Building Pathways to Opportunity for Educators, Children, and Families
Southeast Children's Fund advances economic mobility and strengthens communities by investing in education, workforce development, and family-centered support systems across Washington, DC.
Our Work
Four connected areas of work, each reinforcing the others across the birth through grade 3 continuum.
Supporting educators through credentials, degrees, and career advancement — from CDA to bachelor's and beyond.
Creating stronger systems of support for children and families through direct-service initiatives across DC.
Promoting creativity, wellbeing, and holistic development for children, families, and educators alike.
Connecting educators, families, and partners with searchable tools, data, and opportunities.
Strong Communities Start with Strong Educators and Families
Early childhood educators shape lifelong outcomes, and families need strong support systems to help children thrive. Communities are strongest when opportunity is accessible to everyone within them. Southeast Children's Fund works at the intersection of education, workforce development, and community wellbeing — addressing workforce instability at its root so that classrooms, families, and communities benefit from consistent, effective support across Washington, DC.
More than 30 years of preparing and advancing early educators across Washington, DC's most critical learning years.
Practice-based learning that links credentialing and degree pathways to workforce readiness and instructional continuity.
Serving hundreds of educators and their classrooms citywide, with deep roots in the communities we serve.
Why we've spent 30 years showing up
Southeast Children's Fund fosters community development by empowering children and families through education, career development, and holistic support services, rooted deeply in the communities we serve.
A DC where educators are prepared, supported, and connected — and where children, families, and communities thrive because the system around them is coherent, equitable, and built to last.
Workforce instability in early childhood is not inevitable — it's addressable. We exist to strengthen educator preparation, retention, and advancement across birth through grade 3, and to align those pathways with the systems that depend on them.
30 Years of Sustained Impact
Growing workforce stability and instructional quality across the birth through grade 3 continuum.
Our Core Strategies
Practice-based pathways that link credentialing and degree programs with workforce readiness, from CDA to bachelor's and beyond.
Mentorship, peer learning, and leadership supports that stabilize classrooms and sustain long-term educator careers across DC.
Resources and partnerships that strengthen early learning for families and communities across all eight DC wards.
How SCF Creates Change
A single line connects everything we do — from the credential an educator earns to the outcomes a child experiences years later. Think of it as SCF's own transit map.
— The SCF Line —
Credentials, degrees, workforce training, and leadership development that build a qualified, confident workforce.
Economic mobility, higher wages, and workforce retention that keep skilled educators in the field for the long term.
Improved outcomes for children, stronger families, and healthier, more stable communities across DC.
Experienced Leadership Driving Workforce Impact
Southeast Children's Fund is led by an experienced executive and program leadership team with deep expertise in early childhood education, workforce development, and fiscal stewardship. Our leadership ensures that investments translate into strong implementation, accountability, and long-term system impact across Washington, DC.
- Strategic Executive Leadership guiding citywide workforce alignment from birth through grade 3
- Dedicated Program Oversight for DC LEAD and CDA educator pathways
- Strong Financial & Operational Stewardship supporting compliance, transparency, and scale
Built for DC's Early Childhood Community
Two robust, searchable tools designed to help educators, families, advocates, and funders find what they need and understand the landscape shaping early childhood in DC.
Find Resources Built for You
24 verified resources across childcare, food, housing, health, workforce development, and advocacy, searchable by ward, cost, language, and audience.
The State of Early Childhood in Washington, DC
An interactive ward-by-ward data dashboard tracking child poverty, care access, reading proficiency, and household income across all 8 DC wards, sourced from ACS 2020-2024 and OSSE.
Building the Future Together
Alongside our core programs, five priorities are shaping where SCF invests next. Unlike the SCF Line, these run on two tracks that meet, cross, and — in one case — are still under construction.
Expanding credential-to-degree pathways for educators across DC.
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Growing creative and holistic development programming — where workforce and community priorities meet.
Deepening the citywide resource and data tools educators and families rely on.
Building out future mentorship & leadership development — under construction, like the dashed track above.
There Are Many Ways to Invest in Opportunity
Every path below strengthens the same pipeline — educators, classrooms, families, and communities across DC.
Make a one-time or recurring gift that funds credentialing, degrees, and career advancement.
Share your time and talents to directly support SCF programs and events.
Support emerging educators and future leaders as they advance in the field.
Connect resources, expertise, or opportunities to expand our reach citywide.
Help strengthen the policies and systems that benefit children and families.
Get Updates on Impact & Opportunities
Receive news on impact, funding opportunities, and community initiatives from SCF.
Let's Build the Future of Early Learning Together
SCF invites funders, partners, and system leaders to join us in strengthening early learning outcomes and workforce stability across DC.