Children's Law Center

05/29/2026

For the fourth time, we’re honoring DLA Piper as a 2025 Champion for Children!🏆

This recognition highlights their powerful advocacy, generous financial support and deep commitment to expanding access to justice. Through their charitable and pro bono efforts, DLA Piper continues to stand with us in creating brighter futures for children.

Read about our 2025 Champions for Children Campaign: https://ow.ly/yRFL50Z5GgF

05/28/2026

This week, City Cast DC Reporter Emma Uber published an important story about what’s at stake for students, families and schools if cuts to youth behavioral health services are not reversed in this year’s budget.

We are grateful that The Council of the District of Columbia has been able to restore some funding and has worked to minimize disruption to schools – yet we remain concerned that there won’t be enough funding to ensure all students can access the care and support they need.

Read more:

Under the proposed budget, D.C.'s sole mental health crisis team for kids would be shuttered — part of a broader slate of cuts that would also phase out the city’s contracts with a network of community-based organizations providing clinicians to D.C. schools.

05/28/2026

We are thrilled to recognize Miller& Chevalier LLP as a 2025 Champion for Children for the seventh consecutive year🏆

Their unwavering support shines through both impactful fundraising and dedicated pro bono work, reflecting the strength of their partnership and their efforts to increase critical legal support for DC children and families in housing, health and education.

Read about our 2025 Champions for Children Campaign: https://ow.ly/ygQq50Z5eac

05/27/2026

Huge congratulations to Mayer Brown for being named a 2025 Champion for Children! 🏆

This marks their ninth win - an incredible testament to their longstanding commitment to Children’s Law Center and our mission. We were so impressed by their talent show last year, and just as inspired by their exceptional fundraising efforts.

We’re proud to recognize Mayer Brown’s investment of both pro bono expertise and financial support, helping children and families take on complex challenges - including expanding access to education for thousands of students with disabilities.

Read about our 2025 Champions for Children Campaign: https://ow.ly/guC250Z4O3b

05/26/2026

Congratulations to Latham & Watkins on their 11th Champions for Children win! 🏆

Our friends at Latham shattered their previous fundraising record, helping to make this year’s Champions for Children campaign our biggest yet. Their incredible commitment continues to make a meaningful difference for kids and families in our community.

As a longtime supporter of Children’s Law Center, Latham Watkins has remained deeply invested in advancing healthy housing and championing access to high-quality, equitable education. We’re so grateful for their partnership and proud to celebrate this amazing achievement.

Read more about our 2025 Champions for Children Campaign: https://ow.ly/jPsi50Z4jLA

05/26/2026

Congratulations to Leah Castelaz, Senior Policy Attorney, for receiving Mary's Center's School Mental Health Champion award👏

05/22/2026

Join us in honoring our 2025 Champions for Children🎉Thanks to our generous legal and corporate partners, we can strengthen families and ensure more positive health and education outcomes for children.

Last year’s competition was fierce with many firms breaking their own records and with several new organizations joining in the fundraising fun! While there can only be one winner in each category, all participants are champions of children’s rights and wellbeing.

Stay tuned as we highlight our Champions next week and read about our 2025 Campaign: https://ow.ly/cH7w50Z2Z4K

05/15/2026

DC's Access to Justice Initiative faces an 86% cut in the proposed FY27 budget. Last year, these funds helped us reach thousands of children and families, including children like Danny. With our support, Danny now has an IEP that better meets his needs, and his mom credits our work together with helping her build confidence in her own advocacy.

"Thanks to Children’s Law Center, I have that boost – I have the confidence I have now in the power I have as his mother."

We urge the DC Council to fully restore these funds so that our work — and the work of our sister organizations — can continue on behalf of DC residents.

Danny* is a sweet seven-year-old who loves his friends and Sonic the Hedgehog, but he had difficulties at school from the start. His mother, Ms. Vasquez,

05/14/2026

📣📣📣NEW: Alex Koma from WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio dives into DC’s Department of Behavioral Health’s plan to move school-based behavioral health & youth crisis response from community-based organizations to inside the agency – without the proper staffing or budget to do so effectively. Our policy attorney Leah Castelaz sums it up: “We are staring down the barrel of major disruption.”

We’re counting on Councilmembers to ensure that our city’s progress in expanding students’ access to services is not decimated by the administration's hasty attempt to cut costs.

In a tight budget year, D.C. school leaders, parents and advocates fear a double whammy of cuts is on the way for mental health services for students.

Mayor Muriel Bowser is proposing a major shift for school-based behavioral health services: she wants to phase out the city’s contracts with a network of community-based organizations providing clinicians to schools and bring those functions under a city agency.

At the same time, she hopes to end a long-running contract with Catholic Charities DC to provide a mental health crisis response team, which primarily serves schools, a year after working to slash its budget. Similarly, Bowser plans to rely on the city’s Department of Behavioral Health to offer those services instead.https://wamu.org/story/26/05/13/mayor-bowser-budget-changes-mental-health-services-in-dc-schools/

05/13/2026

For more than a decade, Children’s Law Center has worked just minutes from Chinatown/Gallery Place — growing alongside a neighborhood rich in culture and history. As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, we honor our Asian American and Pacific Islander colleagues, neighbors, families and advocates whose voices, traditions and contributions continue to make this community so vibrant.

Pictured: Chinatown Arch by as featured in one of our conference rooms.
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05/10/2026

Today, we celebrate the mothers, grandmothers, caregivers and mother figures who show up every day with love, strength and determination for their communities.

At a time when so many families are navigating uncertainty, your care, advocacy and resilience continue to shape brighter futures for DC children.

Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Children’s Law Center💐