State Stories: Family Voice Advocacy
Many state early childhood policy advocacy organizations are already engaging family voice authentically in their agenda setting and advocacy. Dive in to these case studies developed by the National Center for Parent and Family Leadership to see how this work can look in practice.
Elevating Parent Leadership in Louisiana: Building Power for Equitable Early Childhood Policy
In Louisiana, advancing equitable early childhood policy requires more than technical solutions – it requires listening to families and sharing power with those most impacted by the systems meant to support young children. Geaux Far Louisiana is a statewide coalition of parents and early childhood health and education leaders working together to transform Louisiana’s early childhood systems so they better meet the needs of families. more >>
Elevating Family Leadership in New York: Building Power for Universal Child Care
More Stories from the Alliance Network on Centering Family Voice
The Alliance and NCFP Announce Recipients of Family Voice Capacity Building Mini-Grants
The Alliance and NCFP have launched a Family Voice Capacity Building Mini-Grant, an opportunity for state advocates designed to help advocacy organizations strengthen their partnerships with families. The six-month $15,000 mini-grants provide flexible funding paired with customized responsive support.
Elevating Parent Leadership in New York: Building Power for Universal Child Care
In New York, achieving universal child care requires more than technical policy fixes—it requires building power with families and educators who experience the child care system every day. The Empire State Campaign for Child Care (ESCCC) is a statewide coalition of policy advocates; early childhood and afterschool educators across all settings – centers, homes, and school-based care; and parents working together to make child care a public good rather than a private burden.
Elevating Parent Leadership in Louisiana: Building Power for Equitable Early Childhood Policy
In Louisiana, advancing equitable early childhood policy requires more than technical solutions – it requires listening to families and sharing power with those most impacted by the systems meant to support young children. Geaux Far Louisiana is a statewide coalition of parents and early childhood health and education leaders working together to transform Louisiana’s early childhood systems so they better meet the needs of families.
Elevating Parent Leadership in Rhode Island: A Story of Deepened Partnership for Sustainable Advocacy
In Rhode Island, advancing equitable early childhood policy has always been about more than legislation—it’s about listening to families and building power together. The RIght from the Start Campaign, a legislative and budget campaign led by eight organizations and coordinated by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, works to ensure that all babies and young children—regardless of zip code, race, ethnicity, or family income—get off to a strong start in life.
Wisconsin and Louisiana Advocates Mobilize Dads at State Capitols to Support Child Care Funding and Family Policies
Geaux Far Louisiana and Kids Forward organized dads across Louisiana and Wisconsin to rally at their state capitols for kids and families. Father-led advocacy is laying the foundation for future change. Kids Forward is now working with members of the Wisconsin State Assembly to launch a bipartisan Wisconsin Dads Caucus. In Louisiana, a state senate resolution was introduced and passed to establish a state fatherhood task force.
Alliance Network Advocates Are Collaborating and Sharing Strategies for Fostering Parent Leadership in Advocacy and Policy
Peer collaboration and idea exchange among advocates is a big part of the Alliance network’s success, and that powerful effect is especially clear when it comes to Allies’ work to collaborate on fostering parent leadership in early childhood policy advocacy.
Oregon Child Care Advocacy Coalition Has a New Way to Set Its Policy Agenda, and It Begins with Parents and Providers
The Child Care for Oregon coalition has implemented a new process that sets its policy agenda by first asking parents and practitioners to name the barriers they face and describe the future they envision for child care in Oregon.
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.
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.
Broad Coalition in Maine Puts Early Care and Education on the Agenda—and in the Budget
Maine’s Right from the Start Coalition—a diverse, bipartisan group of organizations working for high-quality and accessible early care and education—helped pass a multi-faceted child care bill and helped defeat proposed budget cuts.