spDBFA President Judy O'Brien met this week with the Mayor's Chief of Staff Sophie Deganais and Special Assistant to the Mayor for Education and Youth Sabrina Sutton. The meeting allowed DBFA to reiterate with this mayoral administration DBFA's advocacy goals, including improving schools, revitalizing recreation centers, increasing green space, improving walkability, increasing retail, and lowering property taxes.

Last week, DBFA President Judy O'Brien met with City Council President Jack Young. The meeting, arranged by Healthy Neighborhoods, focused on creating a partnership between the Council President's Office, the Department of Recreation and Parks, and Healthy Neighborhoods.

Last Thursday evening, DBFA and parent leaders met with Dr. Andrès Alonso, Baltimore City Public School Superintendent. The meeting, arranged by DBFA, discussed items including curriculum, charter schools, assessment, recess, school facilities, gifted and talented program funding, and a plan for South Baltimore schools. DBFA President Judy O’Brien says, “Dr. Alonso was very receptive to DBFA’s ideas and feedback. He looks to DBFA as the only organization in the city advancing education for middle-class families to lead the effort for our members.” DBFA will be looking for volunteers in the coming months to work on committees to help continue to improve our children’s education in Baltimore City Public Schools.

DBFA, with the help of community activists, was able to successfully bring back partial “family swim” morning hours at the Patterson Park and Riverside Park pools. DBFA President Judy O’Brien wrote a letter to various city officials reminding them of the importance of the pool to downtown families and of keeping families in the city.

Pierce's Park, an advocacy effort of DBFA, featured in the Baltimore Sun.

DBFA's summer fundraiser, Wine by the Water, will be held on June 19, 2010 from 2-6 p.m.  Get your tickets before they are gone! http://dbfam.org/link/wine

Last Sunday night, over 70 downtown moms paraded their pumps, sipped cosmos, and attended opening weekend of "Sex and the City 2."

DBFA reached out to survey residents in the downtown Baltimore area to quantify current involvement in Children's Programming, as well as further solidify our understanding of our constituents' programming needs. Please see the full results of our survey below. 

DBFA board members travel to Philadelphia to learn more about parents’ success in impacting local schools and neighborhoods

On Tuesday, May 11, DBFA Board President Judy O’Brien and Board Member Erin Karpewicz spent the day in Philadelphia touring the General George A. McCall School, a successful downtown neighborhood K–8 school. The afternoon was spent meeting representatives of the William Penn Foundation and the Center City District and Central Philadelphia Development Corporation.

Thanks and congratulations to all who responded in the face of continuing threats to the state education budget as it winds its way through the legislature. Your phone calls and other advocacy resulted in no cuts to our City Schools budget!

Find out more about the final budget here.

STOP CUTS TO SCHOOL BUDGET!
Rally in Annapolis on March 1st

Please join concerned parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders as we send a message to our lawmakers: NO CUTS TO THE SCHOOL BUDGET! The Governor has proposed a no-cuts budget for education, but legislators may chip away at it. Lost dollars mean fewer teachers, more crowded classrooms, and weaker schools. We can’t let this happen.

Nearly 200 DBFA members trudged through the snow on Saturday to celebrate Valentine's Day at the DiPietro Family Skating Center in Patterson Park for a morning of music, Valentine’s Day crafts, hot chocolate, and of course, ice skating! Non-skaters created Valentines and crafts with the JCC while older kids (and adults) glided over special pink ice. Complimentary coffee and hot chocolate from Donna's and goodies from Whole Foods were served. Check out pictures of some of our favorite kids and parents on DBFA's Flickr page.