamous passages of the U. S. Constitution states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."  This phrase evolved from the Virginia Declaration of Independence, in which articles 1-3 outline the relationship between the government and those that are governed by claiming, “All men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights of which… [they cannot divest;] namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.”

One can not pursue happiness, whatever that may be, without safety.  Safety for all is one of our inherent natural rights.

Thus said, let’s continue our right to “pursue safety,” for “all men” (that means women, too).

Previous and related posts and information:
DCWA: Calling all city leaders!
DCWA: Economic security is key to the city’s health.
The Women’s Foundation’s Portrait Project (with a section on the health and safety of our region’s women and girls)

About the blogger:
Natasha Pendleton is a summer intern with Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), a convenor of the DC Women’s Agenda.  She is currently a senior attaining a bachelor of arts degree in sociology with concentrations in law and society and urban and regional planning at Cornell University.  She serves as theatrical director of an anti-oppression theatre troop, which performs for more than 5,000 people nationwide (annually) to promote diversity and racial harmony on college campuses.  A native of Chicago, Natasha was motivated to come to Washington, D.C. this summer to work with WOW by issues of social and economic justice that have pressed upon her heart for some time.  Natasha truly believes that not only is the government accountable, but it is our responsibility to be informed citizens to challenge the state of local policy.  And furthermore, as those informed citizens, it is our responsibility to raise voices and awareness so that all people, especially women and girls, can live in safe, fair, and thriving communities.

The DC Women’s Agenda, DC Employment Justice Center and Wider Opportunities for Women are all Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation. 

Congratulations to Tahirih Justice Center!

Posted on by Lisa Kays

When The Women’s Foundation writes a check from the Open Door Capacity Building Fund or gives a Leadership LayliAward, it’s an investment in a nonprofit’s future and their potential to positively impact women, girls and our community as a whole.

So when two of this year’s five Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management finalists–and one of the winners–were Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation, we couldn’t help but think of this recognition as a deserved acknowledgement of the importance of their work and of investing in the capacity of local nonprofits.

The Women’s Foundation congratulates Tahirih Justice Center, winner of the 2007 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management! Tahirih addresses the needs of immigrant women and girls fleeing gender-based violence through direct legal service, advocacy, social and medical referrals and public education.

Tahirih was recognized for, among other things, their short and long-term strategic planning, use of market research and impact assessment, approach to staff workload and cultural sensitivity.

"There’s no question that Tahirih Justice Center’s programs and services are vital to our community," Carolee Summers-Sparks, Program Officer, said. "I’m proud that The Women’s Foundation has supported their work, and equally proud that we’ve invested in projects to build the strength of the organization."

The Women’s Foundation’s support of The Tahirih Justice Center began in 2002, when they received a Leadership Award, a V-Day Grant, and a Rapid Response Fund grant. In 2004, they were awarded their first of two Open Door grants.  In all, The Women’s Foundation has invested $40,000 in Tahirih and their work.

Activities supported by these grants include a three-day staff training and retreat aimed at reducing stress and building unity to prevent turnover, to a database for strategic donor engagement, complete with trainings for board and staff on fundraising strategies.

One of the trainings funded by The Women’s Foundation was specifically featured in Tahirih’s application and recognized by the award selection committee, Allyn Summa, Tahirih’s Director of Development and Communications, said.

"The Women’s Foundation has historically been one of the few organizations that many nonprofits in this area can turn to for capacity building grants," Summa continued. "We’ve relied upon The Women’s Foundation for that, and it’s vital. It’s those things that enable effective management, thoughtful planning and efficient use of time. That’s part of the reason we’ve beeen so grateful to The Women’s Foundation."

The Women’s Foundation also congratulates the other finalists, including Boat People SOS, one of this year’s four finalists for the Washington Post award, a Grantee Partner since 2001 when they received a Rapid Response Fund grant for $8,000.

Both of these organizations–along with every Grantee Partner–represents the value of The Women’s Foundation’s commitment to investing in "beyond the check" grantmaking, and to providing technical assistance and support for their operational goals as well as programmatic funding.

To learn more about how you can get involved in giving beyond the check, click here, and join us.

Photo by Michael Colella.

Stepping Stones Research Update: July 2007

Posted on by Kerstin Gentsch

As part of our ongoing commitment–in partnership with The Urban Institute–to providing information and resources related to the goals of Stepping Stones, please find below summary of recent research on issues of economic security and financial independence for women and their families.

This research is summarized and compiled for The Women’s Foundation by Kerstin Gentsch of The Urban Institute, NeighborhoodInfo DC.

Financial Education and Wealth Creation

Some Thoughts About New and Old Asset-Promotion Policies
By Robert I. Lerman
Urban Institute
June 2007

Provides methodological guidance about how to best view and evaluate policies on helping people build assets.

Despite a plethora of proposals for helping people build assets, policy researchers have provided little methodological guidance about how best to view and evaluate these policies. This paper is an initial attempt to move in this direction, drawing on methods for assessing income-tested and social insurance programs and on analyses of public policies dealing with savings, investments, and risks. It examines whether and in what ways the traditional criteria of incentives, progressivity, and equity apply to an assessment of asset-building policies. Further, it discusses how to design an asset policy to deal with the potential social dislocations arising from gentrification.

For abstract and introduction.  
For full report. 

Eligibility for Child Tax Credit by Age of Child
By Leonard E. Burman and Laura Wheaton
Urban Institute
May 22, 2007

Examines child tax credit eligibility by age of child.

The child tax credit (CTC) is a $1,000 partially refundable federal income tax credit for each qualifying child under age 17. In 2007, tax filers may claim a refundable credit (over and above any tax liability) equal to 15 percent of the excess of earnings over $11,750, up to the $1,000 maximum per child. The earnings threshold means that families with very low incomes get no benefit from the credit, and others will receive only a partial credit. This brief analysis shows that many families with young children tend have lower incomes and are thus left out. In 2007, 30 percent of qualifying children under age 2 in working families had family incomes too low to benefit from the full credit, compared with 27 percent of children overall and 24 percent of children 10 and older.

For abstract and excerpt.  
For full report.   

Jobs and Business Ownership News

Reducing Poverty in Washington, D.C. and Rebuilding the Middle Class from Within
By Martha Ross and Brooke DeRenzis
The Brookings Institution
March 2007

Makes a set of recommendations for a workforce development strategy that will increase the skills, earnings, and employment of at least 10,500 low-income, low-skilled residents over the next seven years.

Washington D.C. has experienced job growth, increases in city revenues, and a development boom over the past several years, but too many residents are excluded from local and regional prosperity. Ensuring the District’s future as a vibrant, inclusive city depends on a commitment to increase the middle class from within. This paper from Brookings Greater Washington makes a set of focused recommendations for a workforce development strategy that will increase the skills, earnings, and employment of at least 10,500 low-income, low-skilled residents over the next seven years.

Workforce development, however, should be seen as part of a broader strategy to move the working poor into the middle class. Even with enhanced education and job placement services, many residents will continue to work in low-wage jobs. Polices and programs that support employment and create financial incentives to work can help residents in low-wage jobs make ends meet.

Additionally, an unstable housing situation can make it difficult to find and keep a job or participate in workforce programs. This paper proposes increasing assistance to alleviate the severe housing shortage experienced by the lowest-wage workers. To help working households stay in the city as their incomes increase, this paper also recommends developing workforce rental housing for middle-income families.

By helping more residents enter and advance in the workforce, the city can begin to steady its fiscal base while blurring economic, racial, and geographic divides.

For summary.  
For full report.  

An Economy that puts families first: Expanding the social contract to include family care
By Heidi Hartmann, Aariane Hegewisch, and Vicky Llovell
Economic Policy Institute
May 24, 2007

Focuses on the policy gaps that must be filled to make U.S. workplaces more family friendly.

A comprehensive family policy program is needed to make the U.S. economy more family friendly and to enable workers to combine work and family responsibilities more easily. Such a program is part of a new social contract that should spread the costs of family care beyond the immediate family and help redistribute the burden of care more equitably between men and women within the family. The comprehensive program laid out throughout this briefing paper is ambitious and complex. Here we offer our priorities for policy making in the United States during the next five to 10 years. We present these priorities using our framework of three types of policies: those that subsidize the cost of care; those that provide income replacement while workers are providing care; and those that lead employers to change their behavior and make the jobs they offer more family friendly. We select these priorities based on need and practicality. In virtually all cases workable models exist. Most are not especially expensive, costing less, for example, than the deductibility of mortgage interest costs on owner-occupied housing in the federal personal income tax system.

For full report.

Framework for a New Safety Net for Low-Income Working Families
By Olivia Golden, Pamela Winston, Gregory Acs, Ajay Chaudry
Urban Institute
June 2007

Conceptualizes a framework for a new safety net for low-income working families that is rooted in their most essential needs.

The report is organized around five key goals:

1. Enabling parents to meet their family’s needs while working in lower-wage jobs.
2. Helping families weather gaps in parental employment.
3. Supporting parents’ job advancement.
4. Helping parents combine work and child-rearing.
5. Improving children’s well-being and development.

The paper describes these families’ circumstances, discusses gaps in current safety-net programs, and explores possible alternative approaches to meeting families’ most pressing needs.

For abstract and introduction.  
For full report. 

Child Care and Early Education News

Making Pre-kindergarten Work for Low-income Working Families
By Rachel Schumacher, Katie Hamm, and Danielle Ewen
Center for Law and Social Policy
June 2007

Based on a review of the first in-depth national research on the 29 states that, as of 2004, allowed mixed delivery in their pre- kindergarten programs. The review focused on promising practices and ideas for improvement.

  • Provides evidence that policymakers need to review their pre-kindergarten initiatives to ensure maximum access for children in working families, especially low income children.
  • Describes some models states and localities are using to be responsive to low-income working families’ needs by delivering pre-kindergarten in community-based settings.
  • Highlights key strategies to address the needs of low income working families and examines the extent to which state pre-kindergarten policies currently do so.

For full report.

Reforming the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
By Jeff Rohaly
Urban Institute
June 11, 2007

Examines the revenue and distributional implications of making the CDCTC fully refundable.

The child and dependent care tax credit (CDCTC) is a nonrefundable tax credit designed to help offset the expenses of providing care for children under the age of 13 or disabled dependents as long as a parent or caretaker is working or searching for work. In theory, a low-income family can qualify for a maximum $2,100 credit. The credit is not refundable, however, and families with low incomes generally owe little or no income tax. Thus, the theoretical maximum rarely applies in practice. This paper examines the revenue and distributional implications of making the CDCTC fully refundable.

For abstract and introduction. 
For full report.   

Early Head Start and Teen Parent Families: Partnerships for Success
Center for Law and Social Policy
June 2007

Examines the special needs of eligible low-income pregnant women and mothers with infants and toddlers, many of whom are teen parent families, and highlights promising Early Head Start programs.

Teen parent families may face increased risks for child abuse and neglect and for disabilities and developmental delays in children. Studies have shown that teen parent participation in EHS programs helps improve child development and parenting behavior and increases economic self-sufficiency and the family’s ability to access support services.

The report highlights the importance of increased collaboration between EHS programs and other systems serving teen parent families, especially child protective services and early intervention programs. EHS can collaborate with the child welfare system to prevent child abuse and neglect by teaching teenage parents appropriate parenting techniques, improving their knowledge of child development, and connecting them to support services. EHS programs can also identify children who may have disabilities and facilitate access to appropriate services.

The full report is based on discussion and findings from a 2-day meeting of EHS providers

For Department of Health & Human Services summary.
For full report.   

Men’s Pregnancy Intentions and Prenatal Behaviors: What They Mean for Fathers’ Involvement With Their Children
By Jacinta Bronte-Tinkew, Allison Horowitz, Elena Kennedy, and Kate Perper
Child Trends
June 2007

Presents information on what men report about their pregnancy intentions and their prenatal involvement, and examines the effects of these intentions and behaviors on men’s involvement with very young children following birth.

We found that although most resident fathers report that they wanted the pregnancy at the time or sooner, one in four reported that he did not want the pregnancy at all.

We also found that both fathers’ pregnancy intentions and their prenatal involvement differ by age and race/ethnicity. For example, teen fathers were the least likely to report that the pregnancy occurred at the right time and were the most likely to report that they had not wanted the pregnancy. Non-Hispanic black fathers and fathers of other ethnicities were more likely to report not wanting the pregnancy than were Hispanic or non-Hispanic white fathers. In addition, teen fathers and Hispanic fathers were less likely to demonstrate specific prenatal behaviors, compared with other fathers.

We also found that an unwanted pregnancy was associated with less warmth towards the infant but that a pregnancy that occurred later than the father wanted it to occur was associated with more nurturing behaviors.

Another important finding was that fathers who were more involved during pregnancy were also more likely to be involved in helping to rear the child in the first year of life. These fathers engaged in a higher level of cognitively stimulating activities with their very young children, showed more warmth and nurturing in their interactions with them, and provided more hands-on physical care.

For full report. 

Other News and Research

What is Evidence-Based Practice?
By Allison J. R. Metz, Rachele Espiritu, and Kristin A. Moore
Child Trends
June 2007

Part 1 in a Series on Fostering the Adoption of Evidence-Based Practices in
Out-Of-School Time Programs.

The lag between discovering effective practices and using them “on the ground” can be unnecessarily long, sometimes taking 15 to 20 years! The purpose of this brief is to provide practitioners with a better understanding of evidence-based practice, and to share resources that can help bridge the research-to practice gap and reduce the lag time between the identification and application of evidence-based practice. Forthcoming briefs in this series will provide additional information on key aspects of adopting evidence-based practices including replication, program fidelity, and specific implementation strategies.

For full brief.    

DCWA: Economic security is key to the city's health.

Posted on by Jessica Goshow

In keeping with my promise last week, I’m back with more on the DC Women’s Agenda’s white paper, Voices and Choices for D.C. Women and Girls: Recommendations for City Leaders 2007–and action you can take to encourage city leaders to increase the economic security of our region’s women.

This week’s topic is economic security for women and girls, or, the lack thereof, and how it feeds into a number of other issues facing our city.  Economic security is at the forefront of every issue in the white paper, largely because we can talk about the housing crisis, healthcare, and domestic violence and other safety issues (and don’t worry, we will), but without a good job, these topics are all moot.

An individual must have a job in order to survive, to have basic needs met.  Having a good job is the starting point to all other things in one’s life.

As the white paper details:

Economic security is a critical component of healthy, stable lives. Individuals and families fall apart in the absence of good jobs—ones that pay self-sufficient wages, include benefits such as health insurance and paid sick days, and provide flexibility to balance work and family. The foundation to obtaining and maintaining a job is a quality education and strong skills in areas where there is a need and where good jobs exist.

For women and girls in the District of Columbia, unfortunately, both the foundation for economic security and that security itself are in short supply. The school system fails to adequately educate our young women, and the job training programs that exist inadequately position women to obtain good jobs in strong markets. Even when a woman is able to receive the education and training she needs, the jobs themselves frequently lack the kind of flexibility that is so crucial for balancing work and family.

The large majority of single parent households in the District of Columbia are headed by women, so women are the ones who suffer by the city’s lack of affordable, available child care and the nonexistence of laws requiring employers to provide paid sick days of family and medical leave.

There is no hiding the fact that the gap between the rich and the poor in D.C. is extremely vast. The business community in D.C. is booming, but it is not D.C. residents who are benefiting.  In D.C., employers are required to fill 51 percent of all new jobs with D.C. residents in an effort to ensure that those who live in the city are getting its jobs.

This sounds like a good idea…if it were enforced.  According to a report done by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, the Department of Employment Services has never fined a business for failure to comply.

In D.C., 30 percent of women-headed families are living in poverty and 11 percent of women are unemployed. This is just shy of double the national rate of unemployment.

There are many barriers that women and girls face when it comes to attaining sustainable employment, the largest of these being education and job training.

The education system in the District is lacking.  By 8th grade, 69 percent of students in D.C. public schools have below average math skills, as compared to 32 percent nationwide. With statistics like that, it is not surprising that many of D.C.’s children are not prepared when it comes time to find a job. 

And that therefore job training would be extremely beneficial.

For those who are fortunate to get a job in D.C., the barriers do not stop there.

Half of the city’s private sector jobs do not provide paid sick days or paid family and medical leave.  If an individual is lucky enough to find a decent paying job in D.C., they better not get sick because they do not have the luxury of being able to take a day off with pay.  Most low wage workers are forced to make the decision of staying home to care for themselves or go to work sick.

Many do not have a choice. They have to go to work.

Some even run the risk of getting fired for taking a day off to care for themselves.

Allowing workers to take a day or two to take care of themselves will ensure a shorter recovery time and mean that when the worker is at work, they are working at their full potential and not nursing an illness.

Currently there is legislation going through the DC City Council that would provide full time workers up to 10 paid sick days and part time workers five days.  With these available days, a worker can stay home to take care of themselves as well as a child or other family member if they are sick. The employee can take the days without fear of repercussion.

The DC Employment Justice Center, along with many other nonprofits, service providers and advocates hope that this legislation will provide some relief to already over worked, underpaid D.C. workers.

Talking about topics such as these can be overwhelming and frustrating. It’s hard to know what to do to combat such complex issues. One thing that you can do to help provide the workers of D.C. with some time off to take care of themselves is to contact your councilmember and tell them that you support the Paid Sick and Safe Days Act of 2007. You can also show your support by coming out to the public hearing on July 9 at 3 p.m. at the John A. Wilson Building at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW.

Or, if you would like more information about the paid sick and safe days initiative, please feel free to contact me at any time.

For more information on the Paid Sick and Safe Days Act of 2007, see Jack Mahoney’s previous post on how you can help build economic security in an office near you!

Jessica’s previous post on the white paper can be found here.  And there will be more to follow! 

Jessica Goshow is DC Employment Justice Center’s (DCEJC) legal and policy associate.  Being that EJC and Wider Opportunities for Women are the co-chairs of the DCWA, she was involved in the coordination, writing, and reviewing of the white paper.

The DC Women’s Agenda, DC Employment Justice Center and Wider Opportunities for Women are all Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation. 

WOW, a cool new economic security tool!

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) (a Grantee Partner) just released a very cool new tool for our region: the WOW calculatorD.C. Metro Area Self-sufficiency Calculator.

With funding from the Freddie Mac Foundation, WOW created the calculator to serve as "an online career and financial counseling tool that will help thousands of the region’s most vulnerable families move out of poverty and gain financial independence," WOW’s press release explains.

It works like this:  "The Self Sufficiency calculator is more than a tool; it offers concrete strategies in moving on a path to prosperity for the whole family while providing benchmarks and outcome information that will inform policy and practice from housing to workforce strategies…by helping struggling parents compute their earned wages and develop a financial savings plan to meet their families’ basic needs."

It will be made available, and used by, "several hundred local government agencies, nonprofits, libraries, and other organizations to help educate families about the cost of living in the District and throughout the region, how their current income compares to their specific self-sufficiency wage, and how to use the calculator to map out a plan for short and long term financial independence."

Women, and particularly single mothers, are the most economically vulnerable population in our region, and therefore have a tremendous amount to gain from this tool, and the research behind it. 

The use of this tool to link low-income women in our region to better paying, more stable jobs and to save towards their family’s economic security will no doubt greatly impact a vast number of children, families and our community as a whole in a positive way.

Now, that really adds up!

To learn more:
WOW press release
DC Metro Area Self-sufficiency Calculator
WOW Web site

Safety first, street harrassment never.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

When the Washington City Paper ran a cover story this week called, "Nice ass!: Not even grandmas are safe from D.C.’s street harrassers," I picked it up, and then read about it again on the blogosphere.

Where, I must admit, I was a bit shocked by the criticism the authors took for it, particularly in reference to Kimberly Klinger’s companion pieces, "I’ve Got Your ‘Hey Baby!’ Right Here" and "Diary of a Catcall Hater."  Because even after reading Feministing’s critical take on the pieces, I was still left with the same feeling, that regardless of the potentially racist undertones or naivety and varying degrees of sensitivity of the reporter, I was glad it was documented.

And honestly. 

Because to me, what is important (and harmful) about street harrassment has everything to do with its affect on those who are harrassed–the women and girls simply trying to make their way around the city. 

So I appreciated Klinger’s honesty in documenting those affects–the frustration, the growing disrespect, the mistrust, and, yes, potentially, racist sentiments (however illogical she admits they are)–and the ensuing conflict and confusion she feels as a result.

Because they are an honest outshoot and piece of the experience.

And yet another great reason to end it. 

Because the point is that if behavior is unwanted, it should be stopped.  There is no need to discuss it within a framework of race or culture or diversity. 

When women feel unsafe, the behavior is not okay.  Full stop.

I guess I was far less concerned reading the article about the racial undercurrent and discussion, perhaps because I was so busy being horrified by the behavior the women experienced on the streets, and by the sense of entitlement shared by the men who did it, over the women’s reactions, space and sense of self.  A few samplings: 

It’s tough in D.C.  Especially with white girls.  They are stuck up, man.  Bi#@$.

It depends on what she looks like.  If she’s a slut, you have to treat her like a slut.  If she’s not, I say, ‘How you doing young lady?’

"F-you bi#*%, you ugly anyway.’ (Street harrasser to a woman who confronted him.)

The reporter states, "I’m thinking maybe Klinger’s approach is a bit too academic. Contreras seems like a good guy on the lookout for a good woman.  Maybe the shouts are just men trying to pick up women, no different than starting a conversation at a bar, just more…matter-of-fact."

Yeah, no.  And here’s why.  Because at the core of Klinger’s feelings–and the feelings of many of the women interviewed in the article–is not racism, or even mild irritation, but fear: 

I"ve become scared and angry.  And I f-ing hate it…I can’t hate them for any reason connected to their race…I can, however, hate them for the way they disrespect me.

I guess I would [appreciate the compliment] if I weren’t feeling annoyed, threatened, and scared.  The tone of most harrassment is very hostile.  Sometimes it escalates to full-on yelling. 

It hurts, it really does.  It takes away from your self-esteem.  It’s hard to hold my head up when I deal with this on a regular basis. 

The armchair sociologist in me knows it’s all about power–that the men who harrass are just trying to look tough in front of their friends or assert their dominance…but what i hear is all about sex and shame.  Shame on my part, anyway, as I hunch over to hide myself when I hear some jerk tell me what he’d like to do to me.  It’s great fun.

(For more on women’s experiences with street harrassment in D.C., visit Don’t Be Silent: Speak Out Against Street Harrassment in D.C.)

Because a woman in a bar is surrounded by other people, is in a safe zone, and can be said even to perhaps be, by location, making herself available to social interaction with strangers.  To someone wanting to strike up a conversation, and from whom, she can, if she wants, safely extricate herself verbally, and if necessary, with assistance from those around her. 

Walking down the street, alone, is a different experience, and one that makes come ons, pick-ups and catcalls from men you don’t know very different from being approached in a social setting.  It is scary, and puts women in a vulnerable position. 

Something that should not be part of any woman’s life experience, no matter where she is from, where she is walking, or what she is wearing–or what the harrasser intends.  Because a compliment is no longer a compliment if it doesn’t feel good to hear it. 

So I’m glad, as we approach selecting local nonprofits for this year’s Leadership Awards around health and safety, that this issue has been raised and documented locally–in all of its confusion, conflict and ugliness.

Because our Portrait Project revealed among its findings on local women and girls that:

  • Despite the overall decline in violence, local women and girls expressed an alarming sense of personal insecurity.  Vulnerability to violence and lack of personal safety were two of the strongest themes that emerged when women were asked about the issues that affect their lives.
  • More than 22,500 reprots of violence against women were made in 2000 alone in Washington, D.C.
  • That same year, women made up 50 percent of all reported, violent crime victims in the District of Columbia.
  • The rate of reported rapes in Washington, D.C. from 1997-1999 was markedly higher than other jurisdictions and exceeded the national figure. 

As Denise Snyder, executive director of the D.C. Rape Crisis Center–which offers training in dealing with street harrassment [and is a Grantee Partner]–said in a Salon piece, "Too sexy for my shirt", "Women who’ve lived lots of places tell me it’s worse here than anywhere else." 

The article goes on to say, "Quantifying an essentially untraceable phenomenon is extremely difficult, but it’s certainly true that street harassment is a historically controversial topic here.  In 1990, a summer series of three Washington Post articles on street harassment — one journalistic, one essayistic, and one op-ed — caused a firestorm."

And history repeats itself.

I just wish that we could focus on the real root of the problem–the harrassment, and the power imbalances and disrespect for women that it indicates, and on stopping it–than on discussions of how it’s talked about or who is doing it or what it means or whether or not it’s just innocent or if it’s really that damaging.

Because it is.

As Klinger said in her article, "Why should we accept that?  Why can’t I hate that?"

Exactly.  

All issues of race aside, that seems pretty black and white to me.

Get HIP: Go local, give collaboratively, leverage wisely.

Posted on by Eduardo Romero

Though I am a regular reader of this blog, this is my first take as a writer for it.  As co-chair of The Women’s EduardoFoundation’s Open Door Capacity Fund and member of their Program Committee, I wanted to share the news about The Women’s Foundation’s participation in a unique private/public grantmaking model.   

The Women’s Foundation is a founding investing partner of Hispanics in Philanthropy‘s (HIP) local Funders’ Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities, a collaborative of local, national and transnational funders that seeks to build the capacity of small and medium size Latino nonprofits in the Washington metropolitan area.

Power of giving together and partnership, key words for The Women’s Foundation, are well ensconced in this Collaborative, which provides a robust model for leveraging grantmaking for our region.  Through it, the founding investors include a mix of local foundations (The Meyer Foundation and The Women’s Foundation), the private sector (Fannie Mae and GEICO), the public sector (DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs) and and an international multi-lateral institution (Inter-American Development Bank’s Solidarity Fund). 

Each of these partners invests in the Collaborative and the aggregate investment is then matched by the national office of Hispanics in Philanthropy for local grantmaking.  A great example of how the sum can be greater!

As a demonstration of the impact of this collaborative, the partners awarded its first round of grants–totalling $425,000!–last week, on June 21 at the Inter-American Development Bank. 

HIP Group

At a reception to honor this inaugural group of grantees, HIP’s President Diana Campoamor offered remarks that reframed stereotypes, saying that Latino communities "are givers of the economic prosperity in these United States."  The Meyer Foundation’s Albert Ruesga, who is also Chair of Hispanics in Philanthropy’s Board, described the nation’s demographic shifts, suggesting that by 2050, one in every four iPods may be playing Celia Cruz tunes. 

Thirteen local nonprofits will benefit from this initial nearly half million dollar investment in our community, including The Women’s Foundation’s Grantee Partners Ayuda, CARECEN: Central American Resource Center, Community Bridges, the Latino Federation of Greater Washington, and Tenants and Workers United.

When I asked Community Bridges’ Ana Lopez to tell me more about the two-year capacity-building grant from HIP, she said that it would go toward the development of a three-year strategic plan to guide programmatic expansion, enhancement of communication systems, and development of new fundraising approaches, and she noted that HIP will also provide technical assistance and bring grantees together twice a year for training and support.  In fact, she said that an afternoon training for all grantees prior to the June 21 reception, "resulted in more than just a training, but a true network of support amongst organizations working with the common goal of strengthening the Latino families and youth we work with in the D.C. metro area.”

This echoes what Grantee Partners of the Women’s Foundation often express after they leave a quarterly technical assistance workshop or monthly discussion meeting, so it makes sense that The Women’s Foundation would be an investing partner in this work.     

And what does it mean for The Women’s Foundation to be engaged in this way?  Here are a few possibilities:

  • It puts the foundation in a position of strength with a broad set of funders to leverage grantmaking and the grantmaking process. 
  • Partnerships like these allow peer organizations to know more about The Women’s Foundation’s expertise and mission with women and girls in our region. 
  • And then there is the multplier effect: together with other local funders, we were able to leverage national funding to our region.  As a result, our resources were bundled to make deeper investments in greater Washington.

This is clearly evidence of the power of giving together.

In addition, finding better ways to model grantmaking, whether through giving circles or public/private/international collaborations like this one, is a good check on our effectiveness and our leveraging skills. 

Finally, all of these grants focus on capacity building and leadership development, directly tied to the mission of TheHIP Cake Women’s Foundation. 

I am looking forward to hearing about the collective and individual impact of these investments, both from Grantee Partners as well as from the other local funding partners. 

Eduardo Romero is the Director of Membership for the Nonprofit Roundtable.  He also serves as co-chair of The Women’s Foundation’s Open Door Capacity Fund and is a member of the Program Committee.

Photos courtesy of Michael Colella.