The District of Columbia Department of Health (DC Health) was awarded a $2,000,000 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) National Workforce Strategy Development program (CFDA 10.244). The project, titled "The DC WIC Workforce Development Project," aims to address recruitment and retention challenges within the WIC program by implementing a comprehensive approach to workforce development, including creating pathways for staff to pursue higher education, offering paid internships, and providing leadership training for WIC managers. The ultimate goal is to build a more stable, diverse, and capable WIC workforce that can better meet the needs of the communities served by the program. The award period runs from September 2024 to September 2029.