Talk about paying it forward! Seven of our recent high school graduates completed a two-year early childhood education program to teach and serve DC's youngest children. They are the first graduating class of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) First Step program and earned their Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate! On July 13th, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Deputy Mayor of Education Jennifer Niles, and State Superintendent of Education Hanseul Kang recognized our students for this incredible accomplishment. We are proud to have 23 more high school students enrolled in the program to start their path towards a career in early learning!

Read OSSE's Press Release or this Washington Post article to learn more about our seven alumni and their tremendous achievement in becoming the inaugural class of First Step!