Now that another Missouri state legislative session has come to a close, the team at Kids Win Missouri is reflecting on the progress made and the people powering that progress. Backed by a growing network of parents and early childhood education providers who have become trained advocates through its ECE Leader Fellowship program, the organization is advancing an early childhood agenda and executing a coordinated strategy that places those most directly impacted by state policy to the forefront of advocacy.
Many recent policy wins can be traced back to the Fellowship, a year-long program launched in 2022 to build grassroots advocacy and develop leadership skills and policy expertise among early childhood stakeholders. The fellowship is designed to empower parents and providers across the state and equip them with the skills, confidence, and knowledge to influence policymakers and champion child-focused solutions. One of the core values of the program is to “build capacity not just for the short term, but for the long term so that it is not just a small group of us doing the work, but a big network of people advocating for kids and families in Missouri,” said Casey Hanson, Deputy Director at Kids Win Missouri.
Fellows meet monthly to engage in policy discussions and advocacy trainings led by Kids Win Missouri. These virtual sessions cover the fundamentals of Missouri’s policy landscape and structure, including how to conduct legislative research, track bills, and analyze policy proposals. Fellows explore key areas including child care, pre-K, and home visiting, with “deep dives” into the programs and the funding streams that shape them. Leadership coaching and one-on-one development are conducted by Erica Tyson, a coach, consultant, and educator with a wealth of knowledge, to help fellows find their voice and refine their strategy. There are also in-person events, experiential exercises, and in-depth trainings throughout the year where members put their skills to good use. Fellows participate in meetings with lawmakers, join legislative visits to early childhood programs, and attend Child Advocacy Day at the Capitol.
Building parent and provider confidence is at the heart of the fellowship and central to its strategy. Fellows are guided in crafting personal mission statements and encouraged to share their stories with lawmakers in powerful, compelling, and effective ways. More than 90 fellows have completed the program so far, many of whom now serve on boards, lead community initiatives, and continue to testify regularly. Two former fellows have even joined Kids Win Missouri as full-time staff members. According to Hanson, the continued involvement of fellows in ECE advocacy and leadership has created a “pipeline” and “shows that once you get the advocacy bug ignited in people, they want to become even more involved.”
The need for the Fellowship became especially clear to Hanson after a recent heated debate on the House floor over a child care tax credit package that ultimately stalled. “We’ve been having a debate in the state over the last 24 hours about child care, and listening to some of the floor speeches — it’s clear how disconnected leaders are with the everyday realities Missouri families face,” said Hanson. “These are deeply personal issues for people across our state, and that’s why we need to approach this work differently. We have to center the voices and lived experiences of parents if we want real change.” That new approach is exactly what the Fellowship aims to build: a diverse, empowered network of advocates who are deeply connected to the challenges facing Missouri’s children and families.
The ECE Leader Fellowship program was made possible, in part, due to a connection that the Alliance for Early Success sparked. The Alliance connected Kids Win Missouri staff members to the folks at Groundwork Ohio, a peer organization that developed a similar parent leadership initiative, as they designed the program. After discussing how the Groundwork program creates a “pipeline” of grassroots advocates, the leaders at Kids Win Missouri learned about their approach, asked questions, and gained insights they might not have discovered on their own. “It was helpful to hear how they did it, what worked for them, and their goals…even when we do things in such different ways, you can always learn something from how the other states are engaging in this work,” said Hanson. To that end, she shared advice and lessons for advocates in other states. Number one on the list is to be responsive and learn how to adapt.
For example, Kids Win Missouri adopted a hybrid virtual model, strengthened fellowship ties to community work and hyper-local child care challenges, and adjusted meeting times and program operations to accommodate the schedules of parents and providers. What initially began as two separate cohorts for parents and providers has also now become a more integrated experience, encouraging deeper collaboration between the two groups.“We have not been afraid to evaluate each year and say, ‘Was this working for people? Was this not?’ and to engage the parents and providers in the process…I think they can teach you a lot,” said Hanson.
Kids Win Missouri is preparing for its fourth ECE Fellowship cohort and considering additional touchpoints and trainings to engage folks beyond the fellowship program. Top policy priorities in the months ahead include subsidy payments based on enrollment, prospective payments for subsidy providers, and securing funding to pilot a cost-sharing child care model in the state. To see these changes and many more come to fruition, Kids Win will continue to support its fellowship program and engage parents and providers in the advocacy process.
In recent years, Missouri has seen more investment in child care subsidy programs and increased reimbursement rates, in no small part thanks to the advocacy of ECE Fellows. “We have made so much progress, but there is so much work still to be done,” said Hanson. “It is really worth it for us to continue investing all that we can so that we’re able to elevate these voices. That is when the policy changes happen that will be the most meaningful, because these voices are centered in it from the beginning.”