Transcript Champions for Children: Goals

How to Reach out to Policy
Makers From Your Place of
Work
A Grassroots Advocacy Workshop for
Child Care Professionals.
Presented By:
Tony Solari, North Carolina Partnership for Children
Smart Start Vision
Every child in North Carolina will arrive
at school healthy and prepared for
Success.
Advocacy
Middle English from Middle French from
Latin: “Advocare” to summon, to call
1: One that Pleads the cause of another,
specifically before a tribunal or judge
2: One that defends or maintains a cause
or proposal
How Legislator’s Make
Decisions
What do Legislators Want?
Legislators run for office and seek re-election
Because they are motivated by many of the
same things you and I are. They desire:
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To do good in the world.
Want to be good public servants.
Money.
Power.
Prestige, honor, and the respect of others.
How do Legislators Keep These Things?
Legislators only get to keep their money, power,
prestige, and only get to keep doing good by:
Getting Re-elected!!!
Legislators who stay in office do so because
they never forget this.
Legislators who forget this are not in office long.
The Election Day "Bank"
Politicians want to make decisions that make a deposit into
their bank, never a withdrawal.
Good Will,
Political Support
Money
Election Day Bank
Votes
Each Decision is a
Cost-Benefit One
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Will this decision or vote put more
resources into my bank or take some
away?
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The more people care about an issue, the
more visible it is, and the greater the
conflict surrounding it, the greater the
potential gain or loss.
Issues and Conflict
High Conflict
High
Saliency
(Importance)
Health Care
Education
Young Children
Abortion
Church State Issues
Low Conflict
Medical
Research
Utilities
Rates
Medium Saliency
Low
Saliency
Medium Conflict
Broadcasting
Frequency
Allocation
Fisheries
Regulation
Legislator's Views
Constituent's Views
Favors
Neutral
Opposes
Favors
Vote With
Constituents
Vote With
Constituents
Redefine Issue
Vote With
Constituents
Neutral
Looks to Other
Actors
Looks to Other
Actors
Votes Own
View
Opposes
Votes With
Consituents
Redefine Issue
Votes With
Constituents
Votes With
Constituents
This Model Tells Us:
1. Advocates should be vocal, so legislators
know the issue is important to their
constituents (Saliency)
2. Advocates must send a clear message
about what they want the legislator to do.
3. Advocates can get their legislator to vote
their way.
4. If advocates do not do these things,
legislators will move on to other priorities
or be influenced by your opponents.
Grassroots Advocacy
Primary Goal:
To increase the level of knowledge about
early childhood and childcare workforce
issues among the public and to motivate
them to voice their views and opinions
to their representatives.
Grassroots Advocacy Goals
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Promote Knowledge of and Support for
Early Childhood Issues and Smart Start
Keep Early Childhood Issues and Smart
Start in Legislator’s Minds and Agendas
Improve Understanding of Smart Start
Reach Out to Those Who Benefit From
Smart Start But Do Not Know It
What You Can Do to Influence
Policy Makers From Your Child
Care Facility?
Probably a lot more than you
think!
Promote Democracy:
Register Your Parents
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Forms are easily available online at:
www.sboe.state.nc.us.
Not a partisan activity.
Most parents will vote to support your
work and for candidates that will support
programs that make their child’s child
care experience better.
Take Five Campaign
 Create a number of postcards. Each postcard is addressed to a
legislator from your district. One message can be from a working
mother, another can be from a child care provider or teacher
another from you as a small business person.
 Have these postcards available at your child care facility.
 Ask parents to take five minutes to fill out a card. All the
individual has to do is fill in their name, address, and sign the card.
You can send them home with parents also, but having them do it at
your facility is best.
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Mail the cards yourself at the end of the day.
Sample Take Five Card Child
Care Provider
Dear Senator__________:
My name is ______________. I live at ____________________.
I wanted to write and let you now how much of a difference Smart
Start is making in quality child care at my facility. The Teach and
WAGES programs have helped me hire and retain dedicated child
care professionals.
I ask you to continue your support for this important program.
Children in our county and throughout the state are going to have
brighter futures because of it.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Meet the Parents
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Invite local and state officials to come to your
facility while parents are dropping off their
children. Have them come on different days.
You can have doughnuts and coffee for all.
Public officials love it. They can meet a lot of
constituents in a very short time and parents
can ask questions about their support for
young children and the work you are doing.
Extend Your Hours on Election
Day So Parents Can Vote
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Offer to open an hour earlier and or stay
open an hour later on election day so
parents can vote.
Get parents to promise to vote in return
for a later pick up time.
Parents must bring back “I Voted”
sticker to prove participation.
Smart Start Tour
“You’ve got to see it and feel it and
then be moved and inspired to act.”
Marian Wright Edelman
Goals:
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Raise Awareness
Help Policy Makers Understand What you
do.
Inspire Action
A Smart Start Tour Will:
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Move policy makers out of their offices and into
the real world of families and children.
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Personalize children and families.
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Help policy makers understand what quality child
care is.
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Move then to actions that support your work.
Planning a Smart Start Tour
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Contact your local smart start partnership.
Have their community outreach or advocacy
person come for a visit.
Select dates, times & arrange for logistics.
Send invitations.
Mix of presentations and interaction is best.
Develop hand-outs – mission, vision, logo.
Confirm logistics.
Dry run.
Conduct the tour.
Send thank you notes to public officials who
visited your facility.
Reaching Out From a Distance
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Tuesdays for Tots
Email
Writing
Phone Calls
We Make Grass-Tops Advocacy Easy!
Tuesdays for Tots
 Choose a Tuesday to visit your legislators
 Parents, child care providers, business
people, faith leaders all participate.
 NCPC Staff help you coordinate your visit and
are there to assist you
 Extremely effective initiative
Contacting Legislators
Letters
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Hand written ones that are personalized are best.
Make them short with a clear message.
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These can arrive any time.
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Telephone Calls
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Can be more personal than a letter.
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Can be timed to arrive at key times in the legislative process
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Might be difficult to reach legislators this way.
Emails
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Should be used very sparingly and only at key times before a
vote
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Short and to the point.
Join Professional Organizations
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Join the Covenant with North Carolina’s
Children. Contact Brian Lewis at (919) 6492449
Join the child care coalition. Contact Roz
Savitt at (919) 781-5313.
Join local Chambers of Commerce, Rotary
Clubs, and provide input to local planning
decisions.
These organizations are working for you and need your support.
VOTE!!
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Nothing prevents you from voting or actively working for
candidates who will do the right thing by children, their
families, and you!
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Whether Democrat or Republican, elect the candidate who
does more than “talk a good game.” They have to walk the
walk!”
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Let your legislator know you will vote your interests
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Vote for people who will work for systemic change. We
need to change the rules of the game!!