Children

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October 14, 2010 | 1:55 PM | By

Georgetown’s Gorgeous New Library

dbking

The library in 2006.

I used to live in Georgetown, less than a block from the beautiful library which was gutted by a fire in the spring of 2007. That’s why I was reading this Prince of Petworth post with avid interest, “PoP Preview – Georgetown Library“:

The Georgetown Library located at 3260 R St, NW (Wisconsin and R) reopens Monday, Oct. 18th. Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to receive a tour from DC’s chief librarian, Ginnie Cooper. Many will remember that the library was devastated by fire Apr. 30th, 2007 (same day as the Eastern Market fire).

It is awkward to say this but I think the fire may have been a blessing in disguise (thank God nobody was injured) because the renovation is truly amazing (and there were no plans for a major renovation). It is though an entire new library was built on the space (and much improved). Not only was the space gutted but a ton of new space was added. There is now a huge children’s section as well as a completely new third floor housing the historic Peabody collection (which thankfully some say miraculously survived the fire). Beautiful new staircases were added. A new meeting room and study rooms are top of the line. Wifi and 40 new computers as well as 40,000 books (with room for 80,000) will be housed in the library.

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FILED UNDER: Around the City, Children, Libraries, Race and Class
October 14, 2010 | 10:34 AM | By

No Room for Homeless Families in D.C.

jGregor

This is worrisome:

A month after pledging to do a better job of sheltering the city’s homeless this winter, District leaders haven’t figured out how best to meet that promise. Meanwhile, the Family Emergency Shelter, which can house 135 families, is nearly full. And last week, 67 more families were waiting for emergency housing, with no place else to go…

A city plan to add up to 100 rooms to the D.C. General shelter was abandoned after the idea came under fire last month from advocates for the homeless and D.C. Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), who said it would worsen conditions at the troubled shelter.

Another plan would have transformed the former Hebrew Home for the Aged on Spring Road NW into a shelter for 75 homeless families, but Council member Muriel Bowser questioned whether it was fair to create a new shelter on a street which already has two.

With no alternatives left on the table, the city will rely on moving families out of D.C. General as quickly as possible and into 185 transitional apartments, said Laura Zeilinger, who oversees homeless programs for the city’s Department of Human Services.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Children, Homelessness, Poverty
October 12, 2010 | 11:02 AM | By

One of these things is not like the other.

Jon Haynes Photography

In today’s Washington Post, Petula Dvorak points out that like their disadvantaged peers, privileged children are stressed out, too, in “No class boundaries to childhood stress“:

Three in 10 living in the nation’s capital are feeling the weight of adult problems every day.

Those kids rarely have a carefree moment. The pressure of their situation squeezes them constantly, putting the joy of a simple exhale beyond their reach.

But wait a minute. Isn’t that almost exactly what we hear from many of their more privileged peers?

They describe a life in which they aren’t given the time to just go out back and play. They are crushed by their obligations and crippled by stress.

I’ll give it to Dvorak– this column could have been grating. It’s not exactly gracious to compare the problems of the haves with the have-nots, but she carefully avoided that pitfall.
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FILED UNDER: The People, Children, Money, Schools
October 1, 2010 | 1:58 PM | By

FREE Early Education Spots Still Available in D.C.

notorious d.a.v.

Head Start student

Just received an email with important information I want to pass on…if you live in the District and have a 3- or 4-year old, there are still spaces available for D.C.’s Early Education program, at public schools all over the city. From their site:

Our nurturing pre-school program (for 3-year-olds) and pre-kindergarten program (for 4-year-olds) provide stimulating activities and learning experiences that prepare children for success in kindergarten and beyond.

All 85 elementary schools in DCPS offer pre-kindergarten, and most elementary schools also offer pre-school.

DCPS pre-school and pre-kindergarten programs operate on the regular school system calendar for the length of a typical school day, and are free of cost to residents of the District of Columbia.

Please call 202-478-5738 for more information.

FILED UNDER: Education, Children, Schools
October 1, 2010 | 12:45 PM | By

Children who are “weighed down by a world of no”

nika2

WaPo Metro Columnist Petula Dvorak on “The grinding reality of growing up poor“:

The no of poverty in kids’ lives today means no new clothes, no bed, no sleeping past 5 a.m. or we won’t have time to take three buses to get to your school, no telling the guard at the Metro station that we’re sleeping there tonight, no after-school tutoring program designed just for you, because, the truth is, we can’t afford to get you there and back every day.

This is the daily reality for thousands of our children, especially African American children growing up in the District.

30% of D.C. kids are impoverished. Dvorak’s piece includes a glum story about a social worker who took her mentee to see “Karate Kid”; the teen loved the movie and the martial art so much, the social worker secured free lessons for her in two different neighborhoods– neither of which she could afford to travel to.

FILED UNDER: The People, Children, Poverty, Race and Class