The Alliance for Early Success is a 50-state resource for early-childhood advocates as they pursue the big, sustained impact that will ensure every child in every state, birth through age eight, has an equal chance to grow, learn, and succeed.
A week after the midterm elections, Alliance allies gathered to hear from state partners and think together about how to shift their advocacy strategies to maintain and grow their effectiveness given the new political realities in their states.
With swift action and advocacy efforts, advocates at Kansas Action for Children (KAC) were able to defeat proposed vaccination legislation that would limit vaccine requirements for children. Leveraging data and research, along with strong partnerships at the legislative level, advocates made it to the end of session without a single change to state immunization requirements.
Federal and state child tax credits have historically received bipartisan support. These tax credits for families with children under age 17 provide financial relief for low-income families and their children and support economic mobility. New Jersey, Vermont, and RI have recently chosen to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to enact state-level child tax credits.
The Alliance for Early Success is launching a new community of practice for state advocacy organizations to increase their capacity to engage in authentic and impactful partnerships rooted in lived experiences and the values of racial equity and shared power. The Centering Parent and Practitioner Power Community of Practice (CPPP) will be a nine-month experience dedicated to courageous conversations to deepen understanding, appreciation, and skills to equitably value the expertise of community members in policy and advocacy work.
Allies at the Alabama School Readiness Alliance (ASRA), VOICES for Alabama’s Children, and Alabama Partnership for Children championed legislation that led to a historic state investment to child care and pre-k – a new and improved QRIS system that includes generous incentive payments to providers and provides coaches to help programs improve their quality and adding 125 classrooms to the First Class Pre-k program.
Strong partnerships are at the core of advocacy. Nowhere is that clearer than in Rhode Island, where early childhood policy advocates at Rhode Island Kids Count and the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (RIAAP) are working together to help educate communities and policymakers on the importance of child health and early intervention.
Today, the Alliance for Early Success announced 10 leaders who will participate in the Early Childhood Emerging Policy Professionals of Color (EPPOC) cohort over the next year. This cohort represents national and state advocacy organizations from across the country.
After two years of strong collective advocacy efforts, Alliance allies at the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health (MCMCH) championed the plan that purposefully worked to address disparities by extending Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months postpartum.
Alliance allies at Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network (HCAN) worked in coalition with partner organizations this session to pass legislation that will improve economic security for children and families – particularly those who have been most impacted by structural racism and continue to have the lowest wages.
Alliance allies in Virginia – Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and Voices for Virginia’s Children – worked with bipartisan leaders to negotiate a two-year budget that supports children and families, including investments in early childhood education, children’s healthy development, and family support systems.
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The Alliance for Early Success does not endorse or advocate for specific legislation or candidates.
