City Year Washington, DC
Impact Report 2024
City Year Washington, DC
City Year’s mission is to advance educational equity by supporting students furthest from opportunity and to develop diverse leaders through national service who can work across lines of difference We believe that supporting children and young adults contributes to just, equitable and vibrant communities When students rise, we all rise.
What we do
City Year is a national educationfocused nonprofit that believes all students deserve thriving K-12 learning environments. City Year exists in 29 cities and 3 countries, including right here in our nation’s capital. Our work is conducted by leveraging the talents and passion from AmeriCorps Members, ages 18–25, who serve as Student Success coaches, providing classroom support, high-impact tutoring in math and literacy, social-emotional learning, and before/after school enrichment programs in schools across DC City Year DC has spent the last 25 years of service in the District, providing an environment where all students, no matter resource or circumstance, are given the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential
Our Reach In Washington, DC
2023 - 2024 School Year
64 americorps members
23,292 total Hours of dosage 1,341 Students served
82% of students were on track with their Social Emotional development
87% of City year students showed academic growth
57% of City Year students met their academic goal for the year
17 SChool Partners
Our Evolving Service Model
students: opening the opportunities that education and social-emotional support can provide and reducing the violence and crime that permeates the lives of many students in the Washington DC region
The evolution of our service model considers the role that City Year DC plays in uplifting the students in our most under-resourced public schools, as well as our AmeriCorps members serving as student success coaches While City Year’s “A-B-Cs” have traditionally centered around Attendance, Behavior, and Course Performance, we are evolving to address the most pressing issues affecting education equity today:
AmeriCorps Members
In order to effectively uplift students in DC public schools, we need to more deeply invest in our AmeriCorps members' professional development, upskilling, and year of service experience We are finding that corps members are coming to City Year requiring tangible workforce development and supportive services By now having a dual-focus on building up our corps, who in turn build up our students, we are creating multi-generational impact
Belonging
Rather than a generality like “Behavior”, we want to make sure that City Year contributes to students feeling welcome in their schools, and that the positive school climate is something AmeriCorps members build for student struggling with timeliness, attendance, and dropout In this model, retaining students in schools through fostering a sense of belonging helps prevent negative and dangerous circumstances for students and our community
core competencies
Keeping students in school and on-track to graduate, to pursue careers and post-secondary education is critical in achieving our mission Alongside fostering a sense of belonging, students are supported in a positive learning environment and provided additional tutoring support by AmeriCorps members, which will build positive change in our community
#RetentionIsPrevention
Our Vision for the Future
Our vision is a world where equitable education is a reality for all, and where young people are empowered to create positive change in their communities. Keeping our students safe, creating equitable education spaces, and ensuring that everyone feels a sense of belonging will retain students in schools and prevent negative outcomes for our community We can change outcomes for the better and make a true difference in our community
Impact of the Red Jacke
“The City Year team has been very attentive to the scholars' emotional needs, as well as academic needs. They are very encouraging of the students and shower them with attention that many of them sorely lack. They are personable and sociable while working on establishing boundaries with the scholars. I am very appreciative of the fact that my City Year partners are able to provide interventions for the scholars who require it as well as tutoring services. It allows for the scholars to better be able to access the information while having another individual who has a vested interest in the scholars' success."
~ Ms.
Jackson, SY23-24 Partner Teacher
Of corps members were from the DMV area (DC, Maryland or Virginia), with 47% of our corps from DC specifically
68% 82% 89% 86% 83%
Of AmeriCorps members viewed the year as a strong leadership development experience
Of students ended the year in a typical or strength range for social emotional learning skills based on the DESSA (CASEL aligned, skills inventory)
Of students on math focus lists improved their assessment scores (iReady or MAP)
Of students on literacy focus lists improved their assessment scores (RI, iReady or MAP)
Americorps member Profile
Kelly Romero
City Year, DC | Ida B. Wells Middle School | 2023 - 2024
Who are you and where and when did you serve?
My name is Kelly Romero and am the only and first born daughter to immigrant parents from Mexico I began service in January 2024 as a mid-year AmeriCorps Member at Ida B Wells Middle School I am currently serving my second year with City Year DC as a team leader at Kelly Miller Middle School
What about your service experience continues to inspire you to this day?
90% of AmeriCorps members said that what they learned this year has increased their capacity to support others in their community
City Year DC had our highest member engagement/satisfaction rate in 3 years (measured by CultureAmp survey)
“It was great having Ms. Kelly on the 7th grade team this year; despite several challenges, she managed to persevere and remained focused on the overall development of our 7th grade students. She was a great team player and is one of the reasons why our 7th graders had such an amazing year at Wells.”
~ Vice Principal Shah
I am a mother and my son inspires me to continue serving with City Year DC Education is a priviledge and I want the best for him As a Student Success Coach with City Year DC, I know that I am a part of my students’ educational journey and I get to learn about who they are and who they want to be When I served at Ida B Wells Middle School, I really loved being a part of the school community You’re not only getting to know the kids like they are family, but you see how they work and better understand what motivates them to succeed As a parent, I would want someone just as invested in my child’s development because that is what our kids deserve
What advice would you give your fellow AmeriCorps members that are serving right now?
Some days are really hard and they can be a lot You really have to remember why you are here and what your purpose is Find the joy of service that shines brightest for you and hold on to it!
If you could tell the world one specific thing about City Year DC, what would it be?
City Year DC is one big family! I love everything that City Year DC does in terms of encouraging AmeriCorps members to bond with each other We really have a tight-knit community I am excited to create more bonds with my team this year
What excites you about City Year DC’s evolution?
I love that City Year DC is focusing on #RetentionIsPrevention When I was in undergrad I was passionate about law and justice reform The question of “How can we lower the recidivism rate?” always stuck with me Originally, I wanted to help adults but then I realized that no, it actually starts with the kids As an AmeriCorps member, I’m able to help my students with relationship building and help them recognize healthy support systems I am also able to advocate for my students on topics they may not feel comfortable sharing with other staff in school We may be the reason that a student comes back to school the next day Helping to retain students is no easy thing, but it’s a joy to see our students returning everyday
Alumni Profile
Jessica Smith-Peterson
City Year, DC | Johnson Middle School | 2011 - 2012
Who are you and where and when did you serve?
My name is Jessica Smith-Peterson and I served with City Year DC in 2011 to 2012 at Johnson Middle School I’m still very much in connection with my Johnson team; I love them very dearly I am from Carson, CA and spent my whole life through 12th grade in the Los Angeles Unified School District I went to UCLA for undergrad and graduated in 2011 I moved to Washington, DC specifically for City Year DC Truly, a life changing decision
What do you currently do?
Right now, I live in Las Vegas, NV I am the Chief Deputy Public Defender for the Clark County Public Defender’s Office I’m also a judicial candidate for the Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Department 4
alums
What about your service experience continues to inspire you to this day?
The students that I worked with were in situations where if you were only looking at statistics and numbers, they would not be set up for success Now that I am in this system and working on behalf of my clients, I see parts of my students within them I see very similar situations and circumstances Without being maternalistic and saying “Hey, I think this would be best for you ” , with my resources and privilege I instead ask, “What can I do to provide you with the resources to get you in a different situation than you were in?” I believe wholeheartedly that City Year provided the foundation for that mindset, because at some point I'm always going to think about the 8th grade team at Johnson Middle School And whatever I do, it shapes and colors how I show up for others in my work
What advice would you give someone serving with City Year DC right now?
Don’t try to be someone that you ’ re not Your students will surely know and they will humble you
What excites you about City Year DC’s evolution?
I appreciate City Year DC’s intentionality and focus on “riding the wave ” instead of being pushed back by the wave; it is super important with where we are as a nation It considers everything and takes into account the feelings about education and policy without being policymakers. At the end of the day, even as an alum, we are to serve the needs of the people and this new narrative is more aligned with that
WITH APPRECIATION
We thank our champions who have supported City Year Washington DC with gifts of $1,000 or more last year!
$100,000-$499,999
CSX
Truist
$50,000-$99,999
Exelon
Deloitte
$25,000-$49,999
Berkadia
Mike and Missy Young
Sharefund DC
Taco Bell Foundation
$10,000-$24,999
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Constellation
Edison Electric Institute
Emily Duncan
Venable
$5,000-$9,999
BNSF Railway
Carol Morrison
Children’s National Hospital
Comcast
David Goldblatt
The Decision Project
Gary & Pennie Abramson Charitable
Hogan Lovells
Kevin Turpin
Meg Sullivan & Jed Herrmann Foundation
National Journal
The Robert & Arlene Kogod Family Foundation
Roya Stephens
The Signa Foundation for Wireless Innovation
Susan Berger
$1,000-$4,999
Albertsons
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Ardea Holdings
Benjamin Howard
Beth Kramer
Brandee Tate
Brian & Lisa Griffin
Candyce Phoenix
Connie & Nathan Briggs
Corina Higginson Trust
David & Gwenn Rosener
Diane & Michael Sapir
Elizabeth Kelly
Erin Brown Jones
Garrick & Shelia Francis
Geoffrey Garin
James Gauch
Jean & Patrick Deleon
Jennifer Swize
Jenner & Block
John & Ilene Kennedy Foundation
Jones Day
Karen Amy & Stephen Collesano
Katherine & Ryan Keating
Kevin Fish
Matthew Brill
Matthew & Jami Axelrod
Michael Winkelman
Molly Mitzner
Nicole Soloman Mitchell & David Mitchell
Nimesh Patel
Rebecca Griffiths
Scott Goldschmidt
Starbucks Foundation
United Way of the National Capital Area
Wright & Talisman
Our Local Leadership
Executive Board Members
Alexis Squire
Chief Equity & Impact Officer DC Fire & EMS
Brandee Tate Senior Program Officer Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Daphne Turpin Forbes Partner Microsoft
David Goldblatt Partner GMP, LLP
Associate Board Members
Andrew Byrd (Chair) Amazon
Emily Fisher (co-Chair) Chief Strategy Officer Smart Electric Power Alliance
Garrick Francis CEO Creative Choices LLC
Hermann Cruz
Assistant Vice President & Fiduciary Advisor Merrill Lynch
Jeff Franco CEO and Founder Camino Consulting Group
Lisa Lerma Deloitte
Megan Wilson Hogan Lovells Brian Alexander Bottom Line
Ivana Sreckov Social Security Administration
Jared Stancombe Arlington County Government
Katie Hanna Concrete Rose
Kevin Fish Parenthetic
Site Leadership
ALLISON FELDER
Managing Director, Impact
GAVIN WARE
Managing Director, External Affairs
Jit Singh Principal Deloitte Consulting LLP
Marie Sylla Dixon (Co-Chair) Senior Vice President, Federal Affairs Exelon
Roger Fairfax Dean, School of Law Howard University
Scott Goldschmidt Partner Thompson Coburn LLP
Stephen Flippin Head of Federal Affairs CSX
Alumni Board Members
ageliki key
National Endowment for the Humanities
Cherie Cancio Boys & Girls Club Washington DC
Molly Mitzner Ogilvy
Rezarta Haxhillari Equifax
Roya Stephens InterDigital, Inc
Shayne Wells Events DC
HALEY SMYSER
Chris Lee Fidelity Investments
Daria Leon Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Kimberly Osias Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County
Managing Director, Development
MATTHEW ZITTLE
Senior Director of People and Operations
Moriah Wade Carnegie Learning
Nailah Hart The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Sheun Ogunsunlade Protiviti Riccardo Purita Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
Stephen Sonon CG Strategy
MICHAEL STEVENS, Ed.D
Senior Vice President, Executive Director
City Year National Service Areas
City Year is a trailblazing, youth-powered organization with a dual mission: expanding educational equity for students furthest from opportunity and developing diverse leaders through national service Research shows the more time a student spends with a City Year AmeriCorps member serving as a student success coach, the better the student outcomes - academically, socially, and emotionally
A public-private partnership, City Year is a proud member of AmeriCorps, operating in 29 U S cities within international affiliates in the U K and South Africa Today, 37,000 alums continue to lead and serve where they live and work
Getting involved With City Year DC
For more information on getting involved with City Year Washington, DC, please reach out to the following individuals:
Events & Community Engagement
Gavin Ware - Managing Director, External Affairs | gware@cityyear org | (202) 742-5266
giving to City Year DC
Haley Smyser - Managing Director, Development | haley smyser@cityyear org | (202) 742-5268
School Partnerships
Allison Felder - Managing Director, Impact | afelder08@cityyear org | (202) 742-7365
REcruitment
Alaina Briceland-Betts - Community Engagement Director | abriceland-betts@cityyear org | (202) 7427379
S T A Y C O N N E C T E D
City Year Washington, DC is celebrating 25 years of service in the District in 2025! Be sure to stay connected so that you are up-to-date on our exciting 25th anniversary year and events.
