Recent State Policy Advances
Expanded investment. Restructured agencies. New caucuses, committees, and coalitions. Read about all the ways our allies on the front lines are making their state a better place for each and every child to reach their full potential.
State By State:
Arkansas Advocates Welcome New Medicaid Funding as a First Step On the Long Road to Ending Preventable Maternal Death in the State
The passage of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act enacts provisions that advocates have long fought for and confronts some of the barriers fueling poor maternal health outcomes, but they insist Arkansas has a long way to go to ensure a healthy birth for every mother and baby.
A Series of Laws Strengthens New Jersey’s Early Education System
While the successful bills mark a push toward universal pre-k and full-day kindergarten, advocates insist more work lies ahead to ensure eligible pre-k students get the chance to participate in the state’s Abbott Preschool program.
A New Endowment Aims to Transform Connecticut’s Early Education System
Connecticut’s Early Childhood Education Endowment, seeded with an initial $300 million investment, marks the culmination of years of work by early education advocates fighting for sustainable, long-term funding.
Colorado Coalition Wins a New Tax Credit—and a Big Impact on Child Poverty
Advocates in the state’s Growing Our Future coalition have won their fight for the Family Affordability Tax Credit, which will put more money into the hands of families and help cut the child poverty rate in Colorado in half.
Montana Advocates Win Historic, Bipartisan New Revenue Stream for Early Childhood
After years of advocacy, Zero to Five Montana—along with other advocates, parents, and providers—has succeeded in passing a new early childhood endowment: the new Early Childhood Special Revenue Account.
Arkansas Takes Steps to Help Early Educators Save for Retirement
A new law in Arkansas makes early educators eligible to participate in the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, a defined benefit retirement plan established for public school and other public education employees in the state. The new law means that any early educator who is licensed by the state and receives state or federal child care funding is eligible to save for retirement through the system.
New Jersey Grantees Recreate Alliance’s “Alabama Experience” for State Lawmakers
Inspired by the Alliance’s “Alabama Experience” for grantees in 2024, New Jersey advocates brought members of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus on a similar pilgrimage to Alabama, in order to deepen relationships and advance equity-centered policy.
Missouri ECE Fellows Program Empowers Community Voices and Connects Legislators to Voices with Experience
Missouri advocates learned from Alliance network peers in Ohio as they created the grassroots network that advances an early childhood agenda by placing those most directly impacted by state policy to the forefront of advocacy.
How North Dakota Advocates Are Defeating Anti-Vaccination Bills
A health advocate and communications strategist explain how “deliberate listening” and unlikely alliances are mitigating some of the most harmful consequences of vaccine misinformation—and disinformation—in North Dakota. And they share five strategies other advocates can emulate.
South Carolina Feedback Program Lets Community Voice Shape Policy
Your Voice Matters, South Carolina’s centralized community feedback initiative, is showing impressive family response rates, shaping policies, and engaging and educating state legislators on the impact of supporting early childhood programs and services.
Montana Early Childhood Advocates Are Building Partnerships with Indigenous Communities Based on Connections, Trust, and Healing
In partnership with Salish Kootenai College, other tribal colleges, and the National American Indian/ Alaska Native Head Start Collaboration Office, Zero to Five Montana helped to launch an Early Childhood Tribal Language Summit in 2019 and recently formed a statewide Early Childhood Tribal Coalition.
North Dakota Advocates Are Logging Wins for Families by Connecting On Shared Values
Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota travels the state to meet people where they are, listen, share information, answer questions, and then helps them advocate for what they want for their communities. And the hard work is paying off.