Heading into the November 3rd elections, state advocates dedicated extensive time to educating candidates and voters on the importance of the early years and created opportunities for candidates to share their policy priorities with their constituents.
We asked our Alliance for Early Success national network what they were up to, and they shared the following examples.
They polled voters to capture what early childhood policies mattered most to them
Based on polling conducted by Groundwork Ohio, nearly three-quarters of respondents believed that increasing access to high-quality child care would strengthen the state’s economy and indicated that whether a gubernatorial candidate plans to support working families with young children would be important when deciding how to vote. In Mississippi, polling conducted by Mississippi First and First Five Years Fund found that over half of respondents believe labor shortages are due in part to a lack of quality, affordable child care and over three-quarters consider child care costs a part of the cost-of-living problem in the state. In addition to concerns over child care access and affordability, more than three-quarters of respondents in Georgia said that making health care more affordable and accessible is very important to them, with 90% believing it is important to simplify applications and renewal for Medicaid to make sure young children don’t lose health coverage.
They engaged and educated candidates about the importance of the early years
State advocacy organizations developed toolkits and hosted forums that provided information, data, and the potential impacts of state policies proven to support children and families. The Vermont Paid Leave Coalition sent resources to all qualified candidates on the importance of universal paid family and medical leave and the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health distributed a set of infographics focused on maternal and child health issues to candidates. Rhode Island’s RIght from the Start Campaign released a Candidate Guide that covers child care, home visiting, paid family and medical leave, and health care.
Alaska Children’s Trust developed briefing materials and partnered with fellow advocacy organizations to host three candidate briefings, successfully engaging three of the four candidates for governor. California also hosted a Q&A with nearly all of California’s leading gubernatorial candidates on issues that affect young children and posted the recordings on their website. Voices for Utah Children hosted a roundtable with community partners, philanthropists, and legislators to educate them about why child care is so needed in conjunction with health care.
They ensured voters were informed about candidates’ early childhood policy priorities and encouraged them to vote
State advocates worked to ensure voters knew where candidates stood on a range of early childhood issues. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT published responses to a gubernatorial candidate survey that showed their views on key policy issues affecting children and families and held a gubernatorial candidate forum and meet and greet. Similarly, Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) published responses to a candidate questionnaire from 120 candidates for state and federal offices, and hosted an Early Childhood Candidate Forum for a conversation with candidates in key statewide races about their priorities for Georgia’s youngest children and families. Voices for Vermont’s Children worked in partnership with parents, advocates and service providers to co-create an Election Issues Guide which includes sample questions voters can pose to candidates on a range of early childhood issues. As part of the Think Babies Michigan coalition, Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health contributed to a Voter and Candidate Education Toolkit which included where candidates stood on early childhood issues and provided key dates and deadlines for voting.
In the same vein, state advocacy organizations published voter guides and encouraged the electorate to exercise the power of their vote. Year-round, Kentucky Voices for Health facilitates educational programming that includes election basics, deadlines, reminders, and rules, and distributed a voter resource guide for the November election. The Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) created its 2026 Georgia Voter Guide on Early Education that highlights early childhood issues, describes how public policy decisions affect young children and their families, and provides guidance on how to engage candidates and cast informed ballots. Groundwork Ohio took its efforts on the road, visiting constituents in each of its 33 Senate districts through its Vote Baby Vote campaign, which included efforts to help Ohio families get informed and make a voting plan.
Collectively, state advocacy organizations used the elections to elevate the importance of the early years – with the candidates and the general public – helping ensure that young children are a policy priority for governors, state legislators, and agency officials in every state.