Supporting children starts with supporting the adults who raise them. That is why parent leadership is at the heart of efforts to build stronger, more equitable early childhood systems. When families are equipped with the resources and confidence to lead, advocate, and influence policy, entire communities benefit. That is precisely why the Alliance for Early Success teamed up with ZERO TO THREE this January to launch a collaboration that helps state grantees amplify parent voices and foster their leadership in advocacy and policy.
Supporting advocacy that centers the leadership and voices of people who are most impacted is a core element of Alliance’s theory of change. Below are some examples of parent leadership initiatives led by some Alliance’s state allies, including their accomplishments, goals, and lessons that can inspire others. Each initiative emphasizes advocacy, personal development, and creating spaces where parents can connect, grow, and lead together.
- The Strong Start Child Advocacy Ambassador Program, led by the Children’s Advocacy Alliance (CAA) of Nevada, empowers parents, caregivers, and early childhood advocates to become effective changemakers. Ambassadors attend a 10-month curriculum with monthly meetings, advocacy workshops, and trainings on the legislative process, storytelling, and leadership skills. During legislative sessions, ambassadors testify during Children’s Week at the Nevada State Legislature, using their lived experiences to help shape early childhood policy. Now in its third cohort, the program continues building a network of family leaders dedicated to driving meaningful change.
- The Parent Leadership Institute, offered through the Maryland Family Network, equips parents with the skills and confidence to be leaders in their families, communities, and beyond. The program launches with a virtual pep rally, a high-energy event designed to build excitement, introduce the program, and connect parents across the network. This is followed by a hands-on, in-person immersion experience where parents engage in leadership activities, storytelling, and collaborative learning. Participants then join two virtual development sessions focused on active listening, critical thinking, public speaking, and action planning skills. These virtual sessions offer flexibility and sustained engagement while providing a space for parents to reflect on what they have learned, build confidence in their personal and professional identities, and prepare for the program’s final event. The Parent Leadership Institute culminates in an immersive, two-day in-person convening where parents come together to share their leadership journeys, insights, and impact directly with Network staff, and celebrate their growth and impact.
- The Hawai’i Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) is a family and civic engagement program conducted by the Hawai’i Children’s Action Network (HCAN) that empowers parents and caregivers to become effective community leaders. The evidence-based curriculum is enriched with Hawaiian values and cultural context. PLTI helps participants build leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills. The first 10 weeks focus on individual growth, including communication and public speaking skills, and developing their personal story. The remaining sessions shift to civic engagement, guiding participants through the legislative process, facilitating meetings with state lawmakers, and helping them identify community challenges and propose meaningful solutions. Each participant also designs and completes a community-based project tied to a problem they are passionate about.
Parent leadership initiatives are powerful catalysts for change. “So many awesome projects have come out of investing in parents and in their leadership, voice, and power,” said Deborah Zysman, former Executive Director of HCAN. She points to an alum of HCAN’s PLTI, who was so inspired by the program and her community project that she became a full-time staff member at HCAN and developed Keiki Food Connection, a resource that teaches parents how to grow vegetables at home using WIC food containers. In Nevada, a former member of the Child Advocacy Ambassador Program launched her own non-profit called Act for Kids. Losing her child to cancer showed her firsthand how disjointed the healthcare system is, especially for children with critical medical needs. After completing the program, she gained valuable skills that helped her advocate for vision to build a comprehensive children’s hospital in Nevada that can close critical gaps in service. That vision is now coming to fruition. “It just shows that you can plant a seed of advocacy in small groups like this that can really grow into much bigger initiatives,” said Dr. Jamelle Nance, Early Childhood Policy Director at CAA
“We’re inspired by the innovative, community-rooted strategies our state grantees are using to center, support, and elevate parents. These programs highlight what’s possible when we prioritize and invest in effective models, sustained engagement, and meaningful opportunities for parents to strengthen their advocacy skills,” said Mimi Aledo-Sandoval, Senior Policy Director at the Alliance for Early Success. “Equally important, they create opportunities for family advocates to learn from one another, an essential part of building lasting change. Parents gain the confidence not only to lead within their families and communities, but also to advocate for themselves and others. That kind of transformation is incredibly powerful.
Here are a few key lessons learned:
Adaptability: One of the most critical lessons across these initiatives is the importance of staying flexible and responsive. Responding to feedback and continuously improving the curriculum, format, and program structure have been instrumental to the success of these programs. Each has embraced hybrid models that have enabled them to reach more parents from across the state, especially those in rural areas. HCAN is also launching a second training model, the Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), this fall. This community-centered, project-based training shares many of the same goals as PLTI but offers a more accessible entry point for families because it requires a much smaller time commitment.
Flexibility: As programs grow and evolve, flexibility remains key. “Don’t be afraid to pivot a little bit if you need to, if you notice that things need to go in a different direction, be prepared to do that,” said Rochetta Gordon, Training Director at the Maryland Family Network. Her organization recently enhanced its B3 initiative, which has now evolved into Families Leading Maryland. Its focus centers on cultivating and elevating parent leadership, especially among families with young children, through political engagement and advocacy. In this new phase, families are positioned as the true change-makers, shaping the policies that influence early childhood supports and services. “When parents lead, they bring lived experience, deep community insight, and a commitment to change. Their leadership transforms programs from the inside out, making them more responsive and more powerful,” said Gordon.
Parental Input: Truly impactful programs are shaped by parents. Involving parents in decision-making and program design is essential to ensuring that initiatives remain relevant and responsive. For example, the Strong Start Child Advocacy Ambassador Program builds in time between each cohort to assess what worked and what did not, and revise its curriculum based on direct feedback from parents. Similarly, the Maryland Family Network’s parent leadership program uses parent satisfaction surveys to gather meaningful input that directly informs future programming. “Our parents are co-constructing with us, and that is a really big deal, said Taniesha Woods, Statewide Director of the Strong Families-CBCAP at the Maryland Family Network. “We take their input seriously. It helps us determine what the curriculum is and the context in the way we frame it. We want to make sure that the parents have an opportunity to share that in real ways, and not just tinker around the edges,” she added.
Outreach: Partnering with other agencies and collaborating with community organizations is vital to reaching and engaging parents. These trusted networks help expand program visibility and ensure outreach efforts are culturally relevant and community-rooted. For example, HCAN relies on strong relationships with local organizations to connect with families. “A lot of our outreach and recruitment came through what we call the ‘coconut wireless’ here. We put out the word through our existing network and communicate via partners that are direct service nonprofits,” said Zysman.
When power is shared and parents lead, entire communities thrive. These parent leadership programs are helping to change the advocacy landscape by giving parents the tools to create change in early childhood policy and decision-making. As Woods so powerfully put it, “When given the opportunity and support, parents can fly—they can soar.”