Advocacy
Early Years Advocacy Groups
Project of CT Early Childhood Alliance
The following information taken from The Advocacy Tool Kit offers indispensable information about child care advocacy. To view the information as a whole please download below.
Advocacy Toolkit | January 2007
You can find your legislator by phone
You can also retrieve your legislator's information by calling the caucus receptionists: phone numbers are in our 'join us' link to legislators information. For a link to town websites go to: www.state.ct.us/town.htm You can also go to an online search engine, for example www.google.com, and type in the information you’re looking for.
Letters MAKE IT PERSONAL
In addition to using these key messages, it's helpful to begin from your personal experience: how has your family benefited from the early care and education program in your community? Then, broaden your scope and ask other parents how their participation in early care and education programs has impacted their family. Finally, draw on research that stresses how much children and communities could gain if all families had access to quality early care and education. Once you've created your message, stick to it!
Sample Letter
This is a letter written by a parent. Note the intimate statements she included in her message, and her call to action at the end. The more heartfelt and direct your letter is, the more you can help policy makers understand the consequences of their decisions on the people of their district.
Dear Legislator:
I'd like you to work to increase funds for programs that support young children and families. As a working parent in your district, I'd like you to know that my family and I depend on child care funding to ensure that our children are receiving a high quality early education program prior to kindergarten.
I receive child care assistance through the Care4Kids program. I've seen that program impacted by cuts and, as a result, fewer children have been able to be served and reimbursement rates remain low which prevent many families from accessing higher quality care. I want every parent to have the opportunity to choose a quality setting for their child while they work and I want all Connecticut children to have the opportunity to receive high quality early education. All of the state money given to those programs has benefited my family so much. I'm afraid of what may happen to my family and other families that no longer have access to the services. Please do all that you can to support early care and education programs, including quality child care. The resources you provide for families and children are good for communities and have long lasting benefits for the state. I appreciate your time and attention to this urgent issue. Working families and children need your support. |
Ask them to take specific action(s) to support your issue. If you are meeting about a specific bill, specifically ask them to support that bill. Ask your legislator for their comments and questions. Ask follow up questions of them to find out more. Offer to be a resource for them so that they can learn more about the issue.
Phone calls
Phone calls are best utilized when you want to let your elected representatives know whether you support a piece of legislation or to have a one-on-one conversation. It also allows you to connect more with the office staff, who are key allies when working with elected officials.
When Emailing Policy Makers
Less Personal, Low Time Requirement
Email is probably the least time-consuming method when delivering your advocacy message, but it is also the least personal and, therefore, a less effective way to connect with your public officials. If you use email as a way of communicating with policy makers, it should be done in the context of an ongoing relationship where you have utilized other ways of communicating with the official.
Before writing the email
Develop a clear and concise message. Also, the more you can include personal stories or local context to the issue, the more the policy maker will pay attention to your email.
As you write
State in the subject line of the message that you are a constituent. An elected official's inbox can become very full and using the subject line will increase the likelihood that your message will be read. Keep your message brief and to the point. Email is less formal than a written letter and so the message should reflect the informality.
Make the message personal and utilize local examples.
Voting (You must vote to make a change)
State and National elections take place every even numbered year. There are two central dates to keep in mind on an election year:
4 Primary Election - First Tuesday after the second Monday in August
The primary election narrows the field of candidates to one per political party for the
general election. The primary takes place the first Tuesday after the second Monday in
September.
4 General Elections - First Tuesday after the second Monday in November
The general election is when voters choose who will represent them at the federal and
state level. These elections are scheduled for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in
November every two years.
Municipal Elections - In odd numbered years-local elections are held in most Connecticut towns in the month of November.
* The Secretary of State's website or city/town offices or libraries. To find out where to vote in a particular community you can call your local Registrar of Voters.
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