Alliance Collaboration Communities

Centering Parent and Practitioner Power

The Centering Parent and Practitioner Power community increases the capacity of participating state advocacy organizations to engage and share power with parents, practitioners, and grassroots organizing groups. It is structured as a nine-month cohort of six to eight state teams – two per organization, one from senior leadership – where they work together to develop the understanding and skills necessary to build authentic partnerships rooted in lived experiences and the values of racial equity. The Alliance provides a grant to participating organizations in recognition of the time necessary to learn and embed the curriculum in the culture of their organizations. Participation is limited to existing Alliance for Early Success grantees.

Child Welfare and Early Childhood

A cohort of Alliance state allies convene regularly for dialogue and information exchanges on policy topics that have a dual focus on child welfare and early childhood. Children under age 5 make up the largest share of chil­dren enter­ing foster care, and early two out of three children who entered foster care were age 8 or younger. There are multiple intersections between child welfare and early childhood policy and practice, and this community of practice offers a thoughtful and structured approach to deepening knowledge and equipping participates with new advocacy strategies.

Emerging Policy Professionals of Color

The Emerging Policy Professionals of Color (EPPOC) brings together a racially diverse group of next generation leaders to change the face of the early childhood policy and advocacy field. Investing in a network of emerging professionals will amplify diverse voices, and ultimately strengthen advocacy that leads to better policies for young children. The EPPOC cohort is structured as a 12-month experience that convenes virtually and in-person to share their experiences, network, and engage in authentic discussion.  The is also a larger network of emerging policy professionals of color who share information and participate in virtual programming and networking. Learn more about the community here.

Operationalizing Equity

Operationalizing Equity supports state allies to implement strategies centering racial justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in their work and build cultures of belonging in their organizations. Launched in 2021 as a pivotal part of the Alliance’s theory of change, Operationalizing Equity has taken various forms, including a six-month intensive curriculum undertaken by cohorts of five to 10 state grantee organizations, and individual grants to states to further their organizational equity work. The support is available to all Alliance state advocacy grantees.

Partners on the Early Care and Education Profession

Participants in the Alliance’s Partners on the Early Care and Education Profession community exchange policy and advocacy strategies related to the early childhood workforce. Composed of representatives from both state and national grantees, the group also provides opportunities for state allies to inform national partners’ projects and plans around the ECE profession, and for national partners to coordinate their activities with each other. Participation is open to any state or national grantee whose priorities include the ECE profession.

Right for Kids

Policymakers across the political spectrum want what’s best for young children and their families, though their policy approaches may vary. Right for Kids is a community of advocates working in states with conservative-aligned state legislatures and governors. They share strategies and policy ideas with each other; hear from national, state, and local champions, advocates, policy thinkers and messengers; and explore the shared values that undergird policymakers’ positions on child and family policy issues. Click here to request more information.

StateFedConnect

StateFedConnect is a monthly convening of state advocates who want to learn more about developments in federal early childhood policy and strategies for influencing it. It is also an opportunity for them to share with national partners their expertise on the implementation of federal policy in their states. The community supports the work to build relationships with their Congressional delegations, and stay informed about federal funding streams, reauthorizations, and other policy opportunities. The group is open to any Alliance state grantee working on federal policy issues, and national allies when their specific policy expertise is on the agenda. In addition to monthly virtual convenings, StateFedConnect also hosts an annual summer meeting in Washington, DC, during which attendees schedule visits to their state’s federal lawmakers at the Capitol. Learn more about the community here. 

Trauma-Informed Approaches to Engaging Family Advocates

The Trauma-Informed Approaches to Engaging Family Advocates community of practice supports state advocates as they continue strengthening their engagement with families to better inform their understanding of the hardships families face, co-design policy solutions and advocacy priorities to address them, and support families to build their own leadership capacity. By embedding trauma-responsive principles such as trust-building, collaboration, peer support, choice and empowerment, organizations can intentionally and thoughtfully engage families in co-creating policy solutions and advocacy activities from the very beginning. The content and structure of this CoP is co-designed with state allies, in an effort to create space for CoP members to bring challenges they want to think through together, share strategies that they’re finding effective, and discuss how to continue moving the work forward.